Fancy formatting requires a modern word processor, but if you’re just trying to get the words out, a simpler tool will do. Game Of Thrones author George RR Martin takes the policy to extremes: he’s still using a copy of WordStar running on DOS.
Martin mentioned his WordStar preference during an interview with US talk show host Conan O’Brien. Here’s his explanation:
I have my writing computer which is a DOS machine not connected to the Internet . . . I use WordStar 4.0 as my word processor. I actually like it. It does everything I want a word processing program to do, and it doesn’t do anything else. I don’t want any help. I hate some of these modern systems where you type a lower-case letter and it becomes a capital. I don’t want a capital; if I wanted a capital, I would have typed a capital. I know how to work the shift key.
WordStar is indeed a capable program — it was what I used in my first job as a professional journalist. I’m quite content with Word these days, but I can think of much worst fates than reverting back to WordStar (Pages, for example).
If you don’t have a copy of WordStar lying around, check out our guide to other writing software. And for more writing ideas, check out Martin’s top 10 writing tips.
[via Business Insider]
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