I have been writing for greater than 30 years. I assume that makes me considerably of an skilled. Throughout these three-plus a long time, the one doc device I’ve trusted essentially the most hasn’t modified all that a lot. 

OK, let me make clear that. 

Once I first began writing, there was no LibreOffice; there was StarOffice, which grew to become OpenOffice. From OpenOffice, LibreOffice was forked and there is been no turning again. (LibreOffice was introduced formally in January 2011.) Though I take advantage of Google Docs for many of my non-fiction work, when issues get critical, it is all LibreOffice.

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What do I imply by “critical?” I imply my novels. I imply formatting. I imply engaged on 60k+ phrase paperwork that may span over 300 pages. 

Let’s dive into the LibreOffice options that maintain me coming again.

1. LibreOffice is extremely customizable

Of all of the issues I like about LibreOffice, the software program’s customization choices land squarely on the high of the checklist. One factor about us writers is that we love to do issues the way in which we love to do them. When our workflow is dictated by one thing or another person, we are able to get a bit cranky.

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LibreOffice not solely permits all the suitable customizations to assist me work the way in which I would like, but it surely additionally permits me to configure sure choices such that I can work most effectively. Working effectively is essential for me due to my writing strategy. Once I’m engaged on a novel, the concepts are likely to circulate quicker than my fingers can kind (and I can kind quick). If I’ve to pause each time I would like to change from H2 to straightforward textual content or enter a chapter heading, that stops my circulate. 

One instance of that is the customization of kinds. By default, the Heading 2 model aligns left —  however I’ve to have it centered. After that, the default paragraph model must be single-spaced, and the primary line of each paragraph wants an indention of .10. With the LibreOffice Type Editor, I not solely can set the formatting of these kinds, however I can dictate what model follows (so once I hit Enter after a Heading 2, it should all the time default to my configuration of Default Paragraph Type). 

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With LibreOffice, I can put my fingers on the keyboard and write with out interruption or distraction. The issue with distraction is that it isn’t simply the time it takes to deal with the problem at hand; it is also getting again within the circulate of issues. So, even a 10-second distraction can flip right into a minute. A ten-minute distraction can flip into 20, and it is all uphill from there.

2. LibreOffice saves paperwork domestically

Ten years in the past, I would not have thought-about this a promoting level for an workplace suite. However with the migration to cloud (and the potential of AI utilizing saved paperwork for fodder), storing my manuscripts on a third-party server is a non-starter. Fortunately, LibreOffice hasn’t gone the way in which of the cloud; every thing is saved and saved in your native file system.

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It sounds so archaic, so old school, proper?

When you’ve got severely delicate paperwork (resembling a guide manuscript that you do not wish to someway get out into the general public or used to coach AI), you’d be finest served by coming down from the clouds and utilizing LibreOffice to retailer your paperwork domestically. I save them to a shared drive on my community, so I can entry them from any laptop and proceed the writing or modifying course of.

Talking of which…