By Devin G. Williams
November 13, 2015
Many of today’s most impressive tools are not physical, but digital.
Discovering the availability and abundance of current software that makes dozens of otherwise dreadful tasks ‘behave’ has been one of my favorite parts of completing my writing minor at UAB. And I know you wouldn’t disagree that today’s professional writers require nothing short of such technological resources on a regular basis.
By now you’ve certainly learned that there is more to being a professional writer than merely the writing process! There are programs I’ve learned about over the past few semesters that I wish I had known about sooner, for greater ease of organizing, constructing, and editing my projects. I will share a few of those programs with you now.
Scribus
This desktop publishing software will make your efforts look just as professional as mainstream media. That goes for brochures, reports, magazines, memos and more.
Once you get the hang of using it, tasks such as creating and applying master pages, arranging pages and inserting page numbers will be a breeze.
You’ll also find that working with text is far more manageable than it is in the word processing program you use to actually produce your text.
If you want to drastically simplify the publishing process and produce strikingly clean-cut large-scale printed and/or digital works, you can’t go wrong with Scribus.
Inkscape
A favorite among hobbyists, artists and graphic designers, this vector graphics editing program is very useful for editing, cropping and resizing images.
What “vector” means is that Inkscape operates with lines rather than pixels in displaying content onscreen – resulting in a pure, clear picture regardless of zooming or magnification.
Identifiable by its inkblot mountain logo, this software will help you make text-based graphics full of color, texture and depth as well as apply neat visual effects that are easier to achieve than you realize. Stop using Microsoft Word’s “Word-Art” feature and that archaic Paint program to do the job, and jump on into the world of Inkscape.
GIMP
Don’t let that unfamiliar little dog (that’s Wilbur, official GIMP mascot) discourage you from integrating GIMP, or “GNU Image Manipulation Program” into your toolkit.
While this incredibly versatile software would take some time to fully master, you can immediately benefit from learning the photo editing and retouching functions you will wield. And GIMP is certainly well-equipped for any text-related work you might have in mind.
On the more extreme end, you can pull some visual stunts with layer masks and image/photo combinations in GIMP.
Writing in the Digital Sphere
For most people, using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint will suffice, but for those creating digital documents of a higher caliber, superior software is a must.
Each of these three programs may seem intimidating at first, but with practice you’ll find it was well worth exploring each one (you may begin by viewing the short, student-made tutorial videos on the PWC website). I cringe at the thought of your potential being stifled by the limitations of yesterday’s methods.
You won’t miss them once you muster up the courage or incentive (or simply give into the curiosity) to download and give these tools a try!
So how much will it cost you to adopt this software? Not a nickel.
Waiting right now on portableapps.com are these programs I have just introduced, along with many more various apps – for free.
You may be thinking, “I’ve been tricked before with the whole “free” scheme,” but this is no rip-off and that is a promise. The only expense you’ll have to cover is the dispensable five dollars or so that a flash drive will cost, that is, if you don’t already have one. But if that’s still somehow asking too much or you’re just not very keen on the idea of carrying your portable apps around on a flash drive with personal data, you can simply save the programs onto your desktop or access them through a Cloud Drive.
As long as you have a computer with an internet connection, you can download and use these convenient – and free – portable apps anywhere you please.
When it comes time to download from portableapps.com, it may be helpful to know in advance that among all those hundreds of categorized apps, you will find GIMP and Inkscape under “Graphics and Pictures” and Scribus under “Office.” Also, downloading will take some time. In terms of speed, it will be sort of like going back to dial-up internet all over again. But don’t worry, this is virtually the only necessary hassle involved, which only the utmost impatient individuals may find somewhat tedious. And I am confident you have developed all kinds of patience, as a diligent professional writer with so much to offer a community and world needing you. Go get those Portable Apps!
