Popular Mac Writing App 'Scrivener' Could Finally Be Coming Soon to iOS

[campyguy]

My two FAVORITE writing tools were/are Word 5.1 and Scrivener 2 - I owned the first and own the second. The first one is long-dead, and the second one is in a deep slumber. MS has created this "monster" called Word and L&L's program has slowly evolved, with significant emphasis on "slowly".

L&L, if you're reading this, my fear is that your iOS product won't get updated enough to address bugs and the soon-to-be released iOS 10 - I also would want some kind of sych capability, and I just don't see you guys getting to it in 2016. Yes, it would be cool to see Scrivener on my iPad, but your company's own history with existing products just doesn't lend me much confidence...

 

[petsounds]

My two FAVORITE writing tools were/are Word 5.1 and Scrivener 2 - I owned the first and own the second. The first one is long-dead, and the second one is in a deep slumber. MS has created this "monster" called Word and L&L's program has slowly evolved, with significant emphasis on "slowly".

If you love "classic" Word, you might take a look at the venerable Nisus Writer Pro. It's still actively developed, and it's a very pleasant word processor to use.

I like Scrivener. I don't always understand it, and I feel like its attempt to be all things to all writers detracts from efficiency in certain tasks. I wish it was a bit more opinionated and focused on the process of writing. I also feel like its interface is a bit stuck in the past. But it's a powerful writing tool, and I'm really glad to hear an iOS version is finally coming out, and would definitely use it on my iPad Pro.

 

[campyguy]

If you love "classic" Word, you might take a look at the venerable Nisus Writer Pro. It's still actively developed, and it's a very pleasant word processor to use.

I like Scrivener. I don't always understand it, and I feel like its attempt to be all things to all writers detracts from efficiency in certain tasks. I wish it was a bit more opinionated and focused on the process of writing. I also feel like its interface is a bit stuck in the past. But it's a powerful writing tool, and I'm really glad to hear an iOS version is finally coming out, and would definitely use it on my iPad Pro.

Thanks for the tip, sad to offer that I'm constrained by my work and clients in that I must use Word now, although I do use a lot of its features in my writing of contracts. Version 5.1 was so to-the-point and elegant, I'm sure that there's some of that application's code in the bloated beast that exists today...

I've been writing technical and contract documents for so long, I already know what I want to write - I use TextEdit for my text composition. Word gets used for most of my clients, who use Windows, and Scrivener gets used for my longer in-house compositions. I'll give Nisus another look, I'm always looking for a composition document that has decent document management capabilities. Cheers!

 

[Winni]

I played around with a Scrivener demo, but landed on Ulysses for OS X. Really beautiful interface, and has a lot of features that stay out of your way until you need them.

Different tools for different purposes... Scrivener is more about managing your writing project and the associated research information, Ulysses is about distraction free writing. They don't exclude each other.

 

[BeamWalker]

Although I am not in the market for an iOS app, simply because I prefer a Laptop or Desktop for writing, I am exited for it. It shows me that the people behind one of my favorite programs are still developing and looking to improve their customer's experience.

write on

 

[ignatius345]

M

Not sure of the point of your comment, but I will make an equally pointless reply.

Ulysses lacks too many features for me and after scrivener I felt restricted by the lack of customisation. The sidebar and "sheets" annoyed me, compared to scriveners binder with folders and documents. Scrivener felt much more carefully constructed.

Good for you! Glad you found a tool that works. I was just pointing out a Scrivener alternative I like. No need to get pissy about it.
[doublepost=1456847682][/doublepost]I disagree. Ulysses does have a lot of organizational features one could use to keep a project together. Footnotes, links.

It may well not be quite as feature-rich as scrivener, but it's definitely a beautifully designed environment.

To each their own, though!

 

[artfossil]

I used Scrivener for several years but I never liked the interface. It was also much more than I need. I can understand why it has a huge and loyal following.

When I got an iPad it became my preferred writing tool. I jettisoned Scrivener for Ulysses once Ulysses was available for the iPad. I prefer the interface of Ulysses. It's mobile and nimble and elegant, uses Markdown and syncs effortlessly with my laptop. The focus is on my writing and research not on the software.

 

[sachinwalia]

As much as I like Scrivener I think the developer has dropped the ball on iOS counterpart. Now there are so many options that provides seamless syncing between Mac and iOS versions - storyist, Ulysses. Although they are little pricier.

 

[jnjbrewer]

Not sure of the point of your comment, but I will make an equally pointless reply.

Ulysses lacks too many features for me and after scrivener I felt restricted by the lack of customisation. The sidebar and "sheets" annoyed me, compared to scriveners binder with folders and documents. Scrivener felt much more carefully constructed.

