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Popular 'Ulysses' Writing App for Mac Expands to the iPad, Gets Major Update
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I fully agree with you regarding Pages. There is no knowing what Apple will do with it so I wouldn't count on it being very reliable solution. However, I was very surprised how good MS Word 2016 for Mac is. It's supper clean if you just close the ribbon. Apparently that's the way to do it so you only open the ribbon bar when you actually need those functions. To me, it's just perfect. Just keep punching that keyboard until you're all done and only after that re-read everything and do editing if required. To me Ulysses has been king of the hill but since I have no need for markup and since it doesn't have different writing modes (novel, scriptwriting etc.) or other "Scrivener" features then I'm really better off using the combo of Word 2016, Scrivener and Celtx. Regarding exporting from Word 2016 to Scrivener, it's actually super easy (https://vimeo.com/31433040). It's really shame with Ulysses, I would very much like to use it instead of Scrivener but unfortunately it just lacks way too many features.
Each is common but I haven't found an app with all four:
Automatic Dropbox sync
Extended keyboard with cursor keys and ' " keys etc.
Passcode lock which works properly
Dark mode
I use Plaintext at the moment because it has the first three. If I could find a custom keyboard app with cursor keys and punctuation my options would probably open up but most keyboard apps seem to shun punctuation in favour the online symbols @ # / etc.
Scrivener appears to have a considerable learning curve. Did you find that to be the case?
What are crucial features Scrivener has that are not present in Ulysses?
Thanks for that, its worth investigating further. I'm not going to try to talk you out of something you are obviously happy with, but for the benefit of the other poster who questioned why anyone would favour a paid editor over free Word, here's what I use, and what I've become accustomed to...
Scrivener acts like a central hub, where I can organise and refine. I don't usually write in it, but when I do I have a customised full-screen mode which has some pleasing layouts to keep me in the right mood.
I do most writing in spare moments, on the train, or when work is slow, or with breakfast, or with the family while they're watching inane TV. For those moments I have plain text editors on my phone and iPad. Because I'm syncing with Dropbox I can even use online Dropbox editors on computers I don't own. Because everything is plain text I have a ton of options wherever I am. On my Macs I use a combination of apps like WriteRoom, or OmmWriter even Cathode. I like switching apps and themes from time to time to stop be getting bored or demoralised with the writing.
Some people love Word and I'm fine with that, but to me it feels too much like work and gives me white room syndrome. I mainly write for fun, and trying out new apps from time to time is fun. For me anyway...
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Used Ulysses on my iPad all last night. It's really good. Would recommend reading the guides included with it, you're going to need it. Love that you can sideload custom fonts and styles into it, haven't used those bits yet, but they're going to be great once I get mine converted over.
Ulysses is a very nice application for writing, extremely pleasing aesthetically, but honestly I think it's far too expensive for what it does, at least the Mac version. Scrivener is a much more complex and powerful tool, but they cost roughly the same. If a no-distractions writing environment is what one looks for, iA Writer is a very nice app for Macs and iPads (no affiliation, of course).
What about Daedalus Touch?
I use Scrivener for big projects, particularly professional ones, and Ulysses for smaller things (blogs, letters, reviews, fun). On the iPad I've been using Daeadalus Touch, which integrates with Ulysses III pretty seamlessly. Is there a reason to spring for the full Ulysses on the iPad if I don't do a ton of writing there?
[And for the stalwart souls who have been writing novels using Word, you should check out the alternatives, if you haven't done so. You might be pleasantly surprised.]
I use Scrivener for big projects, particularly professional ones, and Ulysses for smaller things (blogs, letters, reviews, fun). On the iPad I've been using Daeadalus Touch, which integrates with Ulysses III pretty seamlessly. Is there a reason to spring for the full Ulysses on the iPad if I don't do a ton of writing there?
[And for the stalwart souls who have been writing novels using Word, you should check out the alternatives, if you haven't done so. You might be pleasantly surprised.]
