StyleWriter 4 Professional Edition

I really like Grammar better.

Was a birthday gift for daughter who is a budding writer.

I have been a user of Stylewriter since its early releases. Overall, the product has slowly gotten better. It used to be one of the only options for this type of software. However, today there are a lot of options, and several of them are better options for the money, including ProWritingAid, which offers more features and word intergration for only $35 a year. There is also a lifetime license for less than the cost of Stylewriter. . At this point in time, Stylewriter's only main advantage over some of the other competition is that is works directly in word. There are a few others that do this, but not that many that actually allow you to just click on the suggested change and make it happen in the word document.The most comprehensive editing and proofing program I have ever used is Editor by Serenity Software. It just does not allow you to make changes directly in the document and it catches so many things that using it and revising your document can take hours. For a professional writer looking for a human editor alternative it is the best choice. Now back to Stylewriter.While using Stylewrtier in word is fairly easy, setting up the product is nott. Just activating Stylewriter is a huge pain. The software gives you two codes that you then have to email or submit through the company's website. If you are lucky, you might get a response within 48 hours. During the time you are waiting for a response, you cannot disturb the window displaying the two codes. If you close the program or click back or activate on the window by accident, then you have to start the process all over again because the two codes change. If the code process fails you have to wait another 48 hours to get two new codes. This is especially problematic if you are a business user on a laptop. It means that you can never put the computer to sleep or turn it off while waiting for the two activation codes. I understand the need to license and protect software, but this process is just plain absurd.The customer service for Stylewriter is just plain nonexistent. There is no number to call, and if you are having any problems with the software you have to wait days for a response. This just does not make it a viable choice for business use. There are much better products out there. Because of the price of this software, the pain of setting it up, and the lack of any kind of support I suggest you look elsewhere.

Stylewriter is an excellent program but getting it steup is a pain; it is NOT easy. I could not do it with these two silly codes they give you. It is very frustrating and you have to wait until they decide when to send them. I couldn't make the program work after inserting the codes. I finally called the number in the U.K. and after a couple of calls and some time, I got somebody. In their typical English fashion, the person treated me as if I was a dumb imbesile. Why do they have these codes you have to install and have to wait so long for them? It is a good program and easy to use but Stylewriter needs new management. I lost my Stylewrite because of a thunderstorm and power outage. I was tempted to call and try to get it reinstated but I thought better of it. I am changeing to another program which will be probably as good and maybe better to setup. I don't recommend your getting it.

I'm sorry, but I've looked at the source code for this, and they are just preying on writers. It just isn't that complex. 90 dollars for the basic package?You know exactly where to stick that suggestion, buddy.I really do like some aspects of SW4. It's quick and easy... For small documents.Try to 'insert advice into document,' and that document is anything larger than 1000 words, however, and even the most high powered computer (like mine) will hang. I can't imagine what it would do to a smaller hard drive.A weird little bug sometimes occurs when scrolling down large sections of text - it will start scrolling up in choppy movements, to the very top - with no way to stop it. This may happen to you three or four times in a row before you're finally able to resume looking over your document.If you are to set it to fiction and general public - it will tell you that words as simple as 'apprehension' is a big (bog) word and you ought to rethink using it. It will then suggest 'simpler words' or phrases for you to choose from.Excuse me - are we all writing books for fourth graders?The trial allows you to test all three of their 'levels:' Starter, Standard and Professional. This is exciting, until you realize there's no discernible difference between the basic package and the professional one, except, maybe, an extra hundred dollars.I edit all sorts of writing - novels, manuscripts, college papers - this program works pretty well, yeah. But executing what it finds is horrendously difficult, it makes more mistakes than it corrects, it suggests writers dumb down their language (we're the only ones keeping it alive!!!) and to top it all off, it's incredibly overpriced.There's just too many problems with this program for it to be worth my time. I wish it weren't. I might actually use it every once in a while.Oh. Btw... There's a typo on your home page, guys. Looks a little sad on you, don't it?