While I agree that Ulysses lacks the folders and documents that I came to love on Scrivener, the delay ultimately has forced me to do all my writing on Ulysses so I can have it sync between my mac and iPad. Of course, once Scrivener comes out for iOS I am going to try it (assuming I don't have to upgrade my mac version). But overall, for what I use it for, Ulysses is a very worthy competitor.

 

[sachinwalia]

While I agree that Ulysses lacks the folders and documents that I came to love on Scrivener, the delay ultimately has forced me to do all my writing on Ulysses so I can have it sync between my mac and iPad. Of course, once Scrivener comes out for iOS I am going to try it (assuming I don't have to upgrade my mac version). But overall, for what I use it for, Ulysses is a very worthy competitor.

Did you try Storyist? Wondering how it fares against Ulysses.

 

[username:]

Did you try Storyist? Wondering how it fares against Ulysses.

Storyist was awful when I tried it about a year ago. The interface looked horrid and it was a buggy mess. Never tried it again.
[doublepost=1456941742][/doublepost]

While I agree that Ulysses lacks the folders and documents that I came to love on Scrivener, the delay ultimately has forced me to do all my writing on Ulysses so I can have it sync between my mac and iPad. Of course, once Scrivener comes out for iOS I am going to try it (assuming I don't have to upgrade my mac version). But overall, for what I use it for, Ulysses is a very worthy competitor.

Being a bit OCD and easily distracted I need a clean interface. In the sidebar on ulysses I couldn't get rid of the "on my Mac" "all" and other default sidebar clutter. Frustrated me I couldnt organise the app the way I want. Also it doesn't have PDF or multimedia support

 

[thewitt]

Storyist has been brilliant. I've written four novels with it now, the longest at 270,000 words and it's been nearly flawless.

 

[Traverse]

If you just need to whip up a quick paper or create a resumé, then Word, Pages or Docs works fine. But apps like Scrivener are specialty tools dedicated to more in depth writing, such as writing a short story or novel. Scrivener also has some nice hooks to work with the yearly Nanowrimo contest each November.

Exactly. I wrote my masters thesis in Scrivener. It went through his many revisions and reorganizations that using Word would have been nearly impossible. Scrivener is where I create my final draft, and then I export to Word to do any final formatting or EndNote adjustments.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Scrivener is the only other app I need on iOS to make a potential iPad Pro my only computer.

Final Draft was first, and that made it hard for me to not jump to one of the other writing apps. I just can't get as much done with the others. I write books and scripts like I write research papers. I don't have problems writing and getting into and staying in a groove. I don't get distracted but I do need to have quick access to references and a darn good outline system.

If it's a full featured version of Scrivener on iOS then I would sell my Retina MacBook, grab a 12" iPad Pro and never look back.

 

[FluffySneakers]

In a recent blog post, developer Keith Blount gave an update on the long-awaited iOS version of popular writing app Scrivener. Blount touched on the lengthy road to development the app has had over the years, mentioning that he took over its development and "rewrote it from the ground up" last year.

A screenshot of Scrivener for Mac​

Blount mentioned that the alpha test is "going well" for the iOS app, and that he's particularly excited for the potential of the writing-centric experience on Apple's new large-screened iPad Pro. The developer believes the beta isn't too far away and that when it happens news and updates on Scrivener for iOS will start at a faster rate.

For anyone unfamiliar with Scrivener's long-gestating iOS app, it was first announced by the team back in 2011, with an early-estimate launch goal of "some time in 2012." When that date slipped, Blount kept fans updated on the troubled development of the app, with the team running into a few coding issues and unexpected health concerns of one of the developer's immediate family.

Continued delayed updates finally spurred Blount into handling the iOS app on his own, leading to today's encouraging news for fans who have been patiently waiting for a mobile version of Scrivener. Speaking directly to Scrivener users, in the most current blog post Blount thanked those who have been patient throughout the intervening years: "Thank you for your patience, your support, and your enthusiasm while Scrivener for iOS has been undergoing its long gestation."

Scrivener is currently available on the Mac App Store for $44.99. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Popular Mac Writing App 'Scrivener' Could Finally Be Coming Soon to iOS

[doublepost=1461702940][/doublepost]I've had Scrivener since it was only a few years old and I've wanted it for iPad almost as long. I hope it's released very soon. I can't believe it still hasn't happened. Hope everyone is okay at Literature and Latte, but seriously, develop it and take my money!!!

 

[joelank]

Another Scrivener fan .. hope we see it released soon.