Re: [libreoffice-users] Book-writing with Writer

Hi!

On 08/07/13 18:51, Mirosław Zalewski wrote:
> On 08/07/2013 at 22:58, "Virgil Arrington" <cuyfalls@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > but to
> > me trying to write a book with LO Writer is like trying to force a square
> > peg into a round hole. Yes, it can be done, but the labor involved may not
> > be worth it.
> I think you merge two totally different ideas: writing a book and publishing a
> book.
>
> As for writing, Writer and LaTeX are pretty much comparable - they both sucks.
> They do not provide basic tools needed for writers, such as character
> descriptions (were her eyes blue or green?) or detailed outline of story (this
> is different than outline of chapters). Of course you can overcome it with nice
> note-taking app, custom wiki or organized papers, but in some other programs
> you do not have to.
Heh, you are right. Even if this is more of a technical writing project 
than a novel, None of these tools are really focused on the high level 
creative process. Both are tools for creating the output of said 
process. My approach is to keep detailed paper notes ;-)
> As for publishing (making it look beautiful), LaTeX classes and forced
> separation of structure and look usually provides better defaults than Writer.
> Agreed.
>
> But then, we talk about defaults. It's not like you can't change them.
> If you learn your tools and think in advance, create decent-looking long
> document in Writer can be done with little hassle.
>
> I have created and edited some long (100+ pages) documents in Writer and never
> seen anything in LaTeX that would be a dealbreaker for me. If anywhere, I
> would go to full-fledged DTP suite such as Adobe InDesign.
That's my problem. I do not want LaTeX defaults. I want a distinctive 
format appealing to not only the geeky tech/science community, but to 
people who are not into technology. LaTeX produces beautiful output... 
but it's "too serious" for my target audience. The Right Thing to do, if 
this would have been a commercial or for-hire job, would be to hire a 
designer to use DTP tools and typeset my text. but it's not, and it's 
just me, so I am trying to get the most out of my experience and 
training ;-)
Anyway, thanks for trying to help. I really appreciate the response of 
the community :-)

--
Pablo M. Dotro
wizard@elysium.com.ar    pdotro@df.uba.ar
pdotro@gmail.com         Twitter: @Pablo_El_Mago
http://www.blog.elysium.com.ar


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