The Literary Machine 2000 for Windows

User Reviews

• Great idea needs more explanation

  James L. DeckertFebruary 14, 2009

  Pros

  open data base

  Cons

  hard to use

  Summary

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• Invest An Hour Or Two. You'll Be Amazed

  LiteraryMachinistOctober 1, 2008

  Pros

  Software designed for a writer. You can outline, 3.5, storyboard, compose text, store graphics and audio and find any of it quickly and easily. As a relational database LM stores whatever random data you want - thoughts, quotes, music, photos, URLs

  Cons

  It takes longer than 10 minutes to learn and feel comfortable with Literary Machine.. Read the other reviews and walk away if you aren't willing to invest an hour or two in this application.

  Summary

  This is amazing software. There is a learning curve and its creator is the first to admit it. What is difficult about this is that it can do so many things. If you like Microsoft OneNote or Evernote, you'll like Literary Machine. If you are outlining you'll love LiteraryMachine. The best explanation I've heard is this. There are 3 keys elements to Liteary Machine, Items, Concepts and Projects.. Everything starts with an item. (Think 3x5 index cards that can have a single word, full text, graphics, sound, and link to other software, docs or websites.) Items are referenced by 'Concepts' (Think keywords that you drag and drop on the items to make them easy to group and find. This is where you store things you'll always want to have. A repository of facts and thoughts and collected data you are always adding to. A relational database, in fact, that is easy to append, edit and search. The remaining elements are Projects. These can be presented as hierarchical tree outlines, Or saved in items that you hold together and re-arrange. Projects come and go. You may have (will have) several going at once and the concepts can be associated with all, any or none of them. Start there and play around with it for a while. I think you'll be amazed. I know I was and continue to be, as I discover more and more this application can do to help a hopelessly scattered brain start discovering a bit of useful, accessible organization.

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• A Relational Database for Artists

  LiteraryMachinistSeptember 29, 2008

  Pros

  Keywords you create, change or rearrange with no loss of data integrity. A format that switches between database with text, graphics and audio to a hierarchical tree outline list without changing anything except the way you think about the material.

  Cons

  It takes longer to become familiar and comfortable with than a graphical game designed for six-year olds. I guess the other reviewers see that as a crime.

  Summary

  Whatever you do, please regard the other reviews here with a grain of salt. I will give them a tip of a hat to the learning curve. I downloaded the training .pdfs listed and spent what would probably total 3 hours to really get used to the interface and the logic of the application. Not a huge investment of time, just more than most out-of-the-box "here, let me write your novel/screenplay/short story for you" software. Once you discover the power of the relational database (the words) and the outline structure (the concepts) and discover they can live and work independently, one to the exclusion of the other, or combined you'll be amazed at the power of this application. Best explanation I read, if you've downloaded it and are wondering "what now?" is this: Think of the words as something that are always going to be there. You'll never need to delete or lose anything you assign to a word, unless you chose to. The concepts are like projects and they will come and go. You might even have serveral projects going at once. Start there. A great character trait you always want to remember? A quotation from some random source that you don't know what to do with but don't want to lose? Create a keyword "quote" and associate it with the quotation contained in an item. Decide later you want to think of it as a quotation too? Make that an inflection and you'll be able to get back to the quote in about 20 differents ways. A plot for your novel? Create a concept called Chapter then write items (think: Index card when I say item here), each with a central idea for a chapter and associate it with Chapter. Gather those together when you're ready and you've got an outline. Drag them around to change the order andyou've got a new outline. There is so much power in Literary Machine that I can't imagine ever being able to use it totally as it was designed. All I know is I couldn't live without it now for my creative writing projects.

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• Shady...

  sunaoniApril 18, 2007

  Pros

  Looks nifty.

  Cons

  The website this comes from gave me a trojan. Download3, or something, OR perhaps it was that I just downloaded this? I'm blaming the website. Still, I don't trust it now. >_>

  Summary

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• Non-intuitive software makes work a nightmare

  rags602March 27, 2006

  Pros

  Easy to install

  Cons

  I am reasonably computer literate but I found this program impossible to figure out. I played with it for over an hour and finally decided that I could not fine any use for it at all. While I hate to knock freeware I suggest that you save your time on this one and don't download.

  Summary

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• Difficult to say whether LM is worthwhile - Difficult is the word

  davids9287August 19, 2005

  Pros

  Couldn't figure out how to even begin using this program. Since trying out menu selections doesn't really provide any enlightenment and it didn't play nice hooking with Internet Explorer when trying to go to view the tutorials, I still have no clue how to use it. I guess all this should have been in the cons section.

  Cons

  I hate to rip on a free program, but this sure looked like it was quite the effort so I hope my criticism is constructive - it is meant to be. There has to be some set of relatively easy to find programming standards that tell what a user expects when selecting a text box menu item, etc. so if the programmer(s) can make it more consistent and intuitive to the average user, its supposed power and value might come shining through. Until that happens, I suspect most will try and give up on this program as I have.

  Summary

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• Poorly handled how-tos. Not Intuitive.

  Web-EagleJuly 17, 2005

  Pros

  Well, it would have been free, if I could've gotten it to work.

  Cons

  I am very much disappointed with the handling of this product. While it promises much (and may even deliver at some point), it’s next to impossible to figure out how the thing even works. While it’s far from intuitive, I had hope in the mention of tutorials, but even these were not well handled. <p> <p>The very first link returned a 404 error (page does not exist). Not an auspicious beginning. <p> <p>In the help file is a link for an “introductory animated tutorial”. This loads a browser window showing “Error loading viewlet” and a pretty blank screen. <p> <p>When I finally found a link that worked, I was greeted with the message that this version is no longer supported, and that the tutorial and help pages had been taken offline. However, tutorials are still promised, in the form of Flash and PDF file downloads, at a cost of $8 or $20 (At this point I’m no longer interested in finding out what the difference is.) <p> <p>I have it open on my desktop, to check facts as I type, but as soon as I post this review, the Literary Machine is coming OFF of my machine.

  Summary

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• powerful and can do things no other can

  Johnny6198April 2, 2005

  Pros

  LM can do things no other program can do. As for the Borland Database Engine, LM doesn't install it if you already have it. It's a shared application. Which is why it isn't uninstalled when you uninstall LM unless Windows thinks no other program needs it. Since people reinstall (without uninstalling) software first, Windows usually counts the number of programs using the BDE too high. But their are instructions on the website for uninstalling the BDE. And it's simple, IF you know for sure no other program needs it.

  Cons

  complex and takes time to learn

  Summary

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• Difficult to use. Application needed is hard to uninstall...

  boneshamanFebruary 14, 2005

  Pros

  Free program. No compatability issues. Did not encounter any bugs.

  Cons

  During installation, the program requires you to install an application called Borland Database Engine. This application is not the greatest because it 'difficult' to remove. I managed to remove it thank to this site: "worldwideweb.stsi.com/lurk20005.htm". Unless you must; it would be best to pass on this program... (Unless you don't mind 'things' being installed on your computer!)

  Summary

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• Fabulous aid to memory in organizing your projects, notes, and ideas.

  jarrodwilcoxFebruary 11, 2005

  Pros

  Has many more capabilities than Microsoft OneNote for taking and organizing notes, pictures and ideas. Also can be used as an index to web sites and a command window for starting programs, etc.

  Cons

  This is the product of one person's very creative imagination and creative programming; the interface is idiosyncratic and will require learning additional specialized habits to realize the program's huge potential. Also, works best on a fast machine.

  Summary

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