Five Years, 18 Books, One PC, and One Mac
A Thorough Review of Writing Software
Welcome to my series where I’ll analyze several kinds of writing software I’ve experienced over the last five years. We’re starting with Google Docs today.
Google Docs - Drafting Software
Let’s start with this free and easy to access word processor. Google Docs is a great alternative to expensive software like Word or Scrivener. It provides nifty features such as auto-save, built-in version control, and a decent array of font choices. The ability to share and collaborate on documents for free is refreshing and a change of pace from other softwares which charge subscriptions services to share workspaces. (We’re looking at you, Notion, Milanote, Canva, etc.).
Here’s a list of pros and cons, but keep in mind that this list is not exhaustive. Feel free to discuss further benefits and concerns in the comments.
Pros
Did I mention it’s free
You can control access permission.
Headers lend to Outline navigation.
Zotero and Mendeley integrate pretty nicely for academic projects.
You can track changes through the ‘suggesting’ feature.
Cons
It’s not the easiest to navigate for formatting and design elements
It will not replace interior book design software (InDesign, Vellum, etc.).
Through Google’s terms and service, you are surrendering your IP to the cloud (AI training concerns?).
Auto-save and version control only work when online. Save often when working offline and sync when online again.
There’s no dark mode without 3rd party browser extensions.
These pros and cons are mostly for those who use Google Docs exclusively. If you write in Scrivener and Word, and you want to share your work with authors in Google Docs, this is where it gets dicy.
PC
Hello! Former PC enthusiast here. The hardware and Windows operating system were great for gaming, but not the best for book design. As for collaborating with Google Docs out of Word or Scrivener, I encountered some issues with formatting.
Here are the steps I had to endure to maintain italics, bold, small caps, and so on:
From Scrivener, compile your project into a Word file or PDF.
Take your Word file/PDF and drop it into Google Drive.
Open the file and ‘Save as Google Docs.’
Double check that your formatting was maintained.
Create headings and apply to all chapters/headers for Outline navigation function.
Share and collaborate.
After 18 books and several academic projects, sharing my work via Google Docs was always an undertaking. Sure, I became rather automatic about it, and muscle memory took over after so much time, but sometimes I loaded projects chapter by chapter, and it was so much work.
Has anyone else encountered this? Do you have a better process?
Mind you, this was my experience on PC only. My Mac Mini Pro and iPad Pro greatly improved this chore.
Mac
Copy and paste to a Google Doc. Check formatting. Establish headings for Outlines.
Fin.
That’s it.
That’s the big difference between copying and pasting out of Scrivener or Pages from the Mac OS to Google Docs. For some bizarre reason, my Mac projects translate perfectly to Google Docs without the hassle of working through Google Drive.
Am I missing something from my PC? Please let me know.
Final Thoughts
It’s been a fun journey and a privilege to experience this software so extensively. It’s simple and easy on Mac, but I do have to consider the cons pretty heavily when using it.
Unlike Scrivener or Pages, I don’t bother working with Google Docs when I’m not connected to the internet. I also never look to it for final formats or when I’m working on professional, audience-facing projects.
Then there’s the concern of the cloud. Am I comfortable putting my IP on a platform so eager to train AI?
Keep all this in mind, but also remember the bottom line: Google Docs is free.
What are your thoughts?
Disclaimer: This analysis series is based on my experience and seen through the lens of a seasoned technical writer with three degrees in the field. Even so, I am not claiming myself as the end-all expert of these technologies. If you have suggestions or feedback on how to improve the experience, please feel free to comment below.
I was a hardcore Docs person myself until I realized I needed something more for my writing. However, I still use Docs to share stuff with people. The only reason I use it is because it is free. I am wary of the whole AI training aspect of the thing, but in the end I'm not concerned enough to stop using it. Ish happens. But I would consider using other software for clients, if they make a note that they do not want to use Docs, of course.