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Best Writing App?
- Thread starter OldCorpse
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I'm just so torn. Now that I've considered it, I like how Ulysses handles images for scaling between devices, but I love Scrivener's "links" feature where you can create a pseudo hyperlink to another page in that Scrivener file. I'm tired of going back and forth. -__-
Each to their own. I was a Scrivener junky from the earliest days but today I mostly use markdown because it works everywhere I care about.
They don't even serve the same function. That's like saying you used to be a Photoshop junkie but now you just use Dreamweaver.
True enough I suppose, but I use them for the same thing: writing. With MultiMarkdown, CriticMarkup, Python and a decent text editor I can do anything that Scrivener offers and quite a lot that it doesn't and on a platform of my choice with no vendor lock-in.
I used scrivener from the earliest days and a member of its forum since 2008 but I outgrew it.
Call me old fashioned but I prefer plain text to rich and I prefer the UNIX philosophy of chaining utilities together over using do-all apps.
As I said, each to their own.
It's less so much an app as a format and way of working. MultiMarkdown is a well-supported dialect of Markdown that includes support for CriticMarkup. CriticMarkup extends Markdown to include inline comments and change tracking. MultiMarkdown also support Metadata, which is great for adding scene/chapter level synopses in the header of the document. MultiMarkdown can also transclude chunks into larger files, much the same as Scrivener's compiling features.
Markdown is just text so it's available everywhere and I can just choose the editor I like in the platform I happen to be using. For me that's Editorial on the iPad, MultiMarkdown Composer for OS X, Draft on Android and Gedit on Linux. Editorial and Gedit have the advantage of being scriptable using Python.
Since we're just dealing with text files, it works much better on mobile devices and in cloud services or with version control software like Git.
Python is glue. I use it to add functionality much like VBA was used in Word back in the day to add functionality. I use python for text processing, creating interactive templates (for things like Character sheets) and of course to compile drafts and convert them into various output formats.
I'm desperately trying to find the right Markdown/Multimarkdown/TeX/LaTeX/MathJax solution but it's been frustratingly elusive. I think I need a separate thread of my own just to rant in.
I have enough experience of a variety of Unix projects (mainly in the scientific environment) to know that there's a special kind of "resilience" required when trying to come to terms with them and especially getting support. Mostly it comes from an attitude which is often not entirely generous and sometimes even arrogant.
As for markdown and multimardown, they are great concepts but I think it's telling that John Gruber ceased development and support over a decade ago and even if documentation about the coding is there most of them drop the ball when it comes to themes and typesetting without resorting to TeX and yet most GUI software has trouble working with multiple coding systems/languages simultaneously.
My progress has been so slow but rather than blame myself as is the attitude expected in UNIX environments I've got plenty of evidence (through my various searching quests) from other people just like myself who struggle with the same issues, so I know I'm not stupid.
A lot has changed since I wrote that post. I ditched Linux, bought a MacBook Air and returned to using Scrivener on it and my iPad mini (when I'm out of the house). This is my setup for writing fiction when I use the side of my brain that needs a holiday from Bash, Python and Unix.
The game changer for me was the release of Scrivener on iOS. To have an intact version of my Scrivener project on the go with out janky conversions has been awesome.
Linux also didn't get better for me in the ways that matter (for a writer) and to be honest, with three small kids, I just decided my time is too important to be messing around and treating my writing like it was a software development project.
I still like plain-text based formats and I use markdown for notes, small documents, email and posts on my blog. I find it's too limited though where more complex layouts and structures are needed. For my day job where I'm forced to use Linux and Windows (technical writer), I use AsciiDoc, which is the sane way to write DocBook
Good luck with your search.
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A lot has changed since I wrote that post. I ditched Linux, bought a MacBook Air and returned to using Scrivener on it and my iPad mini (when I'm out of the house). This is my setup for writing fiction when I use the side of my brain that needs a holiday from Bash, Python and Unix.
The game changer for me was the release of Scrivener on iOS. To have an intact version of my Scrivener project on the go with out janky conversions has been awesome.
Linux also didn't get better for me in the ways that matter (for a writer) and to be honest, with three small kids, I just decided my time is too important to be messing around and treating my writing like it was a software development project where you're worrying just as much about syntax as you were with formatting in format-focused software like MS Word.
I still like plain-text based formats and I use markdown for notes, small documents, email and posts on my blog. I find it's too limited though where more complex layouts and structures are needed. For my day job where I'm forced to use Linux and Windows (technical writer), I use AsciiDoc, which is the sane way to write DocBook
Good luck with your search.
Thanks for the post and added insights. You made some comments that really resonate and only add to the mounting evidence I alluded to in my previous post. There's a reason plain-text writing and formatting hasn't really caught on for anything except basic blogging.
