Best Writer Program For Mac
- Best Mac Apps For Writers
- Best Writing App For Macbook Air
- Best Novel Writing Software For Mac
- Best Writing App For Mac And Ipad
Ulysses is the best writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. For writers — from bloggers to authors to journalists and more — Ulysses offers the perfect combination of power and simplicity, combining feature-rich writing and research tools amidst a focused, distraction-free writing environment. Bad news/good news: writing a book will always be hard, and the best piece of writing software in the world won’t write your book for you. But the good news is there is book writing software that can make the process a little easier. Read More environment Four Distraction-Free Writing Environments For Mac Compared [Video] Four Distraction-Free Writing Environments For Mac Compared [Video] If you want to increase your writing productivity on your Mac, one sure fire way to do so is to use full-screen mode in a distraction-free text editor program.
- The Best Book Writing Software. Writing a book isn’t just about putting down words on a page. You need to be able to organise and structure your book. You need to be able to look at research (ideally offline!), and your. When you get further into the process, you’ll realise that your word processor just isn’t made for the job.
- The #1 Desktop Blog Editor for the Mac - The best way to write, preview, and publish your blog. Works with WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, TypePad, Movable Type and dozens more through standard MetaWeblog and AtomPub interfaces.
MakeUseOf recently published Your Guide to Scrivener—a how-to manual for the popular writing program. Scrivener has been around since 2006, and it is a favorite application amongst novelists and screenwriters. As a full-time non-fiction tech writer, I can’t recommend Scrivener enough for actually starting and drafting writing projects. There are two versions of the application, one for the Mac OS X ($45.00) and the other for Windows PC ($40.00).
Scrivener is not a desktop layout application like Word9 of the Best Free and Low-Cost Alternatives to Microsoft Office9 of the Best Free and Low-Cost Alternatives to Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft Office has dominated the market of text documents, spreadsheets and slide shows for years, and for good reason – it’s one of the very best. However, there’s one drawback and that is the price..Read More and Pages, but it helps you organize and export your documents to other applications. In addition to being useful for full-time writers, I think Scrivener could be very useful to students and professors who write research papers, anyone who has plans to write a book, and even bloggers looking for an application to draft and manage blog posts.
Today I will share my personal workflow and tips for getting the most out of Scrivener.
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Research and Outlining
Scrivener is not just a text editor. It also includes features for outlining and storing research related documents and notes for your writing projects. When I start a writing project I typically drop and add project related webpages, PDFs and notes to the Research folder of Scrivener.
Scrivener can also handle almost any kind of documents you need to import. You can organize documents into folders, and change the icons of the files to help you visually identify their importance or content. Both Word and Pages include useful outline features, but I prefer using Scrivener because each part of the outline I create in it automatically becomes a sort-of separate folder for each part of my writing project.
So for example if I’m writing a MakeUseOf PDF guide, I first brainstorm a list of topic headings and subheadings in a text file in Scrivener or on my iPad. From there I add a folder in Scrivener’s Binder panel for each chapter of my document, followed by sub-sections inside each folder (as you can see above).
The beauty of Scrivener is that the folder hierarchy can be changed even after you have added paragraphs to each of the folders or sub-categories. It may not be obvious when you first start using Scrivener, but you can right-click on multiple selected folders or sections and group or un-group them.
You can also drag and drop sections into other folders as you work on your project something that can’t be easily done in Word or Pages. You can even use Scrivener to export your folder hierarchy as actual text outline (using File > Edit > Compile).
Scrivener also contains an Inspector panel which you can use to write summaries, notes, comments, and footnotes for each section of your document. It’s a great place to store related webpage links and reminders.
Drafting
The key benefit to using Scrivener is that you can jump around and write in different sections of your project and not be distracted by the paragraphs and pages in other sections. You don’t have to scroll down your document to locate sections as you do in Word and Pages.
I also highlight and color-code section headers in the Binder as I complete them, which is a great little motivator while working on any project. At any time in the process, it is possible to select and view all sections as a single document. There’s also a Page Layout or Wrap view that presents your sections like a regular text editor. You can setup panel presets in Page Layout without distracting side panels, which makes for a great way to read and edit text.
