#Google Docs

[bravehyde]

You need to move off of Google Docs!

I know some people have seen the news recently and may be doubtful of it. To the uninformed, Google Docs has started using AI to find "inappropriate" and "problematic" content, scraping your documents and deleting it. I know some people are unsure if this is real or think this is not going to affect them.

I regret to inform you that this is real.

As I was on a call with some writers and we were moving our documents as a precautionary measure, one person discovered entire pages missing that they did not delete themselves. This is happening to us, it's not a hoax or a rumor, it's happening right now. You need to move everything if you want to preserve it.

If you're a writer with writer mutuals, please reblog this so they know. I rarely write on Google Docs anymore, but I started my fanfics on there, and I would be devastated if I lost works more than ten years old because people decided marketing appeal is more important than creative freedom.

EDIT READ THIS: https://www.tumblr.com/bravehyde/790422701153157120/hi-can-we-have-any-sort-of-source-about-the

[ellipsus-writes]

We’ve seen a number of writers sharing stories about suddenly losing access to their Google Docs today.

It’s still unclear what’s causing this, but if you’re concerned about big tech creeping in creative tools and spaces… you’re definitely not alone. (We’ve written about de-Googling and censorship before.)

You should be able to write freely—without fear of deletion, censorship, or extraction.

All writing should be safe. It should stay yours.

We want to help build a space where writers are in control:

Ownership of your work. No surveillance; no surprise removals.

Sync, share, and collab, without scraping or data-selling.

A writing tool that you know is safe, now and in the future.

Please stay informed. Back up your work. And don't be evil (👀 Google).

~ the Ellipsus Team xo

[justeasing]

Is there a list of flagged terms?

Everyone: Please please please don't write your books in Google Docs. Frankly don't use Google Drive for personal stuff.

Their terms of service say they take down stuff like content related to terrorism and trafficking, but this Google Sheet was literally a list of movies I'd watched this year and books I'd read.

[the960writers]

Do you think it's a good idea to try and get away from Google Docs when it comes to writing? I really can't afford any other fancy program to write my drafts in, and it honestly seems like the easiest - not to mention, most convenient - program to use to share my manuscript with beta readers. I could use advice on this matter because I keep seeing things across the net about it being a bad place to work on writing, but I have no idea what to turn to to make things easy for me and my future beta readers.

This is such a good question. Thank you.

So, a little backstory. Ever since Google removed their motto "do no evil" they have gone down the rather predictable path of all big players of the rot economy: putting profits over user experience.

A little while back, there was rumor that Google trains AI with the content of google docs, then they said they don't really, they only scan the content and do nothing with it, and then they started blocking access to documents with sexy images. Do we believe that Google has our own best interest at heart? That's something everyone has to decide for themselves.

Back then, I made a post with alternatives for Google Docs, you can find it here, also check the reblogs for more options:

Now, is it a good idea to switch from google docs? I think it is, but I'm also not consistent with it. As you mentioned, it seems to be the easiest to share writing with beta readers, and I also still often use it for fanfiction.

But there are alternatives, and they require very little adjustment in the process. Let me give you two free options.

Ellipsus is webbased, meaning you can write in it in the browser on any device. They have sharing, specifically for beta reading, and an export function for AO3.

Reedsy (marketplace around everything self-publishing) has an editor. It is webbased, and they also have an option for sharing with beta readers. This software is aimed at book type-setting and exporting but it works just fine for copying to web.

Personally, I'm currently switching everything to LibreOffice (also free!) files in some cloud connected folder. I used to do a lot of mobile writing on my phone with a bluetooth keyboard but currently, I'm taking my laptop everywhere so LibreOffice works great for me. If I have to use my phone or tablet for some lightweight mobile writing, on vacation for instance, I can still use something webbased.

So, I hope I gave you some interesting options. Do I think it's a good idea to make us less dependent on Google? Yes, I do. I don't trust them.

We have alternatives, and they cost us nothing more than a little adjustment.

~ barbex

[mikkeneko]

PSA for Google Docs writers

[Edit] Also for Firefox, as per @essayofthoughts in the notes: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/delete-g-docs-type-to-insert/

If you (like me) use Google Doc to write fanfic, you may (like me) have been annoyed by the new "feature" they added in the past few weeks, "Smart Chips," where by default every time you open a new line it auto-inserts a "@" symbol and then prompts to add additional people into the doc for review or whatever other useless thing I immediately closed out of.