It feels like a constant battle because the attitude in UNIX circles is that everything should be done in Terminal or coding software and then it becomes, as you said, a software development project. The UNIX attitude (like DOS and coding generally) is that everything should be a challenge because the challenge is fun and part of the game. I'm too busy for games and just need software that produces the right (and best) results. Like you I'm too busy to spend aeons searching for support that may or may not be written well or even exist at all or piecing together and configuring the various packages and coding languages that don't necessarily work together without heavy customisation.
Most of the Markdown and Latex composing and rendering software is rubbish. Scrivener looks like the best but I also want to be sure before investing in it as they don't seem to have a demo. At least Scrivener treats plain text writing and typesetting as optional and not central to the purpose of the app.
I'm glad you found it work for you and I'll definitely check it out further.
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You're welcome. I'm glad it resonated with you and hope it helped in some small measure.
For me, a large part of my decision making comes down to how I prioritise my time. I'm nearly forty and have three kids. Messing around and hacking at computers no longer appeals to me. Scrivener is not without issues, but it's good enough for me to use without feeling that I've got to roll up my sleeves and roll out (and maintain) my own solution.
If you a Mac/iOS guy, you can also look at Ulysses and Storyist. They serve similar purposes to Scrivener but go about it in different ways which may or may not suit your needs and preferences. They both have macOS and iOS apps too.
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You make a good point about attitude in UNIX/Linux circles. There's an element who revel in doing things the hard way and think that everyone should be the same. I used to listen to a lot of Linux-themed podcasts (Jupiter Broadcasting, mostly) but I got tired of recurring self-martyrdom and needless bashing of users running proprietary software. Advocating to make life more difficult for the sake of using Linux and open source is a pretty tough sell outside a very narrow range of users.
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We are definitely on the same page and it's good to meet some like-minded people with similar experiences.
I can handle bash scripting, setting environment variable properties etc etc etc but it doesn't mean I want to have to do this. The LaTeX package is 5 GB installed (it's almost a complete OS) and mostly duplicates software already in the OS but the attitude is they don't want to utilise any Apple APIs, even when they're more modern and better optimised for the hardware.
Thanks for entertaining my frustrations on this. I think I can post a list of "wants" but I might have to settle for something that can meet most of them rather than all because as I said I don't think the perfect solution exists.
PS. Turns out there is a demo for Scrivener after all!
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as a markdown fan myself, I've been using ByWord / TextWrangler and PanDOC for most of my creations lately. but this is post writing, turning into ebooks / books. For writing, ByWord and Scrivener are my current choices, especially now Scrivener has joined the iOS team.
I know lots of writers, and there is no one answer for this. Most simply use Word. I've used quite a few apps, from Scrivener, StoryMill, Word, WordPerfect, Byword, MacJournal and Evernote... mainly because I am a nerd. =) but in the end, you could write a book in Text Edit if you had to.
I am too. It's still my go to syntax for quite a lot of stuff. On the Mac I use multimarkdown composer but it's slow and development of version 3 is even slower. IA Writer is one I've been meaning try. Looks very nice and responsive
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And this really is what it comes down to my friends
Big world, lots of writers and lots of great products and workflows for us all.
I should have noted that I use Pages too because that's the preferred App for a local community group I volunteer with. I've always had a soft spot for Pages, but mostly as poor man's layout tool. It was good enough for laying out novels that I was able to divorce myself from Adobe Indesign.
I laid out my last novel for print with Pages 09. Couldn't do that with the current version. Before I bought my first Mac 4 years ago I used Publisher for layouts. It was a good program. I wish Mac had something comparable.
I've still got Pages 09 on my Mac mini for exactly this reason. Still works on El Capitan thankfully.
I've been a ByWord fan for some time now. Simple, but well executed. I got the publishing add on, and write blog posts through it now.
Also use Marked 2 a bit for final formatting / viewing and have been trying TableFlip (tableflipapp.com) which is a GUI for making and formatting tables. So far it shows to be a way useful too.
[doublepost=1531366137][/doublepost]I am a new writer working on several stories. I have tried several and my all time favorite is "SCRIVENER" on my MacBook. Check their free download sample.
Mate, I love the sentiment but given he posted that comment 3 years ago, he's either written the damned thing or given up!
there is the stage where you are revising for the 8th time, bouncing between confidence and crippling self doubt...
Just as an update: still using ByWord and Scrivener myself. Have both on computer and phone, which helps. I've been impressed with Scrivener for iOS, though I do wish it worried less about formatting, and more about writing on a phone...
I did toy around a short bit with BBEdit as a writing app. It has potential, but I need to play with workflow more, and hadn't had time.
I use Scrivener 3 all the time, and I really enjoy it. It's nice because it has so many features, but it can also be configured in a minimalistic interface if you want. I also have Pages and Word, and of the two, I use Pages slightly more. I've considered both Byword and iAWriter in the past, but I just can't justify either since I already have a slew of writing apps.