Many newcomers to Scrivener may not at first understand the value of full screen mode for writing. This feature allows you to put complete focus on your current document while hiding all the distractions. You can even set a custom background (Preferences > Compose > Customizable Colors > Background) for a wall color or graphic that inspires you to write.
I like to also toggle Typewriter Scroll, which automatically scrolls the text up as I type. Using this feature along with my TextExpander snippets for my project helps me knock out pages as I type. Scrivener also has its own text expansion feature, though it is not as handy as TextExpander, it’s useful if you don’t have the standalone program.
Finally, in terms of drafting, I sync all my Scrivener documents to Dropbox account so that I can open them on my MacBook Air or on my iPad. An iPad version of Scrivener is also in the works.
Exporting Documents
Scrivener includes numerous exporting features for sharing documents to Word, PDF, plain text files and more. The export feature of Scrivener is probably the most complicated to use because you need to understand how to compile documents and then export them. The MUO Guide to Scrivener covers how to use the compiler.
What I like about the compiler is that you can create font style and document layout settings for exporting documents which may be different from the settings you use to draft documents. I typically draft for example using 18pt font size, and then export documents in 12pt font size.
Download a Free Trial
I’ve only shared some of Scrivener’s basic and advanced features. When you first start using the program you may very well not know where to begin. Relax – simply check out the MUO Guide and watch the video tutorials posted on the Literature and Latte site. The more you work in Scrivener and read-up on its powerful features, the better understanding you’ll have of the features that matter the most to your workflow.
Let us know what you think of the Scrivener writing program and how you use it to get writing done, as well as what you think of our fabulous downloadable guide in the comments, below.
Is Scrivener your favourite writing program? If not, tell us what you use and why!
It is remarkable to me that anybody would try to compare Scrivener with Word or Pages. They simply don't understand the differences between text editors and word processors and certainly do not know about the advantages of a program like Scrivener. And when they say 'you have to go to Word anyway at the end to publish' well you know they have to publishing experience whatsoever. Typesetting in a word processor is dismal and any serious desktop publishing would take the text to DP program (InDesign or Quark) so it can actually look professional.
Fantastic commentary . I learned a lot from the insight . Does someone know where my business would be able to get access to a blank NYC NYCHHC HIPAA Authorization 2413 copy to type on ?
Yep, Scrivener is a great price for all it does. It's most useful for organizing your writing, and keeping related resources in one file. It's so much easier to jump around to different parts of your writing, which I find almost impossible to do in Word.
I am Linux fan for long time and just don't know about Windows and OneNote and so far.. Sure I did tried.. but expensive..
Scrivener seems promising and really like the approach. We have to keep in mind this tools aims to help in writing books.... Sure MS Word is dominant but the price is prohibitive, and the OpenSource is to leverage all potential at a affordable price..
great appsI tried the Windows version when it first came out and I must say it's the most beautiful writing program I've ever tried, and the organization style fit me the best. Problem was it was so slow and buggy I gave up on that. However, the trial has me convinved that it could be great once they ironed out the wrinkles. Hopefully the problems are fixed now. Maybe it's time for second chance.
Thank you for writing a very informative post. I'm going to go give it a try.
For writing fiction, I still use Liquid Story Binder. It has a much steeper learning curve than Scrivener, but if you put in the time, you find the features are much more rich. I won't take the time to try and sell all the features.
Three major downsides: (1) Windows only; (2) the interface is a bit archaic and sometimes buggy; and (3) there have been no updates since early 2011 (the developer seems to have abandoned it).
Those aside, I still prefer it over any other writing program.
I used to use LSB. It is a great program, but I test drove Scrivener for a while and found that I ended up setting up LSB to run just like Scrivener, so I jumped ship. I think it was the archaic interface you mentioned and the ability to export straight to word or pdf that were the final nails in its coffin for me.
After all the raves, I decided to try Scrivener. I went back to Word, which, despite your claim, is not a 'desktop layout application' (whatever that is) but a word processor.
