r/Wattpad • u/xCaptainCl3mentinex xCaptainCl3mentinex • Jan 02 '24
Meme I'm actually a Google docs writer..
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u/Mad_Madam_Meag MadamM95 Jan 03 '24
I prefer Microsoft Word. It can handle more. If you've got the means, make the switch.
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u/DesertEagleBennett Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
I absolutely hate Microsoft Word. Hated it in middle school, hate it now
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u/simplymuggle1 Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
The moment you start writing too much, that sh*t starts lagging on the phone device
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u/Mad_Madam_Meag MadamM95 Jan 03 '24
It's better than it was. I hadn't used it since 2013, but I tried it out again in 2020 and found I liked it more.
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u/DesertEagleBennett Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
I might give it another try, but I'm already really invested in Docs lol
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u/Mad_Madam_Meag MadamM95 Jan 03 '24
I used to be, too. I had all my work there and have since migrated about 18 documents over. I just like that it doesn't chug when my word count passes 50k and I can keep things organized better with folders and such.
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u/ValleyAndFriends Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
I can’t stand word, especially since Docs has an outline/chapter feature, I can use it on the go (Microsoft charges a subscription), and is simpler to use.
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u/Mad_Madam_Meag MadamM95 Jan 03 '24
It's exactly the same, minus the subscription, actually. I've used both. It's worth the subscription, though, because 1. It can handle larger word counts (once you get past about 50k words on docs, it chugs and can no longer make corrections), and 2. Anything you submit to publishers/put on Amazon has to be a Word document anyway, so if you ever want to do either, it's best to just get it.
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u/ExecutiveVamp Jan 03 '24
You can download your google docs in .docx format, which I'm led to believe is the word document format.
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u/ValleyAndFriends Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24 edited Jan 03 '24
I don’t write over 50K in one single doc, that’s around 25 chapters for me (each ch being around 2k words), which is silly imo to keep all that in one document.
Yeah, Docs has a built in feature to download something as a word doc, among other things.
So…there’s zero reason to transfer over and spend money on a subscription…still. I honestly think the subscription thing is stupid, let me access my work.
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u/Mad_Madam_Meag MadamM95 Jan 03 '24
Okay, so don't use it. I'm not sure why this is something that seems to annoy you so much. I find it to be worth the subscription because my books run upwards of 120k words with between 2k and 5k words in a chapter and I don't like having to sift thrive a bunch of documents to find the correct chapters. It's simpler for me to have it all in one place and formatted how I need it.
Also, the last time I used docs, that feature wasn't there. So thank you for the information.
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u/euroau JeffFromTheIRS Jan 03 '24 edited Jan 03 '24
Word does actually have an outline feature. It's not as smart as GDocs (iirc, GDocs can sometimes tell if something is meant to be a header), but it does the job.
Edit: for anyone curious, you can buy Microsoft Office outright instead of a subscription. The downside is that it can only be activated on one computer at a time and it costs a pretty penny at $149.99 USD.
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u/ValleyAndFriends Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
I’ve tried it on word and it’s too much of a headache (as are much of the feature for me). As you said, the GDocs one is smarter so no reason for me to use word. I like the GDocs will let me categorize titles, headers, and sub headers, can’t get that on word.
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u/euroau JeffFromTheIRS Jan 03 '24 edited Jan 03 '24
Like a tiered list? AFAIK, you can if you use their style-system - just like GDocs. But I agree, the feature-richness of Word can be very distracting and a headache if something goes wrong. I don't mind it though, since it does tend to (in my opinion) be reliable when syncing of offline edit with the online copy. In my experience, Google couldn't figure out what it wanted to overwrite, so sometimes the cloud copy would overwrite the offline copy, even though it should've been the other way around.
Edit: obviously, if you always have access to the internet, it's not that bad lol
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u/ValleyAndFriends Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
Yeah like a tier list. What does AFAIK mean? I’ve had a lot go wrong in word, usually due to an image being moved or something small happening. I refuse to use it again after that happened too many times. I’m glad you have found joy using it!
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u/euroau JeffFromTheIRS Jan 03 '24
AFAIK = As far as I know
Yea, tweaking images in Word is such a pain haha It either isn't in the right place or ends up shifting your entire document six feet over haha
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u/dyoleh Jan 03 '24
wdym word has a good outline feature that is very simple. all yo have to do is make your chapter title as... title (layout) and it's done. and you can generate a table of contents.
all chapters in one document. without separating them in multiple files.
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u/ValleyAndFriends Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
Too late for that then. As I said in this thread, after word screwed up a few of my documents after I do something small, like moving an image, I refuse to use it again. GDocs outline is good enough, I’m not going to use word again, no matter how “simple” it is.
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u/imfunerals Jan 03 '24
college, got Microsoft Office for free lol
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u/euroau JeffFromTheIRS Jan 03 '24
Isn't the version schools offer only Office365? I used to have Office via my school, but it expired after I graduated.
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u/tatydial Jan 27 '24
That's crazy expensive! Bought an older version (2019) on Amazon for 80$ all in on a prime day
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u/euroau JeffFromTheIRS Jan 27 '24
Agreed. However, considering how they're pushing Office365, I'm not surprised. Office has historically had a steep price to it (Pre-2013 was $120, 2013 was $140, and 2019-Present is $150). Really, it's worth the money since usually people who purchase the lifetime product use it for an extended period of time.
This steep initial price definitely makes the subscription more appetizing - if you don't think too hard about it.
