Long form writing apps, what do you use?

Software
21

I use Scrivener most of the time, except when collaborating with colleagues - when Word is the only option (at least where I work).

22

For the longest time I only used Scrivener but over the years the relative simplicity of Ulysses has won me over. For the writing I do for MacSparky, Ulysses is just great.

One feature that keeps me coming back to Scrivener for big legal projects is its ability to store research. That feature is golden if you’ve got a big pile of research attached to a writing project.

I don’t think there is a single right answer here. I know some people that do all they’re long form stuff in BBEdit!

5 Likes
23

I was using Scrivener when it was still Version 2 (before iPad version came out) and it was really nice, but I wanted something that also can sync to the iPad. I know that Scrivener was able to automatically export txt files to Dropbox and that you could open them with e.g. Simplenotes (I think). But that got me into trouble a couple of times due to sync errors.

In the end, for me, the only difference between Scrivener and Ulysses, apart from the syncing, was the nice research section in Scrivener and the split view. But in the end I kept all my research in Devonthink and Ulysses is able to open a second tab or window. So, I switched.

1 Like
24

So I tried dragging from DTOP to Ulysses–that does not create a link. However, I simply copy the DT document URL and created the link in Ulysses. I can then click the link and it takes me to the DT document. Works great.

1 Like
25

Same here! You’re not alone

26

So do you find yourself copying and pasting stuff from DevonThink into Ulysses or do you just reference it? I’d be interested in the workflow as it’s something I’d consider.

27

Scrivener

And I’m moving lots of things I used to do in LibreOffice to Scrivener first for the useful editing and organization tools

28

The short answer. Most of the time I just refer to my notes in Devonthink to have all the info I need for writing.

The long answer. Devonthink keeps all my scientific literature, the notes I have taken while reading, notes about my data and results, my lab notes, other notes, and ideas. When I start writing a section about subject X, I just search for related tags in Devonthink and this way I have all the info and important quotes I need to write the section.
For topics that I have to refer to all the time, I tend to create smart groups to have the info more easily accessible.

1 Like
29

Ulysses

Features

  • Write small blocks of text… Glue them together or shift about.
  • File arrangement makes sense
  • Colored tags (new)
  • Word count systems & read aloud time
  • WordPress publishing
  • Distraction free mode — when wanted
  • Markdown system works for me
  • Sync iCloud works

Lots more

Use on 10.5 and iMac

I switched from Scrivener. Fine app, you may want to give that a try too. You inquired about longform writing, what does that mean to you?

2 Likes
30

I know there may be questions about support etc. but I still use Editorial on iOS. Good markdown support and really great automation. An added bonus for plain text fans is that it supports Taskpaper format and combined with workflows is a powerful Taskpaper client. I much prefer it to Taskmator which is the other alternative.
Definitely worth a look.

2 Likes
31

I also do most of my long form writing in Word - all my professional/work writing needs be in Word format and at least if I write directly in there I don’t have to double-handle text formatting. I have Ulysses and try to use it for my personal life; aside from a few blog posts, though, I haven’t done much with it. I’ve toyed around with Scrivner but find it too complicated.

I’ve written more than one short story straight into Evernote over the years!

32

iA Writer for me, using iCloud across my devices for sync. Been using it so long I’m stuck in that workflow now.

2 Likes
33

The Scrivener project is in a proprietary file format, but that’s a package and within your documents are normal text files. So if for some reason you can’t open Scrivener anymore you will still be able to access your texts.
One downside to Scrivener is that it has no background syncing with iOS, so you have to manually sync before using it on your iOS device. That’s a pitty, but the developers explain really well how that is due to 1) the complex file structure which gives you all the great features and 2) their huge concern for stability. Only this way they can be sure there are no syncing conflicts.

2 Likes
34

My use would be for blog posts and/or short stories.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I’ll check out each one! :grin:

35

I use Scrivener for long writing projects. I like that I can keep all my research in one place and reference it as I am writing.

One key feature that I love is that I can make a general outline and easily move the outline around. I can click on one of the outline topics and just begin writing or adding thoughts. I can easily jump around the document that I am creating in a very intuitive way. Scrivener is a very robust program which makes it possible for you to work the way you want to. It would be nice if I could use markup but it is not a deal breaker for me.

I also use Ulysses for smaller projects. My biggest issue with Ulysses is its filing system. I am not a fan. I like to file documents in the traditional way through the finder. However, it is still a great program and is worth your consideration.

1 Like
36

Does anyone here still use Nisus Writer Pro?

It’s still around and being developed/supported, but it’s no longer the cool kid in long-form writing apps. Hugely powerful in its heyday, and went through a rough patch in the transition from Classic OS to OS X, but it eventually made it back.

People used to swear by it, but I don’t hear it mentioned much these days. I only mention it for the sake of completeness… and nostalgia :slight_smile:

2 Likes
37

Thanks for the reply @Tim. How do I add notes to DevonThink PDF’s for example? Is that within the inspector panel?

So for some stuff I use Drafts (mostly little stuff of text). For other stuff I want to fully go into Ulysses. What about the in between? For example drafts of emails or drafting up a post on Reddit or other social media for example? Should I just make a category for it in Ulysses?

38

Ulysses for me. I used Bear for short notes and for references but Ulysses helps me focus on writing more. I also used iA Writer in the past but the markdown features of Ulysses I find much much better.

2 Likes
39

@Tim might have a different answer, but DTPO has a built-in feature to add an annotated RTF note, to a PDF.

It automatically creates a bi-directional link between the source PDF and the note, so you can refer to either, from either.

When you start using the item-links of files, or activate the wikilink feature, you can start linking notes (and by association - their PDFs) together very quickly, and even have them open in tabs, for quick access and viewing.

The annotated notes is accessed from Data/New From Template/Annotation (you must have the PDF that you want the note to apply to, selected, when you trigger it).

You can also add a keyboard shortcut to trigger it, and you can edit the contents/form of the Annotation, as it essentially works off a template - which means you can adjust it to suit your particular needs.

1 Like
40

Short answer: Scrivener. Long answer:

The choice of writing app I feel depends on your style of writing and what you are expecting for eventual output format. All long format documents I’ve written are either technical manuals or textbooks and I write very non-linearly. Thus I’ve gravitated toward programs that make it easy to see the document structure and rearrange the order. I started with multiple files and TECO in the mid 1970s, went to KAMAS in the mid 1980’s, and WordPerfect (with the ability to have a master document with subdocuments underneath) in the 1990s. I also wrote two textbooks in HTML using an IBM software product I forget the name of. I was also on a project where I had to use FrameMaker, but I really hated it!

Scrivener is very good for the front end of writing, especially for non-linear people like myself. If you can start with page 1 and write straight through to the last page then it will appear way too burdensome! I used to do all my notes in Circus Ponies Notebook, but when it went belly-up I realized that I could have been using the ability of Scrivener to maintain reference material.

The original intent of Scrivener was to export the finished document into a word processor (most likely Microsoft Word) for doing the formatting. Scrivener has been trying to build in formatting capability but I just think it is a Bag of Hurt. However EPub export in the latest Scrivener V3 is getting very good.

2 Likes