So, we’re going to do something a little different today. I’m building a resources page for people who are thinking about taking on a serious writing project (like, all the stealth marketing writing for your small business) and want to give you some tools and tips to make things easier. I’m going to review everything on the blog, and then go post it in a special resources section for you guys. I’m hoping it’ll help make the marketing/writing process less scary if you’re thinking of starting a blog, or writing a website.

First up is a tool that I personally only discovered a week ago or so, and I’m already fanatical about. Now, this is not an affiliate link, but if they had an affiliate program it would absolutely be. I’m seriously in love with this program.

Everyone, meet PageFour.

Now, I know it’s a little weird that I’m reviewing a program that bills itself as being “for novelists and creative writers” on a blog which is aimed at small business owners, but I promise if you stick with me, I will tell you why it can help. Lots of people know about Scrivener, which is essentially the equivalent of this for the mac, but this program isn’t nearly as well known. This is a shame, because it’s an amazing tool for those of us who are PC people. The heart of the program is simplicity: it aims at providing a word processor that is stripped down to be really useful for writers, while also allowing for an incredibly complicated organizational system that is wonderfully customizable.

The premise is this: You start by creating a notebook. This can be as big as your next great American novel, or as little as the one webpage you need to tweak. You can create unlimited notebooks, and unlimited folders within them. You can also create unlimited pages within those two structures. It brings out the micro manager in you in a kind of joyous way.

The Details:

If you’re a super nerd like me, you’ll notice the program is set to Verdana 10 as the default. This already speaks volumes, in my opinion. The interface is really simple as well: notebooks on the left side, pages in that notebook displayed below, and your word processor on the right. While PageFour has simplified the word processor, they’ve also added some great tools that are amazingly helpful. Spellcheck can be turned on or off, and word count is fantastically easy to monitor. In addition, they’ve added a feature where you can scan for word repetition on a page. You can also lock the program, so when you get up to grab your coffee when you’re out writing, people can’t page through your stuff (not that I really have this problem, I will admit). It sounds really complex, but it all just works really simply and naturally. Also, I’m a technophobe, and I had zero learning curve. In addition, it’s ridiculously cheap for what it is: $34.95.

The Nitpicks:

I have to be fair. While I love it, there are some little things that bug me about it, and I feel like I need to list them to be 100% honest, especially for the people who are comparing this to Scrivener. It’s not as pretty as Scrivener: it’s basic, functional, and not very elegant. However, it’s the only writing program that I’ve used where I can write for hours without developing a nagging headache.

While I can see why you would want to turn the spellcheck off to avoid those nasty red lines, I love working with it on. The problem with PageFour is I pretty frequently forget to turn it on, and then dumb spelling errors occur without anything shouting at me. Also, I’m sure there’s an easy way to reimport to Word, but my brain hasn’t figured it out yet, so I end up copy and pasting.

The Results:

Despite my nitpicking, I can honestly state that this program has really changed my writing life. I was a Microsoft Word girl before this, and I don’t know how I didn’t find this before. Now, I don’t promise that you’ll find it equally magical, but I can give you some solid statements about how it has changed the way I work.

1) My productivity has gone up by at least 50%.

I have terrible eyesight, and I have the worst time reading on computers. I can literally write for hours with this program and not get a headache or feel like I’ve strained my eyes.

2) I focus better.

I’m not sure whether it’s the full screen, the simplified word processor, or the organizational system, but something is really working for me in the focus department. I write faster in PageFour (Yes, I’m a dork, I actually timed this), and I think I do higher quality work in it.

3) It helps cut major projects into manageable chunks.

I’m someone who has trouble processing a huge project all at once. It freaks me out, and then I end up going to make a coffee, or taking a bath, or taking my dog on a very long walk. The notebook/folder/page system lets me break up big projects and take them page by page. It’s soothing, reassuring, and lets me easily reference other parts of the whole without having a heart attack.

Luckily, if you’re interested, PageFour offers a free trial with no time limit. You’re limited to two notebooks with 20 pages each instead. Now, depending on who you are, that may represent a two month trial or a two day trial, but it’s a nice introduction to the program. Go check it out for yourself, and then sound off in the comments and tell me if you feel the same way!

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