I was wondering about the notes and draft modes, and couldn't figure out if it worked like Scrivener or if it was a different set up. If you have tried it, could you describe how it works? If the notes and drafts features work well, I'd like to use it. It's a bit annoying that there's no trial version, I'm not ready to dish out 20 dollars just to test it. The syntax stuff I'm less excited about, although I could see how it might be useful.
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Hey writers ... What do you use?
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I was wondering about the notes and draft modes, and couldn't figure out if it worked like Scrivener or if it was a different set up. If you have tried it, could you describe how it works? If the notes and drafts features work well, I'd like to use it. It's a bit annoying that there's no trial version, I'm not ready to dish out 20 dollars just to test it. The syntax stuff I'm less excited about, although I could see how it might be useful.
Had a look at the tech spec for this ... Can't see much benefit in the iPad version for my purposes. No Dropbox or doc/doc x support. I use IA Writer on iPad, and it has Dropbox support.
I hope the Scrivener people get their iPad version finished soon. I would really like to use just one program that does everything I need, synced across IOS and OSX.
I hope the Scrivener people get their iPad version finished soon. I would really like to use just one program that does everything I need, synced across IOS and OSX.
Agreed. iCloud works great for iawriter, as I just need it to synch my scraps and fragments between the I-devices and the mac, and I've never had a problem with it. For more sophisticated work I'd like to have it in Dropbox.
To be fair they've strongly hinted that it will be available soon - they've launched with what works and will add features when they are ready.
Not holding out much hope for the Scrivener app to be honest...
So, I took the plunge and got Writer Pro. Unfortunately, I personally don't see the point of the Note/ Write/ Edit/ Read feature, or how it in any way resembles what Scrivener does. Unless I'm missing something key here, the only thing the app does is change the font? That's not really helping my writing process much... 
Apart from that it's a nice distraction free writing app, but not convinced about the value added compared to iaWriter or Byword.
Amen. Will be fantastic when the iPad version is ready. But I'm not holding my breath.
Apart from that it's a nice distraction free writing app, but not convinced about the value added compared to iaWriter or Byword. Amen. Will be fantastic when the iPad version is ready. But I'm not holding my breath.
Fairly in-depth review of Writer Pro here. Glosses over their notion of 'workflow' though: https://medium.com/reviewd-in-detail/d8a285e710c3
I had assumed that the new note view was similar to Scriveners corkboard
I had assumed that the new note view was similar to Scriveners corkboard
Yes, I read that review before I bought it, it's the one I mentioned above which I wasn't very impressed with. It just seems all emotion to me. Stuff like this, for example
"Writer Pro feels fresh and exciting, beckoning me, making me want to write more and more. All of these thoughts and feelings are present despite the user interface being more or less the same — the side panel with various settings is definitely different, yet it doesn’t distract me in the slightest. Everything feels right — thought out and polished. And to think I almost skipped buying it…"
That's all "it makes me feel good' rather than "how does this improve your writing process".
The so called work flow only means that you get a different set of fonts. I guess the idea is that you can press on those buttons and get a different set of fonts to somehow mark that you go from taking notes to drafting, for example. Personally, I see no point in that whatsoever, but your milage may vary. All looks like the Emperor's new clothes to me, particularly at that price level. But it's Editor's choice at the app store, so maybe I'm missing something.
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Yes, it must be pretty hard to work that one out. I'd be quite happy just to be able to get full sync of all rich text files. I currently sync with Elements, but that sometimes messes with my formatting when I've already inserted data, which really minimises the use value for me.
Edited to add:
Seems like different people have misunderstood what the intention of this "work flow" is. I don't buy the "provide a different environment to focus on a specific task" line, personally - that's not what I call work flow support. I've requested a refund.
http://support.iawriter.com/help/discussions/writer-pro-for-mac-problems/54-workflow-doesnt-run
Quite a lot of annoyed people on this thread:
http://support.iawriter.com/help/di...-problems/14-my-negative-review-of-writer-pro
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On a different note: The most exciting writing app I've seen in a while is Ulysses III - check it out here
http://www.ulyssesapp.com
http://www.ulyssesapp.com
Do you prefer this to Scrivener, or is it just better suited to some types of writing? Are you using the iPad app that syncs with this too?
No, to me there's no markdown app that competes with Scrivener. When I write in Scrivener, I often import lots of images and pdfs (which contain research articles, my data, outlines, mind maps and so on) into the research section, and then I use the split view to consult them side by side as I write my articles. Sometimes my papers also includes tables, which are much better dealt with in rich text format.
I have, however, taken to re-writing parts of my papers in 'minimalist' writing apps, mostly Byword and Simplenote, sometimes iaWriter. When I'm working on hashing out a particular idea or argument, I sometimes like to isolate it in a completely distraction free environment. I also use those apps for blogging, or for other kinds of writing where the final output isn't that long (say, up to five pages).
