A novel needs room for your story and a clear view of the whole project. Faustica brings both together: organise your manuscript into chapters, plan storylines and keep characters, settings and notes close to your text. Whether you have a first idea or an existing manuscript, try Faustica free for 30 days and discover how it supports your writing routine.
The following criteria explain what matters in novel writing software. Use the questions to explore Faustica with your own project during the free trial. For an additional overview, see Writing software compared.
This Writing Academy is published by Faustica. Comparisons are based on documented vendor information. Sources for other software are listed at the end; check current vendor information before buying.
How a writing program differs from a word processor
A word processor such as Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer treats your novel as one long document. It can format, structure, comment and print text, and many novels are written exactly that way. Novel writing software starts from a different unit: the book consists of many parts, and alongside the text there is material that doesn’t belong in the book but is needed to write it, such as characters, settings, storylines, research and ideas.
The line is blurry. Some programs are essentially editors with good structure, others are mainly planning tools, still others combine both. That is why the question “word processor or writing program?” helps less than asking which of the following jobs you want a program to do for you.
When a word processor reaches its limits
For the first chapters, almost anything works: a word processor, a note-taking app, a notebook. The story is created in your head, not in the program, and what matters is that you start. The limits show once the project grows from three chapters to twenty and from two characters to a whole village. Typical signs:
- A character returns after five chapters, and you scroll through a hundred pages to find out whom she met at the harbor tavern back in chapter 4.
- To move a chapter forward, you cut and paste pages of text and hope nothing gets lost.
- During revision you notice that a subplot has gone missing, for instance when a character answers a letter she hasn’t held since chapter 7.
- Your material is spread out: the manuscript in one file, characters in a spreadsheet, index cards in another program, notes and images in a folder. Everything exists somewhere, but nothing is in one place.
A word processor knows only text, not characters, storylines or a timeline. When you spend more time searching than writing, a dedicated writing program starts to pay off.
Ten criteria with test questions
1. Structure: chapters and scenes as building blocks
The most important criterion. A novel gets rebuilt: chapters move forward, scenes are split or cut. A good program lets you create chapters (and scenes, if you work that way) individually, group them into parts and move them via drag and drop without copying text.
Test questions: Can I move a chapter to a different place in two steps? Can I see the word count for each chapter? Can I group chapters into parts or acts?
2. The editor itself
You spend most of your time in the editor. It should respond quickly, even with a whole novel, handle italics and paragraphs reliably and not bury you in toolbars. A distraction-free or focus mode and the option to see two passages side by side are useful when revising.
Test questions: Does writing still feel comfortable after an hour? Can I set font and background so my eyes don’t tire? Does it save automatically?
3. Planning: plot, storylines, timeline
If you plan, you need a place for it: scene cards, a grid of storylines and chapters, a timeline for events that aren’t told in reading order. What matters is whether the planning is connected to the manuscript or sits beside it. A scene card that knows which chapter it belongs to stays current; a list in a separate file goes stale quickly. How to develop your plot in the first place is explained in How to develop a plot.
Test questions: Can I see at a glance which chapters a storyline appears in? Can I plan chapters I haven’t written yet? Is there a timeline that is independent of chapter order?
4. Characters and world
By the time you have a dozen characters and settings, you need a reference: profiles, images, relationships, places, objects, your own categories for magic, organizations or technology. It becomes really valuable when the program shows where an entry appears in the manuscript.
Test questions: Can I create my own categories and fields? Can I find out which chapters a character appears in? Can I record relationships between characters? Ideas for what to put in a profile are in How to create a character profile.
5. Notes, ideas and research
Ideas arrive in the middle of a chapter, and often they are better than the original plan. Research comes as a PDF, an image or a link. A writing program should have a place for this that doesn’t end up in the manuscript, and it should be able to link notes to chapters or characters so they turn up where you need them.
For loose ideas that aren’t sorted yet, a mind map helps you collect thoughts freely and connect them later.
Test questions: Can I capture an idea in a few seconds without leaving the chapter? Can I store images and PDFs? When I write a chapter, do I see the notes that belong to it?
6. Revision and feedback
A novel is revised several times, often with beta readers or an editor. What matters are comments on specific passages, earlier versions for comparison and a way to bring in outside feedback, usually via Word with comments and Track Changes. Aids such as repetition analysis, spell checking or style checking vary greatly between programs; test them with your own text and your variety of English, American or British.
Test questions: Can I restore an older version of a chapter? How do my editor’s notes get back into the program? How well does the spell checker cope with my text and my invented names? More on the process: How to revise a manuscript.
7. Export and import
In the end, your text is meant to be read: by an agent, a publisher, a printer, as an e-book. Word (DOCX), PDF and EPUB are common. For submissions, agents and publishers often ask for a plain standard manuscript format; what counts are the guidelines of each recipient. The way in matters just as much: can you bring an existing draft into the program?
Test questions: If I export the whole test project to Word, are chapter headings, italics and scene breaks correct? Can I import an existing manuscript?
8. Data safety and open formats
Months of work shouldn’t depend on a single file. Look for automatic saving, automatic versions, backups at a location of your choice and whether you could read your text without the program in an emergency, for example because backups contain Word or Markdown copies or the program works with plain text files.
