01.27.05

OS X Software for Writers

Tagged as Software, Writing

Writers these days are dependent on computers — they make archiving, editing, and copying your work so much easier that going back to the days of the typewriter is unthinkable to all but the most die hard traditionalist. But most word processors weren’t created with a writer’s needs in mind. Nor is a word processor the only software tool writers need: other useful options include a database for storing and sorting ideas, a quick and flexible brainstorming tool, and a document formatter for submitting work to publishers.

As an aspiring writer, I’ve spent a lot of quality procrastination time surveying the tools available for writers using OS X, and in this post I’ll summarize my findings, organized by the stage of the writing process each program is designed to help, and I’ll describe what’s in my own personal writing toolbox.

Idea Gathering

VoodooPad, by Flying Meat Software, uses the wiki concept to build a personal idea database. If you’ve ever used a wiki, there’s virtually nothing to learn: you’ll be up and running in minutes. If you’re unfamiliar with the wiki way of formatting a document, VoodooPad comes with a complete tutorial. I’ve become completely dependent on this program — there’s no faster or simpler way to record, edit, and organize ideas for later reference. VoodooPad is $24.95 and worth every penny, but there’s also a Lite version available for free.

I also tried Circus Ponies Notebook and AquaMinds NoteTaker, and found both lacking. They’re essentially the same program: both grew out of a notebook outliner for NeXT systems called NoteBook, and in fact both still contain some of the original code from that program. That’s not to say there aren’t differences — I won’t go into a full comparison here, but the curious can find one at ATPM. Suffice it to say, however, that I found both awkward, slow, confusing, and overpriced (NoteTaker is $69.95; NoteBook is $49.95; demos and academic discounts are available for both). Your mileage may vary, of course, and I know some people swear by them, but to me it seemed they put more effort into the spiral-bound interface than usability. I’ll stick with VoodooPad.

One other program bears mention here: MacJournal. MacJournal used to be available for free, but as of January 4 it’s been “republished” by Mariner Software as a commercial product ($29.95 boxed; $19.95 for the download edition). I’m still using the freeware version, so I can’t comment on any changes as of version 3.0, but I’ve always found it to be a solid product, perfect for keeping a personal diary or dream journal.

Outlining

For fleshing out an idea before starting the writing process itself, I like NovaMind because it combines the features of a brainstorming/mind mapping tool and an outliner. You start with your core concept in the middle of the screen and build branches outward, like a flowchart. Then, when it’s time to structure your ideas, you can switch to Outline view or Screenplay view and follow your story step by step, increasing or decreasing the level of detail as needed. You can also export your map in a variety of formats, including PowerPoint, XML, RTF, PDF, or even a Java-based web presentation. At $79 for the standard edition, it’s not what I’d call a bargain — and of all the programs I’m listing in this entry, I consider NovaMind the least essential for most writers. Still, the combination of mind mapping and outlining in one tool is pretty convenient, and the program is stable and easy to use, so if you’ve got the money and the feature set appeals to you I can recommend it without reservation. There’s also a screenwriter’s edition for $99, but the only unique features it offers are duplicated by Final Draft, which is the one program you need to be using if you’re a screenwriter on a Mac. Save the extra money and go with the standard edition.

Writing

The big players in this field right now are Ulysses (100 €) and CopyWrite ($29.99). I’ve tried and enjoyed them both, but in the end my recommendation goes to CopyWrite. Both programs organize your project as a set of individual subdocuments: each chapter, each character outline, each location description is its own document, and each can have notes attached to it for future reference. Each document can also have its own status — draft or final, for example. You can add and remove categories to fit your way of working. And when the project is done and it’s time to format it for submission, you can export your chapters in a variety of formats.

Exporting documents is one area in which Ulysses has the lead: it can save your work in plain text, RTF, or Latex formats, and an SDK is available so third-party developers can create export plugins. Another nice feature of Ulysses is its fullscreen mode, which removes everything from view except the text you’re working on.

