OpenOffice.org’s excellent software suite has now release version 2.4. This is available from OpenOffice.org, or get a portable version for toting around on a USB drive or to use on locked-down worked computers. OpenOffice now supports extentions (like FireFox) to extent the software’s features. Here are some of the best extentions for Novelists and Writers:

TestFonts — Reporting for missing font faces, all used fonts and get statistic available system fonts.
OpenOffice.org2GoogleDocs — Export and Import your documents to and from Google Docs.
Writer’s Tools — Back up documents, look up and translate …