I just picked up the iPad app.
I have been using scrivener for a while and have written a few books with it, but I always had the feeling I wasn't getting the most out of it, there are a lot of features that I wasn't using.
I was mostly happy with it as it is a good application, but some of the things I like about Ulysses are;
1-Everything is in one bundle, not lots of files spread around.
2-iCloud syncing. (I prefer iCloud to Dropbox for somethings.)
3-There is an iPad app!
4-Straightforward to use and clean design.
I am not sure I will get the Mac app as well, probably just get an external keyboard for the iPad and use that solely instead. My 2010 MacBook air has been almost completely replaced by an iPad..and it is definitely the way forward for me.
Every year there is more functionality and my reasons for getting a laptop get fewer and fewer. (Although the new MacBook airs 'do' look enticing, it is mostly just the physical keyboard I miss.)
Consider me a convert from scrivener..looking forward to getting cracking with this app.
I have been using scrivener for a while and have written a few books with it, but I always had the feeling I wasn't getting the most out of it, there are a lot of features that I wasn't using.
I was mostly happy with it as it is a good application, but some of the things I like about Ulysses are;
1-Everything is in one bundle, not lots of files spread around.
2-iCloud syncing. (I prefer iCloud to Dropbox for somethings.)
3-There is an iPad app!
4-Straightforward to use and clean design.
I am not sure I will get the Mac app as well, probably just get an external keyboard for the iPad and use that solely instead. My 2010 MacBook air has been almost completely replaced by an iPad..and it is definitely the way forward for me.
Every year there is more functionality and my reasons for getting a laptop get fewer and fewer. (Although the new MacBook airs 'do' look enticing, it is mostly just the physical keyboard I miss.)
Consider me a convert from scrivener..looking forward to getting cracking with this app.
Pages and Word have a single-sheet-per-document interface. Like Scrivener, Ulysses allows you to compose a document from any number of sheets (Scrivener calls them snippets) per document. You see these sheets in the left pane, and the main document in the right pane. What goes into a sheet can range from a sentence to a large section, so you're able to build a finished work in a modular fashion that isn't possible in Word and Pages. Word does have a useful Outline View, but everything in the outline stays in the document; Ulysses' sheets are discrete units of text that only end up in the main document if the writer joins them together.
Overall I prefer Ulysses plain text foundation to Scrivener's RTF native format, since I always write in Markdown. I'm still waiting for Scrivener for writing screenplays, since it has Fountain support (Fountain is basically Markdown for screenplay format), and The Soulmen have always maintained a "no ETA" status on Fountain for Ulysses for a couple of years now.
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The fact that Martin clings to WordStar when no modern computer natively supports it suggests the opposite. He's been very specific about why he prefers WS over Word and post-DOS word processors in general. He's just not familiar with plain text editors that work in a similar fashion, like WriteRoom, WriteMonkey, Vim, etc.Exactly. What you use doesn't matter. Only that it works for you does.
Very impressed with the smart folders/tagging feature. Saw that they're bringing in URL schemes in the next few updates too, so excited for that.
Overall very stable so far. Seems to like the 50 sheets I threw in there from my other apps, along with my images.
Overall very stable so far. Seems to like the 50 sheets I threw in there from my other apps, along with my images.
Nonsense. Of course it's all a matter of opinion. He is the one who prefers WS over Word, for his reasons. Probably down to his workflow and how he wants to write. Just because he loves WS, doesn't mean I can't love Word. I wouldn't use anything over Word because it works perfect for me.
Using your logic, all writers would be confined to using one piece of software. And god forbid how it was done before computers because there was no software about back then. I guess people just didn't read or write back then.
I agree with your points about Pages and Word, but I still don't see how such prices are justifiable when there are tons of other options. On Mac, TextWrangler will work just as well for free if you truly learn how to make it work. Evernote is another great options. Guess to each his own. To me, this is just a pretty interface on top of a basic text editor with MD capabilities, which isn't new anymore.