What I really like about Simplenote is that it provides a side pane where you see all your different notes (much as you do in a Scrivener project), so that it's easy to switch between them. I really like this in Ulysses as well - while I think iaWriter and Byword are great writing environments, I don't really like the fact that each document has to be stored as a separate file. Simplenote doesn't offer markdown, though, so one of the things that attracts me about Ulysses is the quite advanced feature set in terms of formatting, export and so on, combined with excellent organisation capacities (much enhanced version of Simplenote's side pane) and the ability to revert to a full screen 'minimalist' layout (in Simplenote, you can't get rid of the list of notes shown in the left hand side pane). But yes, Ulysses is expensive - but at least they're actually delivering quite a lot for that money - it's a much more advanced app than iaWriter or Byword.
I've had the iPad app, Deadalus, for quite some time. In the beginning I really liked it and used it a fair bit for note taking, but then moved over to Evernote and Simplenote due to cross platform/ iOS sync. I'd had Deadalus synced via Dropbox prior to that, but it made sense to use something that was fully coordinated across devices. I haven't used it much over the past year so can't comment much on what it's like at the moment. It organises your notes in stacks, which a lot of people seem to like. I prefer it to the each-document-one-file principle, but the Simplenote way of doing it is my favourite, I think.
Ulyssess III has a free demo version, if you want to check it out.
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Thanks Jojoba for that information. I will check out the demo.
Just read this progress report on IOS version of Scrivener in the Literature & Latte newsletter:
"Were still a few months away from a release, but 2014 will be the year we (finally!) go mobile, with releases of Scrivener for both the iPhone and iPad. As I write this, we are currently reviewing icons for the keyboard accessory row and testing out the rich text editor. The corkboard, binder, outliner and inspector are already present and correct. Theres still lots to do, so were not going to talk too much about it until we are closer to release. But look out for news in 2014.
The iOS version will require iOS 7.0 and above, by the way, owing to its use of Apples new TextKit, which allows for all the rich text formatting of the Mac version."
Just read this progress report on IOS version of Scrivener in the Literature & Latte newsletter:
"Were still a few months away from a release, but 2014 will be the year we (finally!) go mobile, with releases of Scrivener for both the iPhone and iPad. As I write this, we are currently reviewing icons for the keyboard accessory row and testing out the rich text editor. The corkboard, binder, outliner and inspector are already present and correct. Theres still lots to do, so were not going to talk too much about it until we are closer to release. But look out for news in 2014.
The iOS version will require iOS 7.0 and above, by the way, owing to its use of Apples new TextKit, which allows for all the rich text formatting of the Mac version."
I am very much a "newbie" when it comes to writing software. Could someone explain to me in very simple terms what are the main differences between apps like iaWriter, Writer Pro, Scrivener and Ulysses III? Which of these apps would be best for writing a technical book, which includes images. I would like to be able to use an app that allows me to export to the standard formats. Looking through this thread and reading the App Store, I get the feeling that I would ideally need a couple of these apps?
In addition, it would be great if the same app would allow me to compile shorter articles, which require research notes and so forth. I think Scrivener is the best for this, but does it allow distraction free writing as well?
In addition, it would be great if the same app would allow me to compile shorter articles, which require research notes and so forth. I think Scrivener is the best for this, but does it allow distraction free writing as well?
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It sounds to me like Scrivener would be good for your purposes. I've attached a couple of screen shots which illustrate how distraction free the Scrivener interface can get.
Regarding the main differences between Scrivener and apps like iaWriter & Writer Pro:
Scrivener is a 'full fledged' rich text word editor, where you can easily format text and insert tables and so on in a 'what you see is what you get' format. It's very similar to Word in that way (but much better!). Scrivener is also very good for managing larger writing projects, because it's very easy to divide a long document into smaller parts and display them side by side (or next to data or pdfs or images), and so on. And it comes with a really extensive feature set which really helps the management of non-linear writing projects, and communicates with apps such as EndNote and other reference managers. Exporting to Word and so on is easy. I've written more about Scrivener here:
http://macademise.wordpress.com/201...your-non-linear-writing-projects-pleasurable/
iaWriter and Writer Pro are so called minimalist markdown apps which provide a very pleasant and distraction free environment for working on text only. However, if you are writing technical texts with references, images, foot notes, tables and so on, it's probably not the best choice for writing management, but it can easily complement the writing process. Markdown is really primarily oriented towards web publishing, but many people like those apps for their simplicity and distraction free environment, where all you have to work with are your ideas and the plain text.
Ulysses is at base the same as iaWriter and WriterPro, but has a much more advanced feature set.
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Having used Ulysses III some more for the past few days, I have to say I'm very pleased with this app. It combines high functionality with a minimalist writing environment. Some of the things I like include:
This app is worth my money, and I think I'll be doing a lot more writing with this.
- lots of features for organising your notes
- the 'list view' of Simplenote, which makes it really easy to switch between documents, combined with the opportunity to switch to a whole screen distraction free environment
- tagging of documents
- the app automatically stores a previous version of a document every time you save it
- easy export to other apps
- good level of customisation in terms of visual appearance
- a navigation pane for each document where you can move around based on headings and bookmarks
This app is worth my money, and I think I'll be doing a lot more writing with this.
I don't use Scrivener. Doesn't really have anything that does it for me. I deal in writing scripts/screenplays, so my main app is Final Draft 9.
