What follows is a run-down of free software for Mac OS 8 and 9 that has been tested to work in SheepShaver.
There aren't a whole lot of free word processing options available for classic Mac users. The best commercial option is probably LightWayText 4.17 (homepage). It's a full featured word processor from Japan (translated into English) that runs in every OS going back to System 7. Still updated and supported, the full version costs twenty-five bucks.
There is also a 30 day free demo of Nisus Writer 6.5 (from December 2001) available that runs well in SheepShaver, but to use it after the trial period you'll have to pay a steep $79.95 for a serial number.
The best entirely freeware option is probably Wordperfect 3.5e. It's old (Corel discontinued Wordperfect for Mac in 1997), but useful. Mac OS 8 and 9 users should download a patch that addresses some issues that the software has with newer versions of the OS. This is a common option for classic Mac aficionados - there is even a Yahoo Group dedicated to the software (which sometimes touches upon SheepShaver-related issues).
Wordperfect 3.5E running in Mac OS 9.04
