To be continued…..

Truby's Blockbuster, on other hand, quickly gets me to heart of my story and has me putting pieces together in a relatively short time. I don't use it for all my projects, but find it most helpful for bigger books.

Could I write without use of software?

Of course.

Would my stories be better for it?

Probably no better. Probably no worse.

Then what's point?

The point is this: story development software can serve both good and evil, depending on how you use it. If you rely too heavily on software, then you defeat purpose of being a writer, which is to bring your own take on world into your work. Your stories will likely begin to all read alike, very cookie-cutter and pre-fabbed. You'll be moving us another step closer to day when computers will write our books for us.

But if you use software to organize your thoughts, to make initial brainstorming process quicker and more efficient, without relying too heavily on each and every aspect of software, then it can serve good in your work.

Much like rules of grammar, rules of struture and story development are there to guide you. Once you thoroughly understand how they work, you're freer to break them. This is when you step forward as a writer, with your own voice, and your own creative approach to writing.

If you'd like to check out some of these programs, here are some good places to get started:

Novel-Writing Programs: http://thesuccessfulwriter.com/novelwritingsoftware/ Screenwriting Programs: http://thesuccessfulwriter.com/screenwritingsoftware/

Whether you decide to use story-development software or not---Steinbeck, Hemmingway, Faulkner and many others did just fine without them---always remember to bring yourself to your work.

That's only true way you'll ever be an original writer.