Test questions: Where exactly is my data stored? What happens if the program won’t start in five years? How do I restore a backup? Try that last one before you need it.
9. Platforms, sync, collaboration
Does the program run on your operating system? Do you need it on a tablet or phone too? Do you write alone or with others in the same text at the same time? Programs differ fundamentally here: local programs work offline and without an account, cloud services sync automatically and allow writing together. Both have pros and cons, which Writing software without a subscription or cloud weighs up.
Test questions: On which of my devices do I really want to write? Do I need real-time collaboration, or is exchanging files enough?
10. Price, license, language and learning curve
One-time purchase or subscription, a license for one device or several, paid major versions, trial period: check which model suits you. Also check whether the interface is available in your language and how long it takes you to find your way around. A program you can only use after taking a course costs writing time.
Test question: Have I set up my first chapter within an hour without reading a manual?
How to test a writing program during the trial
- Weight the criteria. Mark three at most as must-haves, a few as should-haves and the rest as nice-to-haves. A program that misses a must-have is out.
- Use real text. Bring in two or three chapters of your manuscript and a few characters. With placeholder text you won’t notice what bothers you day to day.
- Work with it for a week. Write, plan, revise. Note what slows you down.
- Test the way out. Export everything to Word or Markdown and open the file in another program.
- Test the backup. Restore a backup or an earlier version.
- Decide by how it feels day to day, not by the length of the feature list. A good tool is there when you need it and stays out of the way otherwise.
An example: requirements for Rika’s suspense novel
The working example is an invented suspense novel about ferrywoman Rika. Her childhood friend Hauke uses her crossings for drug cargo and threatens her after discovery. She plans to expose him through a fake engine failure and anonymous tip. This creates specific writing-organization needs; length and chapter count remain open.
| Criterion | Weight in this working example | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Arrange chapters and scenes | Essential | Discovery, threat and trap need a causal sequence. |
| Characters and notes | Essential | Rika’s fear and Hauke’s changing tone need preparation. |
| Check chronology | Useful | The real and fake engine failures must stay distinct. |
| Export a reading copy | Useful | Feedback needs a clearly identified version. |
| Switch devices | Depends on the writer’s routine | The story itself does not require a mobile app. |
These are the writer’s requirements, not Rika’s traits. More functions do not automatically mean a better fit. Use a concrete scene to test whether you can find the relevant information and revise comfortably.
Common mistakes
- Counting features instead of weighting them. Twenty features of which you use three make a program harder to use, not better.
- Testing only with sample text. Many weaknesses only show with a long, real manuscript.
- Leaving export until the end. If you only notice at submission time that the formatting is off, you have a problem under deadline pressure.
- Treating backup as done. Even the best program doesn’t replace a copy on a second device.
- Searching instead of writing. Looking for the perfect program is a comfortable way to put off writing. Start with what you have and switch when the limits above show up.
- Blaming the software for writer’s block. A new program rarely solves a problem with the story.
Practical tips
- Put together a fixed test package for trials: three chapters, five characters, one storyline. That way you compare programs under the same conditions.
- Notice whether a program comes with an account, an internet connection or AI features, and decide deliberately whether you want that. More in Writing software without AI.
Try Faustica free for 30 days
This is how Faustica covers the criteria on this page: in the editor you write chapter by chapter, group chapters into parts and have focus mode, split view, offline synonyms, spell checking and repetition analysis at hand; saving happens automatically. The Plot Planner shows storylines and chapters as a grid with scene cards, offers four structure templates such as the hero’s journey, shows a tension curve across the book and points out storylines that have been dormant for a long time. The Timeline arranges parallel storylines independently of chapter order, with free-form time references or exact dates. The Compendium collects characters, places and your own categories with a relationship graph and shows where an entry appears in the manuscript. Notes hold images, PDFs and links and show up linked in the editor; mind maps give loose ideas a place.
For feedback, you export individual chapters as Word files with comments and changes and bring them back in for comparison. Backups go to a location of your choice, can be encrypted and contain readable Word and Markdown copies; up to 30 automatic versions can be restored. Export produces Word, PDF, EPUB and Markdown, with templates for paperback, standard manuscript and e-book. You can import an existing manuscript from Word or Markdown.
With Faustica, your novel and its planning stay together: chapters, characters, settings and research are close to your text. Write and plan offline, keep your projects on your own device and get started without a Faustica account. You can import existing text as Word or Markdown files and continue working on it in Faustica.
Try Faustica free for 30 days and see how it fits your writing process. You can then buy the version for your platform as a one-time purchase: Windows through the Microsoft Store and macOS through the Mac App Store. Each version is sold separately through its respective store.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need writing software for my first novel at all?
Not necessarily. Many novels are written in a word processor. A writing program mainly helps when the project grows and you find yourself hunting for characters, storylines and notes in different places.
Which feature matters most?
For most novels, chapters that are easy to rearrange. Right after that come reliable backups and a clean export, because without them even the best planning feature is of little use.
Is software with more features better?
Only if you use them. Every extra feature means more to learn and more interface that can get in the way. A program that meets your three must-haves well is better for you than one that does everything a little.
How long should I test a program before deciding?
Long enough to have used it with real text in your daily routine; a week of intensive use is often enough. Make full use of the vendor’s trial period and check export and restore before it runs out.