Z-Write 1.1.3
The Creative Writer's Word Processor™
Creator: Marc Zeedar
Shareware: USD $20
|
|
Who needs another word processor? I've discovered that I do. I use MS Word as my full-featured program and Tex-Edit Plus for everyday writing tasks. Both applications operate in the linear style where each new kind of information usually means that I create new documents which are then assembled into a set of folders. For many writing tasks, the traditional linear style is inefficient because text is scattered and often awkward to browse, sort, find, and edit.
|
Creator Zeedar turns the linear concept on its head with Z-Write. Z-Write works in non-linear fashion, allowing you to manage everything from text snippets to a book in a single file. Within that one file, you can easily organize and manage all your text elements using one dual-pane window.
The window's appearance has the familiarity of Adobe Acrobat, with the left pane containing sections and the main right pane containing text associated with the chosen section to the left. The structure permits access to every part of your file simply by clicking a section name.
In addition, you can set bookmarks so that you can instantly jump to any part of your document. You can also add hyperlinks between sections; if you export your text to HTML, the links are exported intact.
|
|
Most writers agree that glossaries and spell checkers are essential features. Z-Write's glossary is simple but elegant. For spell checking, Z-Write plays nicely with other programs installed on your Mac such as SpellCatcher, Excalibur, or SpellTools.
Importing plain text from other applications is a cinch and Z-Write provides a neat power boost. If you have several text files within a folder, import the folder and Z-Write creates a section for each file. You can export in standard Mac text format, HTML, and RTF or use copy/paste, drag/drop, or text clippings.
Z-Write comes with several templates for organizing common writing tasks (article, PIM, research paper, to-do list, etc.). Templates can be quickly modified to fit your particular job at hand.
 |
|
Preferences allow you to customize many of the program's features to fit your style of working. No surprises—like every other part of the program, it exhibits the Mac look and feel.
Finally, a few words about printing. Z-Write's print preview feature lets you print individual sections, groups of sections, or the entire file comprising all sections—and preview your document exactly. Headers and footers are optional.
Getting started with Z-Write is easy, helped along by excellent documentation including a User's Guide in PDF format, instructions in HTML, and access to a technical support website.
|
Z-Write has its limitations. It's not designed to replace full-featured word processors. For example, it doesn't support footnotes, graphics, tables, etc. But you can export your files to another word processor as necessary.
Creator Zeedar is a professional writer who clearly understands how practitioners of the craft go about their business of assembling bits and pieces of information into coherent documents. Give Z-Write a two-week test drive and you'll likely be convinced that it's your software choice for many writing projects.
Requires Power PC, OS 7.5 or better, any QuickTime version, and a minimum 10MB of RAM. Download is approximately 1.7 MB; installation is a snap.
|
