The novel writing software yWriter (via Barry) is such an application. It is compatible with both the Microsoft Windows and Linux operating system. The software divided novels into chapters and scenes which are all accessible from the same interface. Each chapter contains one or multiple scenes that can be filled with the actual text but also information like characters, locations, items, scene notes and goals.

Each chapter is displayed in the sidebar with its title and additional information. A click on a chapter will load the scenes into the main window that is immediately revealing important information to the author like the number of words, viewpoint or status. All the additional information that make up a scene like locations and characters are also listed in that overview.

The menu on top provides additional means to add or edit all aspects of the novel easily. The Tools menu for instance contains a link to the storyboard which will process all the information that has been entered into the application and display it in a timeline.

The text editor itself is a basic text editor that can be used to write a scene and enter detailed information about the scene’s characters, locations and objects.

Writing a novel with yWriter will take more time initially than writing it in another word processor if all the information that it can contain are added by the writer. It will however speed up the novel writing process tremendously over time as it provides better access to information needed. Try searching for character appearances in a novel written in Microsoft Word or Open Office and in yWriter to know how much faster and accessible this software is.

It should also be noted that there is a difference in quality. Human readers are of course capable of narrating the story in a higher quality than a computer reader can ever achieve. The following websites offer high quality Audiobooks that can be downloaded for free to your computer. I try to list some of the most remarkable books from those sites next to the link to give you an impression about the content that they offer:

Thought Audio – good collection of mostly classic novels such as Metamorphosis from Kafka and Thus Spoke Zarathustra from Nietzsche.
Free Classic Audiobooks – offers Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Treasure Island by Stevenson.
Pink Geek Audio – If you like Sherlock Holmes you have come to the right place. Has a large concentration of Sherlock Holmes books.
Simply Audiobooks – The Waste Land by Eliot and The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Just some books but good quality.
Podiobooks – Podiobooks are serialized Audiobooks that are offered in Podcast format. You won’t find classic books here but only books from unknown authors.
Voices in the Dark – Large collection of Audiobooks from authors such as H.G. Wells and Edgar Allen Poe.

Do you know more sources for free Audiobooks that are read by humans ? Let me know, always looking for more.

You will receive half of the Adsense earnings of every article that you write and also a link from my website to a website that you can choose freely as long as it is related to technology or the topics that you write about. I’m looking for guest authors for the following subjects: Gadgets, Mobile Devices, PC Hardware, Web 2.0 sites as well as every other subject that I write about here at ghacks. I want to read at least two articles about the subject that you have written to get an impression about your writing skills. Oh, I’m especially looking for a female guest author who would like to write about one of the topics above or subjects that have a female twist..

Please send the application to martin @ mysega dot de including a link to the two articles or an attachment with the articles as well as a short informational letter about yourself and why you think you are the right writer for the job.

This is a great opportunity to reach thousands of readers, earn some money with posting about subjects that you love and enjoy. You get lots of feedback from a dedicated readership and a valuable backlink from a high traffic pagerank 6 website.

What are you waiting for ;)

Native Speaker or
Expertise in at least one of the following topics that you would like to write about: technology, gadgets, software, internet, hacking (modchips, internet, workarounds), free stuff (wallpapers, music, etc), gaming related, privacy, anonymity, digital rights, freedom of speech, mobile / pocket pcs..

If you think that you can do it send two articles (or links to articles) that you have written. Please contact me by email (martin at mysega . de) and I will reply as soon as possible.