By default, xkcdpass generates five random words that can also be used for name coining. Xkcdpass is a password generator named for the famous xkcd comic that suggests that a string of random words can be used for strong passwords. But how to generate names that can be easily pronounced? One useful tool is a random word generator like xkcdpass. Gamers often use online databases, but a writer needs something more original. Invented names are an important part of fantasy and science fiction. Countless personal wikis are available, but Vimwiki is a command-line option that is easy to learn, while Zim offers the same advantage on the desktop (Figure 1).įigure 1: A personal wiki like Zim is a useful place to store background and personal notes. For writers, personal wiki files are useful because they can be linked and lightly formatted, which is a more reliable way to organize background information like the biography of characters than relying on directory and sub-directory structures. However, individuals also find them useful for many other purposes, which is why the personal wiki has become common. Wikis are popular for free software projects. However, the repositories of free software also contain some less obvious tools that are useful for writers, including those detailed below. Similarly, Calc, like any spreadsheet, is ideal for outlining scenes and for keeping track of more abstract elements of storytelling, such as the phases of the moon or the course of a character’s illness. Although a sadly high number of users have yet to learn that The PC is Not A Typewriter, as Robin Williams said in the title of her book, LibreOffice is designed for writers of long documents. Some free software, of course, is already designed for use by writers. However, it is only recently that I realized that, with a little improvisation, tools designed for programming can be made useful for writing fiction. Although I am not a developer, I long ago learned to hunt for useful scripts and adapt them for my own purposes. One of the most important lessons I have learned from using free software is the ability to improvise.
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