Editing WordStar (section)

===Notable users===
WordStar was the program of choice for conservative intellectual [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]], who used the software to write many works, including his last book.  His son [[Christopher Buckley (novelist)|Christopher Buckley]] wrote of his father's loyalty to WordStar, despite the increasing difficulty of installing it on newer computers. The elder Buckley said of WordStar, "I'm told there are better programs, but I'm also told there are better alphabets".<ref name=feigenson764>{{cite web|url=http://feigenson.us/blog/?p=764|title=William F Buckley and WordStar|first1=Walter |last1=Feigenson |date=April 23, 2009|website=Wally's Follies|access-date=July 20, 2017}}</ref>

[[Ralph Ellison]] also used WordStar.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://medium.com/@mkirschenbaum/software-its-a-thing-a550448d0ed3 |first1=Matthew |last1=Kirschenbaum |date=July 25, 2014 |title=Software, It's a Thing |website=[[Medium (service)|Medium]] |access-date=July 20, 2017}}</ref>

[[Robert J. Sawyer]], a Canadian science-fiction writer, continues to use WordStar 7.0 for DOS (the final release, last updated in 1992) to write his novels, All twenty-five of his novels were written with WordStar.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sfwriter.com/wordstar.htm |title=WordStar: A Writer's Word Processor |website=Robert J. Sawyer |first1=Robert J. |last1=Sawyer |author-link1=Robert J. Sawyer |access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sfwriter.com/2009/06/rjs-on-wordstar-cited-in-paper-about.html |title=RJS on WordStar cited in paper about accessibility for the blind |first1=Robert J. |last1=Sawyer |author-link1=Robert J. Sawyer |website=sfwriter.com |date=June 23, 2009 |access-date=July 20, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Complete WordStar 7.0 Archive">{{cite web |url=https://sfwriter.com/ws7.htm |title=Complete WordStar 7.0 Archive |website=sfwriter.com |first1=Robert J. |last1=Sawyer |author-link1=Robert J. Sawyer |date=August 12, 2024 |access-date=August 17, 2024}}</ref> As the app is now "abandonware", and there was no proper archive of WordStar 7.0 for DOS available online, he decided to create one. He put together as complete a version of WordStar 7 as might exist. He bundled together over 1,000 pages of scanned manuals that came with WordStar, related utilities, his own README guidance, ready-to-run versions of DOSBox-X and VDosPlus, and WordStar 7 Rev. D and posted them on his website as the "Complete WordStar 7.0 Archive".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/06/wordstar_7_the_last_ever/ |title=WordStar 7, the last ever DOS version, re-released for free |website=theregister.com |first1=Liam |last1=Proven |author-link1=Liam Proven |date=August 6, 2024 |access-date=August 17, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/08/wordstar-7-for-dos-gets-a-free-re-release-from-one-of-its-biggest-author-fans/ |title=Sci-fi writer and WordStar lover re-releases the cult DOS app for free |website=arstechnica.com |first1=Kevin |last1=Purdy |author-link1=Kevin Purdy |date=August 7, 2024 |access-date=August 17, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://sfwriter.com/blog/?p=5806 |title=WordStar for DOS 7.0 Archive |website=sfwriter.com |first1=Robert J. |last1=Sawyer |author-link1=Robert J. Sawyer |date=July 30, 2024 |access-date=August 17, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://sfwriter.com/blog/?p=5811 |title=WordStar for DOS 7.0 archive updated |website=sfwriter.com |first1=Robert J. 
|last1=Sawyer |author-link1=Robert J. Sawyer |date=August 12, 2024 
|access-date=August 17, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Complete WordStar 7.0 Archive"/>

{{As of|2020}}, fantasy author [[George R. R. Martin]] used the MS-DOS version of WordStar 4.0.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://grrm.livejournal.com/197075.html |title=The Social Media |first1=George R.R. |last1=Martin |author-link1=George R. R. Martin |date=February 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130803064942/http://grrm.livejournal.com/197075.html |archive-date=August 3, 2013  |url-status=bot: unknown |access-date=July 20, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2020/04/14/this-that-and-tother-thing-3 | first1=George R.R. |last1=Martin |author-link1=George R. R. Martin |date=April 14, 2020 | title=This, That, and T'Other Thing}}</ref>

[[Andy Breckman]], the creator of ''[[Monk (TV series)|Monk]]'', is a devoted WordStar user.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://njmonthly.com/articles/jersey-living/funny-business-2/ |title=Madison resident Andy Breckman writes for the TV show Monk |website=New Jersey Monthly |first1=Joel |last1=Keller |date=December 19, 2007 |access-date=July 20, 2017}}</ref>

Novelist [[Anne Rice]] was another faithful user of WordStar who struggled to have it installed on newer computers until it could no longer reasonably be done. She then grudgingly transitioned to Microsoft Word, whose design she felt was comparatively unintuitive and illogical. Rice noted "WordStar was magnificent. I loved it. It was logical, beautiful, perfect," adding, "Compared to it, MS Word which I use today is pure madness."<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/annericefanpage/posts/10153641831860452?comment_id=10153642581890452&reply_comment_id=10153642662365452&total_comments=3&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D Comment], August 28, 2015, Anne Rice, Facebook</ref>