Does anyone know of a free, online program that, for lack of a better phrase, I'll call a random sentence scrambler? I see there are a lot of anagram makers but I want one for about 500 word bodies of text. Theoretically I could paste in the text and it would spit it out with all the words intact, the sentence structure preserved, just arranged into a new sequence. Thanks.
posted by holdenjordahl on Aug 16, 2009 - 10 answers

I'm trying to construct a digital worksheet that will walk someone through an outlining and drafting process for creating a report. Basically, the user should be able to answer the questions I put forward (either in a textfield, list, or textarea) and what would come out is an outline for a technical paper, grant proposal, etc. Is there software or features of software to support this? Microsoft Office or exportable formats are preferable. [more inside]
posted by miasma on Jun 28, 2009 - 2 answers

I often have a whole bunch of 500-3000 word articles to read - all reasonably plain English with headings and sub-headings (and occasionally images). Is there any software out there which will take an article (or articles) and write a reasonable one or two paragraph summary of the article, or produce a list of key points?
posted by zaebiz on Jun 16, 2009 - 13 answers

Creating my book's own index, crazy or sensible? [more inside]
posted by jessamyn on Jun 10, 2009 - 19 answers

software for writing (i.e., organizing) a novel on a windows machine? [more inside]
posted by gcat on Dec 29, 2008 - 8 answers

When I was in high school, we had a writing lab with some type of mainframe-ish type terminals setup, where there was writing software available which would list frequently repeated words, point out large paragraphs, spelling errors, document complexity, punctuation errors, etc. This was awhile ago, is this type of thing freely available anywhere these days? [more inside]
posted by ceberon on Nov 26, 2008 - 5 answers

I don't like Microsoft Word much; it feels really bloated to me, and has so many features I never use. I've been looking for an alternative for some time. What word processor does the hivemind recommend for academic writing? [more inside]
posted by synecdoche on Jul 10, 2008 - 35 answers

I have a macro that takes an un-styled document, and tries to put text into the right styles based on what its formatting is. But, if the document already has some scheme of styles, the macro doesn't work very well. So, I would like to transform a Word document into an un-styled version of itself-- but one that retains ALL of the original formatting (italics, small caps, font size, spacing). What would be the most correct way to do this? I have Word 2003 (which the macro needs) and 2007, as well as Word 2008 for Mac. Also-- HTML doesn't work, as it doesn't retain small caps.
posted by yesno on Feb 22, 2008 - 10 answers

I am in a search of a program that will help me memorize words... [more inside]
posted by GrooveStix on Jan 22, 2008 - 14 answers

What book writing software exists for Max OSX? [more inside]
posted by Chuck Cheeze on Nov 28, 2007 - 6 answers

Is there a Mac application that can help me keep track of hours, dates, and time I spend writing? [more inside]
posted by agent99 on May 2, 2007 - 13 answers

Can anyone recommend some good research/study/outlining software that assists your writing? Either freeware or paid. Basically I mean software that alows you to collate ideas and notes as you read, as well as lets you do outlining - all this in preparation for writing a report or paper or essay. [more inside]
posted by vizsla on Apr 25, 2007 - 11 answers

Please help me find a way to electronically organize my magazine article collection. [more inside]
posted by marylynn on Apr 12, 2007 - 6 answers

Ulysses or Copywrite enough to switch to Mac ? Oh wait ! It looks like there's [more inside]
posted by Baud on Feb 6, 2007 - 10 answers

Has anyone seen software for writing formal poetry? [more inside]
posted by pracowity on Oct 18, 2006 - 10 answers

Please help me find something to organize this monstrosity of a novel. Oh yes, there is definitely [more inside]
posted by sperose on Oct 17, 2006 - 10 answers

Are there any great online tools for working on writing a novel? I've seen previous posts on desktop software for this purpose, but I haven't found any nifty online tools. [more inside]
posted by tastybrains on Sep 19, 2006 - 8 answers

So I asked this question about writing software more than a year ago. I finally decided on Copy Write. Now I need hints, tips, or any tutorial you can point me to. [more inside]
posted by sugarfish on Jul 1, 2006 - 5 answers

I'm looking for software that will help me write my undergraduate thesis. [more inside]
posted by anjamu on Feb 7, 2006 - 15 answers

Any such thing as a free DVD/CD writing software for Windows? [more inside]
posted by sublivious on Jan 16, 2006 - 8 answers

Looking for a good resume writing tool...any recommendations? [more inside]
posted by alball on Sep 1, 2005 - 2 answers

Back in the day (about 7 years ago, anyway), Windows came with a utility that allowed the savvy user to edit compiled help files. [more inside]
posted by dbmcd on Jun 15, 2005 - 5 answers

Sometimes in LaTeX I notice bad-looking rivers after the period in someone's title, such as "Mr. Jones" or "St. Thomas." I assume that this is because it is treated the "." in things like "St." as if they are sentence stops, and spacing them accordingly. How can I get this to stop?
posted by yesno on May 9, 2005 - 5 answers

What's the best novel writing software for Mac OS X? [more inside]
posted by sugarfish on Feb 24, 2005 - 10 answers

Anyone have any suggestions for writer's software (a la RoughDraft) for the Mac?
posted by absalom on Jan 5, 2005 - 11 answers