Both Ulysses and CopyWrite de-emphasize formatting and layout — these are not word processors or desktop publishing programs. You’re expected to structure and type your document first, and fiddle with the appearance later, in a separate program. I like that idea, especially since different markets often have different rules regarding document format. For my taste, though, Ulysses takes this concept too far: even italicizing text has apparently been deemed an unnecessary distraction. One might wonder what one is expected to do if one wants to emphasize a given word, or set off a passage of internal monologue. As it turns out, the developers expect you to think up some sort of plain text delimiter, such as underscores or asterisks, and then set the export feature to convert those into something else, like rich text italics or LaTeX commands. I don’t have a problem with that per se, except that if I’m going to be using some sort of text delimiter anyway, why can’t I just use Command-I to italicize text on screen and then let the export feature convert that to the relevant command? That way the program would work the same as every other Cocoa-based program, and I wouldn’t have to learn anything new or take any extra steps.

And, in fact, that’s exactly what CopyWrite does.

As a matter of fact, CopyWrite does pretty much everything exactly the way I expect it to, and that’s what I like most about it. I don’t think I’ve resorted to the manual yet — the options are self-explanatory, and the interface is simple and elegant. It keeps a word count for both each individual document and the project as a whole, and the project word count only includes words from the documents you specify. You can associate not just notes but also URLs with each document, or even create a link within a document — very handy if your project involves a lot of online research. And while the emphasis is still on the text, there are enough formatting options to make the job of writing pleasant — you can bold, italicize, and underline text, change the font, line spacing, and color, and specify how CopyWrite should handle paragraph breaks (space between paragraphs, indentation, both, or neither). It’s intuitive, simple, and powerful, and if I had to choose just one program to handle my writing, it would be CopyWrite.

Formatting

Formatting is a necessary evil for all writers, but our needs in this area aren’t particularly complex because it isn’t the writer’s job to lay out a story or book — the publisher has professionals for that. We do have to format documents properly for submission, however, so some sort of word processor or DTP software is needed. Just about any will do, actually, from Microsoft Word right down to TextEdit if you’re so inclined, but the ideal lies somewhere in between.

There are several OS X word processors that aim to fit this niche, including Nisus Writer Express ($59) and Mariner Write ($59.95), but for my taste the perfect balance of features and simplicity is found in Mellel ($39). Mellel offers all the formatting options a writer is likely to need, including things like multiple chains of footnotes in a single document, which you won’t find even in bloated, high-priced competitors like Microsoft Word. That’s because Mellel focuses on features needed by scholars and writers, whereas the big boys go for the lowest common denominator and emphasize features needed in a multi-user office environment. This also happens to make Mellel a better word processor for home use, since most of us are unlikely to use, say, a Track Changes feature when typing up a letter. Mellel’s menus and preferences aren’t cluttered with stuff you’ll never need. Since Mellel is also fast, easy to use, and inexpensive, it’s an excellent choice as your primary word processor if you don’t absolutely need 100% MS Office compatibility. If you happen to be a writer or research scholar, it’s the ideal solution at any price.

Conclusion

Apple’s reputation as the platform of choice for creative work is borne out by the wide range of software available to help writers with every stage of their work. As long as this article is, I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s out there — every section of this survey could have included at least two more programs, and all of them have their uses and their loyal fans. And there are also specialty programs that were beyond the scope of this survey. I mentioned, for example, Final Draft, the most popular software for writing scripts of all types, but there’s also Movie Magic Screenwriter for the same job, or even Final Draft AV, which includes features specifically aimed at audio-visual scripts like advertisements and presentations. Since every writer’s process is unique, every writer has different needs. Fortunately, all of the software I’ve reviewed here is available in demo form, so you can try it out yourself before spending any money.

Having tried it all myself, I’ve decided on my own personal novel writing software toolbox, and it seems to be working well for me thus far. Here it is again, in descending order of importance:

• CopyWrite — the single most important writing tool I know.
• VoodooPad — a fast, easy to use idea database.
• Mellel — a word processor created with writers’ needs in mind.
• NovaMind — an intuitive brainstorming and outlining tool.
• MacJournal — for tracking my dreams and experiences.

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