Power Writer

Fiction started out in the form of writings long before the multimedia kicked in with its highly-detailed images and loud sound. This does not mean today's books are obsolete, but rather benefit from various creation options such as Power Writer that aim to put an intuitive environment at your disposal for clever structuring of book content and final assembly.

The application is packed with many different features and to get you smoothly through all of them, several so-called tutors are put at your disposal right from the start. These gradually take you through series in interactive steps by the end of which you're hopefully familiar with program customization, creating an outline, composition frame and using story tools.

One of the main tools you get to use is the built-in text editor. It's packed with options to change different visual styles, such as font type, size, style and color, as well as overall page arrangement options. Special characters or symbols can be used, or even external RTF files to quickly add content.

As long as you're bathing in inspiration or you already have the outline story, writing is the least of your concerns. What you can do with the plot however, is break it in multiple pieces so that all details cleverly fit in together.

This is done with the help of several tools for management of text separation via acts and chapters, as well as character and action handling. Additional panels hold these corresponding options, with the possibility to keep them hidden for more space to write.

Whether or not there's a story to your text, it needs to look good when printed on paper. This task is handled easier with the help of a built-in preset structure, fitted with buttons that create new chapters, acts or plot points in no time at all. These appear as palceholder text on the canvas itself, with the possibility to give names on the spot.

In case there a twist to your plot, it means characters and a general story are also amongst elements used. This falls into the hands of the lower panel, fitted with tabs for creating and editing general story elements, acts, chapters, plot points, characters and research.

Different links can be made between entries so that it gets easier when assembling the whole book. You can use the presets to define characters and plots, and even take advantage of options to add custom questions or information fields.

All things considered, we can safely state that Power Writer lives up to expectations and provides a suitable environment in which the only boundaries are set by imagination. Although the interface might seem pulled from the last decade, it's fitted with useful prompts for every new step or potential errors so you don't suddenly lose your work, while the depth and variety of structuring options make sure you include even the smallest of details.