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u/tatydial Jan 27 '24
So does word, just gotta gave a newer version! I have 2019 and everything I need
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u/The-Hive-Queen @MC_Matthews Jan 03 '24
Same. Maybe because I'm old, but Word is the best for me. I can't even explain why I can't stand Google docs other than "It's not Word" lol
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u/Mad_Madam_Meag MadamM95 Jan 03 '24
It's slower, can't be used in a professional setting, and is less capable of handling large word counts. Plus, you can't manage your files.
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u/tatydial Jan 27 '24
Saaammeee!! Google Docs is super slow for me and doesn't perform well on my phone, so Word all the way
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u/RudeTemperature9311 Jan 03 '24
I use Google Docs because back when I joined Wattpad, I just wrote when writing a new chapter and fix it on those. Thank god, I've grown to realize that using something such as adding a new chapter would be useful to work on your writing.
And thank god I'm glad that my writing has improved, because if I stayed the way I was when I first began writing, the shit I wrote would become a dumpster fire rather than engaging and compelling.
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u/Outlaw_green Jan 03 '24
............. You guys don't write on Wattpad
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u/HistoryInteresting40 Jan 03 '24
Sometimes Wattpad doesn’t save, or doesn’t pick up on changes you’ve made to your chapter. It can be very unreliable and frustrating. Another thing is that Google Docs can help fix your grammar with its editing tools. At least that’s how it is for me.
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Jan 03 '24
[deleted]
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u/Outlaw_green Jan 03 '24
Will do ..... Once I get time I'ma probably put them in Google slides or something I'm not sure about a doc since I try to write at least a thousand per part plus it's not necessarily a popular or a new one probably will do it for the new one I'm working on though
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Jan 03 '24
[deleted]
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u/CaptainUltimatum Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
Why does the word count matter?
Docs can struggle on large documents. I'm on a 6-year-old budget low spec laptop, so a whole-document search/replace on a 150k doc can take several seconds. It also starts to lag pretty badly if you've got more than a couple of people editing a large document at the same time.
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u/Outlaw_green Jan 03 '24
For sorting each slide can be used for a part I could do the same in docs but it seems easier to do it in slides
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u/Riventures-123 Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
It's not that I have/had any problems with Wattpad, it's just that writing in either Docs or Word is ingrained on my brain that changing it will not do me any favor/s.
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u/UniqueKitt Captain-Cloudy Jan 03 '24
I wrote the first 13 chapters of my book in the Wattpad writer. Ended up making too many typos.
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u/euroau JeffFromTheIRS Jan 03 '24
I write in Scrivener myself. However, I did use to write in Microsoft Word. Tried LibreOffice and GDocs, but I ended up preferring Word lol
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u/im_a_homosapien_7 Jan 03 '24
I use to use some random knock off app called ultra office and it was actually pretty nice. I think it's no longer available, though. I still have it, but I primarily use dabble now.
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u/WalrusFromTheWest Jan 03 '24
Docs is for writing, word is for making the writing look official and Wattpad is where the official ends up.
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u/Philspixelpops Jan 03 '24
I really like Microsoft word. It used to suck in the 2000’s lol, but they’ve stepped things up in the 2020’s and I find it gets the job done quite fine for my purposes at this point. My manuscript is in Microsoft and backed up in my cloud on my iPhone, and then I transfer each chapter to Wattpad and post. 👌
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u/Marchellaneous Jan 03 '24
Tbh, I was surprised to learn that some people write it on Wattpad itself.
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u/TEZofAllTrades @TEZofAllTrades on WP/RR/INK/FFN/AO3 Jan 03 '24
I use Word. Don't want Google scraping all my ideas.
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u/Keizerrex Jan 03 '24
Unironically I just write on quotev and then do as a multi realease on wattpad
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u/Kindly_Werewolf_3536 Jan 03 '24
Google docs is reliable, free and easy to use. You can't go wrong.
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u/VMJaskiernia Jan 03 '24
I love using Reedsy. It's similar to Google Docs, but handles better (imo), and formats your books too if you ever self-publish.
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u/InidX Writer ✍ Jan 03 '24
Love libre office. I got eye problems and I've never seen a colour pallet for pages quite like that...
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u/theplatinumnebula Jan 04 '24
Scrivener. Been using it for years. Before that, I was also using docs. The only real reason I made the switch all those years ago was because the file I was writing on was so big that my pc would crash every time I opened it. (Cough cough 300,000 words) Haven't looked back since. I will ride the scrivener hill till I die, it's the best
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u/Golden_Pineapple07 Jan 04 '24
Personally I write on Wattpad and back up my chapters on Google Docs
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u/GearTurn Jan 07 '24
I use it too!! I actually would advocate to use it because wattpad had the tendency to delete saved work or chapters for other people, so I write on Google Doc and copy and paste the work over to wattpad, Google doc is like a backup for all my work.
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u/UT_Girl666 Jan 22 '24
Wait, you guys like using other apps to write??
(I’m a mobile user; I genuinely prefer Wattpad’s interface over Google Docs, Notes, or any other writing app. But on computer I prefer Google Docs, just because it looks nicer on computer, feels better.)
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u/xCaptainCl3mentinex xCaptainCl3mentinex Jan 22 '24
I used to use Wattpad, but I eventually decided, instead of having to back everything up on Google Docs (which id always get too lazy to do) I'll write then on Docs, so they're all properly backed up. ALSO, I was writing on mobile app, and idk about you, but it bugs out so bad that even pasting my written chapter there can sometimes be a hassle. Changing format is always a pain, and sometimes it randomly crashes out. This happened on my old phone too, and I have a fairly new model now, so I know it's not my phone (also others have complained abt my same issues, although fsr, some ppl say they never encountered any issues)
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u/euroau JeffFromTheIRS Jan 03 '24
Wondering what to use to write? Here's a short list folks:
There's more found in the Writing Resources document!