Although since getting my rMBP, I've been running a lot of Markdown/Fountain-type apps. I've turned into one of those supporters of plain text. I love the Highland app, and I've been using Ulysses III recently.
Friends of mine always question why I use a Mac. Aside from it being the better OS for me, if you notice then you'll see that all of these apps are pretty much exclusively on OS X. I would lose so much of my writing workflow if I went to Windows.
Final Draft also works better on a Mac than it does on Windows. But I love all these great apps. We have a lot of options these days.
Although since getting my rMBP, I've been running a lot of Markdown/Fountain-type apps. I've turned into one of those supporters of plain text. I love the Highland app, and I've been using Ulysses III recently.
Friends of mine always question why I use a Mac. Aside from it being the better OS for me, if you notice then you'll see that all of these apps are pretty much exclusively on OS X. I would lose so much of my writing workflow if I went to Windows.
Final Draft also works better on a Mac than it does on Windows. But I love all these great apps. We have a lot of options these days.
Screenwriting apps...
FWIW, though I have used FINAL DRAFT and MOVIE MAGIC SCREENWRITER 2000 extensively, right now I am quite enjoying Slugline. It works well with the retina display and is straight to the bone simple.
Adam
FWIW, though I have used FINAL DRAFT and MOVIE MAGIC SCREENWRITER 2000 extensively, right now I am quite enjoying Slugline. It works well with the retina display and is straight to the bone simple.
Adam
Screenwriting apps...
How come? What are you using these days? I know FD 9 is coming. I went with Slugline because I wanted RD support. I know FD 9 has that. I'm curious; what do you like?
Adam
How come? What are you using these days? I know FD 9 is coming. I went with Slugline because I wanted RD support. I know FD 9 has that. I'm curious; what do you like?
Adam
Final Draft 9 does have Retina Display support. I am part of the beta testing group for it, so I've been using it for months. Love it.
Like you, I only use apps that have Retina Display support. I just didn't like the UI/functionality of Slugline.
I really like Highland. I find myself using Highland for the majority of my writing and then editing my final work in FD.
Screenwriting apps...
Interesting. I've got Highland, but had mostly been using it for conversions. Somehow, I didn't get that you could write in it. Guess I better not quit my day job!
Slugline works fine for me Like you, I wanted Retina Display support. I gather FD 9 will be out this month, so I am sure I will be upgrading. Always nice to have choices!
Adam
Interesting. I've got Highland, but had mostly been using it for conversions. Somehow, I didn't get that you could write in it. Guess I better not quit my day job!
Slugline works fine for me Like you, I wanted Retina Display support. I gather FD 9 will be out this month, so I am sure I will be upgrading. Always nice to have choices!
Adam
Ulysses III sounds good but I don't see any reason to move from Scrivener myself. It gives you the best of both worlds. You can run with your text and research side by side or flick to the compose setting where you have your text distraction free. The one great improvement will be the proposed iOS version. Good to know they are going to release it in 2014. At the moment I use iA writer on my iPad but as I can take my MacBook most places I mostly go straight to Scrivener .
.After experimenting with a lot of apps over the last year I'm finding that Scrivener on the Macs and iA Writer on the iPad suit the extremes I like ... complex (for the whole thing, a long and complex book) and simple (for just writing).
While you can do simple in Scrivener with the distraction-free page I've become used to using the iPad with iawriter like a typewriter, as writing is all you can do in this I don't fix spelling, typos or edit in any way, whereas on the computer I do stop and shuffle commas around or whatever.
Well, I'm Virgo (also known as Anal, according to some younger family members) and so analysis, detail, editing and organisation are natural habitats, which is all very useful once the essence or content is there, whether fiction or non-fiction, and totally useless when it isn't, and a sure recipe for writer's block, in my experience.
So the simplicity -lack of control and options -in the iPad writing system is partly psychological for me.
Strangely, limitations have this reverse effect for me, I've had the same situation in music systems ... A very limited but quick and intuitive little 8-track sequencer inside a keyboard versus massive Protools and myriad plug-in apps inside a computer.
The fire, water and air signs among you, who don't need to set limitations to release margins, are probably rolling your eyes ... Ha ha.
While you can do simple in Scrivener with the distraction-free page I've become used to using the iPad with iawriter like a typewriter, as writing is all you can do in this I don't fix spelling, typos or edit in any way, whereas on the computer I do stop and shuffle commas around or whatever.
Well, I'm Virgo (also known as Anal, according to some younger family members) and so analysis, detail, editing and organisation are natural habitats, which is all very useful once the essence or content is there, whether fiction or non-fiction, and totally useless when it isn't, and a sure recipe for writer's block, in my experience.
So the simplicity -lack of control and options -in the iPad writing system is partly psychological for me.
Strangely, limitations have this reverse effect for me, I've had the same situation in music systems ... A very limited but quick and intuitive little 8-track sequencer inside a keyboard versus massive Protools and myriad plug-in apps inside a computer.
The fire, water and air signs among you, who don't need to set limitations to release margins, are probably rolling your eyes ... Ha ha.