There doesn't appear to be a way to turn off this "feature" in GDocs however someone has put out an extension that nixes it:

[sequencefairy]

Source @ X

ID: tweets from @boulevarddouble:

okay SO. Just FYI i have an insider contact and i asked him about this new google drive nsfw scare.

backing up is never a bad idea.

99% of people will be unaffected, and this is NOT a crackdown on having nsfw content on gdrive

"What I think has happened is that drive has made several updates to its spam/abuse filtering and one of the focuses is trying to catch spammers who share explicit things in docs with random emails. Which is good in theory, but has the potential to hit false positives."

his recommendation is to keep NSFW words out of your doc titles and instead of sharing the "open link", share directly with you beta's email addresses.

It is also more likely to flag up explicit images, though that is less likely to be a fic problem.

/end ID

[ramyaknox]

Do you have any more information about this? I back up almost everything to my google drive and even though I think it's not too close to explicit I'm worried about this. Will it still be the case if I have workspace ai disabled? Are ellipsus documents saved to the cloud?

Hey horny writer lil heads up for you guys, the “ai” google is forcing into docs to “scan for grammar errors” has been proved to also be scanning for spicy content and multiple ppl have already got notifs saying like “we’re sorry, there was a system error and some of your work was lost” and it was only the horny stuff so uh

Pleeeeease back up your files !!!! Don’t lose your horny to a robot, that’s Doc’s job, not Docs’…

[eldritch-elrics]

obsessed with the new google docs feature that ai generates a doc summary for you. what the fuck is this

(context is i am writing a paper on gamer culture)

[valdenmen]

Template Wikipedia in google docs for your roleplay/OC needs.

Save it to your own google drive

file > make a copy

or

Save it to your own device so you can edit it offline

file > download > Microsoft Word (.docx)

Link here

[tragedynoir]

— introducing 019: INKED NOTES + [ link ]

a google doc template inspired by polymaths, lab notebooks and sketchbooks. while, this clean and elegant doc features pressed flowers from sagesolar on flickr, as well as salvator rosa's sketches in the public domain, the background images can be complete customized according to your muse with the PSD or page assets provided. with a backstory space that can accommodate any length of writing, this template is perfect for scientist and artist muses alike. this premium template and a full page-by-page preview can be found in the link above or in the source link.

features:

8 unique 14" x 8.5" pages with 6 carefully crafted full-page background images featuring public domain illustrations

a few short and long sections, and a backstory section that can fit any amount of writing

1 PSD of the background page assets to customize and make this template truly fit your muse

a connections page that can be easily duplicated for more

terms of use:

you may edit to your heart’s desire. Change the colours, replace, add or remove elements and images etc.

you may remix pages with pages from my other templates.

you may not remove the credit from the templates.

you may not copy, sell or redistribute my templates whether wholesale, in part (i.e. taking out certain pages) or remixed (i.e. modified).

you will also receive an additional guide with images on how to use and edit google doc templates! if you have any problems or issues, feel free to leave an ask or join our discord server.

thank you for all the support, likes and reblogs are appreciated as always. ♡

[redhandedstag]

005 , SPLASH OF RED

. . . dark, single muse template: 8 pages, includes magic ability info. has a title page, character basics and personality description on the second page, appearance description and personality notes on the third, appearance and magic notes on the fourth, a connections page to showcase characters they know, 2 pages for backstory and an extras page where you can pretty much put anything you want, so long as you keep the credit. this document is mobile friendly! the line colours are default ones. if you're using, please keep the credit and consider a like and reblog. goes a long way to help creators out! HOW TO USE this doc uses a few tables so i suggest having some knowledge on how they work if you plan on editing anything about the appearance of them. i also recommend keeping your text around the same number of lines as shown in the template. it prevents the doc from going all wonky! to edit the images, click the original image and select the "replace image" button. i suggest making sure the images you want to add are a similar style to the original - similar size or shape. the red star symbols/emojis are for inserting links. copy your link, highlight the star, click the little 'insert link' button, and insert your link - I like to change the colour of my stars once the link is filled in, but you don't have to. PC Once you have the document open, go to the top bar and click "file". There will be a "make a copy button" that appears third down from the list. Then you can name your version of the document and go from there! MOBILE Open the document in your standard browser and click the 'open in app' button. From there, click the "..." button at the top right corner and select "share & export" button. Then you can select "make a copy" at the bottom of the list and you can go from there! after that you should be good to go! if you have any questions or issues that arise, please let me know. keep in mind I'm not too active on this site, so if i haven't noticed your question, i'm not ignoring you! just haven't seen it. have fun!

