Quick and Dirty Wordlist Script Page

UPDATED 2004.11.28.1311: Scripts consolidated into one; new instructions, etc. Redundant output removed. Fixes for the built-in Mac Python.

wordlist.py

(Syntax: wordlist.py -n < infile > outfile)
If you don't understand this gobbledygook, you want to keep reading.

WARNING: THESE SCRIPTS COME WITH NO WARRANTY. IF THEY EAT YOUR NOVEL, KILL YOUR PET CAT, OR DO ANYTHING ELSE UNTOWARD, I AM SORRY, BUT YOU GET TO PICK UP THE PIECES.

Windows Quick and Dirty Instructions

Get Python from http://www.python.org. Install the Windows version. (Link to download page: http://www.python.org/download/)
Save another copy of your novel as a text file.
Put this text file in a directory SEPARATE FROM THE REST OF YOUR NOVEL. Let's call it awesome-novel.txt.
Download this file: wordlist.py. (Right-click and 'Save As...' is probably the easiest way.) You may have to dink with the extension of the file once you get it; it should be a Python file, and have the cute little snake icon on top of it.
Copy that file into the same directory as the text version of your novel.
Double-click it. If it doesn't run, you might not have the right extension.
If it does, when it asks for input file, put the name of your text novel version, like awesome-novel.txt.
For the output file, name it something else, like novel-analysis.txt.
Enjoy the output!

Thanks to Gimpy for being the guinea pig for the Windows instructions, and thanks to Moogle for further testing.

Mac OS X Quick and Dirty Instructions

Command Line:

Save another copy of your novel as a text file.
Put this text file in a directory SEPARATE FROM THE REST OF YOUR NOVEL. Let's call it awesome-novel.txt.
Download this file: wordlist.py. (Right-click and 'Save As...' is probably the easiest way.)
Copy that file into the same directory as the text version of your novel.
Open up a terminal. This is under Applications, or one comes up automatically when you start the X Server. Either will work.
Navigate to the directory with the copy of your novel and the script.
Type python wordlist.py -n < awesome-novel.txt > novel-analysis.txt with names changed appropriately.
Enjoy the output!

Thanks to mortaine for being the guinea pig (and primary source!) for the command line Mac instructions.

I'd like to have GUI ones as well, but I need to sit in front of a Mac to figure those out, or have access to someone else's.

Linux Quick and Dirty Instructions

You should know Python. :P -h prints handy help, but the easiest way to use it is with this syntax:

wordlist.py -n < infile > outfile

It supports other parameters as well, which are documented in the help output.

You can also use the command line Mac instructions above, of course.

Junkpile

WARNING: THESE SCRIPTS COME WITH TRIPLE-PLUS-SOME NO WARRANTY. SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS ABOUT HOW THESE EATING YOUR SOUL IS NOT MY FAULT.

Qinator: For those confident at the command line in Linux or Mac OS X, and NOT RUNNING THIS ON THEIR ONLY COPY OF THE NOVEL, use this handy-dandy sed-fu to totally obfuscate your novel for submission:
```
sed -i 'y:ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz:QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq:' FILENAME
```
Replace FILENAME as appropriate.
Clever backup script for Linux/Mac OS X people, esp. handy with cron: archive-novel.bash. You'll have to edit all the stuff, but it should be pretty obvious.