You're addressing two completely orthogonal arguments. My point was that Martin's preference for WordStar was based on very specific criteria (disliking autocorrect, for instance), as opposed to an arbitrary choice that could've just as easily been Word. So for Martin, the "it doesn't matter" argument flat out wrong. Professional writers tend to be very particular about their tools, even though they all could theoretically write on clay tablets.
Now if you want to interpret my response to "it doesn't matter" as meaning that Martin's workflow preferences and criteria apply to everyone, of course they don't. That's too obvious to require further discussion.
Um... all of that was exactly my point if you had read my post.
"It doesn't matter????" Where did I write that? All I was saying was that it's a matter of preference. Martain uses WS, I use Word, Tolkien used beer mats. I'm not sure where you got "it doesn't matter" from when my point all this time is that it is all a matter of preference.
Which is precisely why I said you were conflating two completely orthogonal arguments.
Have you ever used Scrivener? How does Ulysses compare?
I bought Scrivener, but am thinking of moving over to Ulysses.
What don't you like about Scrivener? Overkill? It has a lot of features that Ulysses doesn't, but that only matters if you actually use them.
It is overkill, but that's not why I'm interested in Ulysses. I'll keep Scrivener around for my private lengthly writing like a book or my future dissertation as it plays well with Endnote.
There's no iPad app and it doesn't support Markdown. Ulysses keeps everything under one main library* and has an iPad and (they claim soon) a future iPhone app. I've been looking for a general writing/journaling app. Scrivener's a bit too heavy for that and there are SO many features and options that it can sometimes get in the way.
Have you liked Ulysses?
*That only one library approach is perfect (and just what I want) for a journal, but I would never use that for my professional writing (like my thesis). Scrivener creates a .scriv file for each project. I liked that I was able to keep my thesis completely separate from my other work.
Are you still using Ulysses for iPad? Do you still like it? Do you use the OS X version?
I'm thinking of it as a Write replacement since the developer has dropped support it seems. Plus, Ulysses is more powerful.
Have been using Scrivener for a while. when Ulysses for iPad came out I bought that and the OSX version, partly because I could sync between the two, also because it has dark mode. i love this when writing at night, as I like lighting to be ambient and so there is less glare than from a stark white screen.
As for complexities or overkill, I do this with most software: speed read the guidelines to get an overview of what it can do, then learn enough basics to get going, put aside some time to learn more when I need to know more, so I'm not wasting time learning things I might not need for a few months, by which time I'll probably have to learn them again.
I like both Scrivener and Ulysses. One thing I can't find in Ulysses is a simple way to increase text size (by percentage, not increasing the actual font size). must be there, such a basic feature, but I haven't found it. In Scrivener, as with Word, this is on the front page.
As for complexities or overkill, I do this with most software: speed read the guidelines to get an overview of what it can do, then learn enough basics to get going, put aside some time to learn more when I need to know more, so I'm not wasting time learning things I might not need for a few months, by which time I'll probably have to learn them again.
I like both Scrivener and Ulysses. One thing I can't find in Ulysses is a simple way to increase text size (by percentage, not increasing the actual font size). must be there, such a basic feature, but I haven't found it. In Scrivener, as with Word, this is on the front page.
Yes I am.
I don't have the OS X version yet. Coming from Write, you'll feel at home with it though.
The shortcuts are wonderful: http://ulyssesapp.com/media/Ulysses for iPad Shortcuts.pdf For 95% of the app, you don't ever have to touch the screen. The shortcut bar is smarter than those in Editorial and Drafts too. Stuff like "(" and ")" are the same button, and block quotes/lists are in the same area too.
It's not as flexible as the others, but they made some great UI choices compared to the other two.
The export options are great too.
Thanks! The only thing for me is, whiteout the OS X app, there is now way to sync the writings form iOS without exporting. :/
I'm really tempted to get the iPad version thought since I haven't found a writing app I really love for it.