[destimnesia]

⠁ ⠀⸻⠀WORLDBUILDING is a very simple, very free layout for worldbuilding. It is mobile friendly and comes with sections for basic information, history, notable events, geography, notable cities/places, fauna, flora, culture, traditions and events/holidays.

  ⸻⠀TERMS OF USE

don’t repost nor reupload don't reuse my layers don't claim it as yours personal use only credits are MANDATORY

 ⸻⠀CONTENT

⠁ ⠀one pdf file containing the link to the layout in google documents: contains six pages disable the ability to make a copy: ⠁ ⠀share > settings > “viewers and commenters can see (...)” this is meant to be only used by one person per purchase. please, do not share my layouts with anyone

 to receive it for free, just add a '0' in the price bar on ko-fi.

[cellohum]

17 / CHERRY VELVET

a single muse google doc.

introducing cherry velvet, a six paged character template inspired by picnics and flower gardens, taking on a soft, red and white aesthetic. with lots of writing room, this doc is catered for character exploration and in-depth writing. it is semi-mobile friendly.

⸻ [ features . ]

8.5" x 11" page size.

a six paged doc that includes space for a character overview, appearance, personality, backstory, and an extra page for anything else.

⸻ [ policy . ]

✧ you may . .

personalize the doc (shift the layout, change color palettes, images, fonts, etc.) to better fit your needs.

combine with other cellohum resources.

✧ you may not . .

remove or obscure credits, or otherwise make them hard to find. they must always be visible and link back to my tumblr page or this post.

copy, steal, redistribute, or monetize, whether in their original form, partially, or remixed.

⸻ [ afterword ! ]

please like and reblog if you use this template! thank you for the support and don't be afraid to send an ask if you require assistance!

[leeluvsu]

009: "oh, my angel !"

introducing. . . , "oh, my angel!" , a google doc character template inspired by the collectible toy: sonny angels! The doc holds two portrait pages. It includes spots for the profile, persona, fears, habits, likes, dislikes, character traits, connections and backstory.

( !!! ) make sure to credit me! in order to do that, keep my @ at the top of the first page!

HOW TO USE ! ◞ . . . this is not a mobile-friendly doc, as it holds drawings. To change what the drawings say, click on it and press 'edit'. ◞ . . . If you want to make more room for text, you can make the text a little smaller and still be able to read it. ◞ . . . the doc doesn't have any pictures to replace, so please keep that in mind! ◞ . . . If you have any questions, please ask! ◞ . . . I know it's been a long time, but I'll release more docs soon! I have three others about to go through the testing stages, along with many other ideas for docs! As mentioned, some will be paid, but the same amount will be free! If you have any suggestions, feel free to share. ◞ . . . additionally, I have a fc library document in the making. look forward to it! ◞ . . . download here

[the960writers]

Alternatives to google docs

For various reasons, this is now a hot topic. I'm putting my favorites here, please add more in your reblogs. I'm not pointing to Microsoft Word because I hate it.

Local on your computer:

1.

LibreOffice (https://www.libreoffice.org/), Win, Linux, Mac.

Looks like early 2000 Word, works great, imports and exports all formats. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

2.

FocusWriter (https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/) Win, Linux.

Super customizable to make it look pretty, all toolbars hide to be as non-distracting as possible. Can make typewriter sounds as you type, and you can set daily wordcount goals. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

3.

Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview) Win, Mac, iOS

The lovechild of so many writers. Too many things to fiddle with for me, but I'm sure someone else can sing its praises. You can put the database folder into a Dropbox folder for cloud saving (but make sure to always close the program before shutting down).

Web-based:

4.

Reedsy bookeditor (https://reedsy.com/write-a-book) Browser based, works on Firefox on Android. Be aware that they also have a TOS that forbids pornography on publicly shared documents.

My current writing program. Just enough features to be helpful, not so many that I start fiddling. Writing is chapter based, exports to docx, epub, pdf. You can share chapters (for beta reading) with other people registered at Reedsy.

5.

Novelpad (https://novelpad.co/) Browser based.

Looks very promising, there's a youtuber with really informative videos about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHN8TnwjG1g). I wanted to love it, but the editor didn't work on Firefox on my phone. It might now, but I'm reluctant to switch again.

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So, this is my list. Please add more suggestions in reblogs.