The truth is, there is little if anything Scrivener does that Word does not, and with the addition of OneNote, Scrivener lags way behind. The truth is, as has been claimed for a long time, that people simply don't use the features already present in Word. One can learn to use Word and its advanced features, or one can learn to use Scrivener, but there's a learning curve either way. And in the end, Scrivener users tend to export to Word to polish the manuscript, meaning one needs both and adding a layer of needless complexity
For a start, learn to use Headings in Word to separate and organize parts of your manuscript, and use the Document Map to navigate - you certainly don't have to scroll through long documents. In Word 2010, you can drag and drop to move Headings and all their associated text. Opening a second window on the same document also allows you to work on more than one part of a document at once. Full screen reading can be used to edit, and can be customized to your liking.
Also, almost all of this can also be achieved in LibreOffice, which is free.
Scrivener made a mess importing my work in progress and I found it's 'features' cumbersome, poorly implemented and unreliable (buggy). I realize many people like it, but many of its supposed innovations have existed in word for years. And if you happen to actually be a professional writer, you will have to use Word with your editor anyway.
@Michel If you run on MAC you don't get the option of OneNote.
So your point on that is only good if you are a windows user.
I've always found Word to be slow and clunky. The thing about Scrivener is that it takes the simpler elements of OneNote and Word and combines them for an easier experience for writers. Granted, I work with code and run servers and I generally prefer the simplicity of plain text, but Scrivener has made an easy and usable package. As much as people love switching open tabs and changing between two open programs, such as OneNote and Word, most writers prefer to focus on their writing and not wrangling various open windows.
No matter what kind of outliner software we use, most of us will be back to Word/Libre Writer/the like, but those softwares are not good for drafting. Scrivener kinds of softwares ease us in gathering the research materials, shuffling around paragraphs, making notes as we go, things like that. That way, we don't have to think about formatting and other things that might distract us from the content of our writings until everything's ready.
But you don't HAVE to think of formatting in word until you're ready - except for using headings to divide 'snippets' (as I think Scrivener calls them). So you either have to intentionally create a new snippet, or intentionally create a heading. The point is, as others have pointed out, all scrivener does is what can already be achieved in Office. Learn one or learn the other. The advantage of sticking with Word is, many people already have it, and you're going to have to use it in the end anyway. Sure, some people will prefer Scrivener and that's great. For me, it offers no advantages, requires learning a new package, costs extra money - and has far, far, fewer features.
To each their own, I guess. I still scribble my notes and drafts in my notebooks (real paper notebooks) until I'm ready to type them. I think it's good that you already define your personal system and stick with it. Some things work better for some but not the others and you seem like you have a solid workflow to follow.
At the end, what matters is our productivity.
Can just say: Agree. It is a great program
Best Mac Apps For Writers
Dedicated Writing Apps
What constitutes the best app for writers depends on their process, genre, and conditions in which they are most productive. Additionally, it depends on what they intend to do with the finished work: publish it online, send it to an agent, or shoot a film. There is no single best app for all writers, but there are plenty of excellent writing apps that cater to different needs, work styles, and genres.
Priced for the Starving Artist (Mostly)
Apps for writers tend to be less expensive than other kinds of software. Many sell for a one-time fee, although a few require a subscription. The least expensive writing apps cost only around $10. Final Draft, one of the most expensive writing apps, costs $249.99, but even that is a one-time fee, meaning you pay once and own the software for life. Ulysses used to sell for a standalone fee but recently moved to a subscription model, now costing $39.99 per year. If you own an older copy of Ulysses, it's still yours to keep and use, but you won't receive any updates.
When an idea strikes, many writers want to be able to jot it down or immediately add it to an ongoing project. To do that, they likely need a companion mobile app to go along with their desktop software. Support for mobile apps isn't particularly strong in the writing category. A few companies that make software for writers offer iOS apps, but it's rare to find anything for Android. Additionally, mobile writing apps typically cost a good deal more than what people are used to paying for an app. Scrivener for iPhone and iPad, for example, runs $19.99. Storyist's iOS app is $14.99. To get over this price hurdle, I recommend thinking about the combined cost of the mobile and desktop software together and considering it a bundled purchase.
What's the Best Screenwriting Software?
As a genre, screenwriting has unique requirements. Scripts for movies, television, and the stage must make clear the difference between direction, setting descriptions, spoken dialogue, and so forth. This allows all the people involved in creating the final product—actors, film crew, editors, and directors—to do their jobs. As a result, the formatting for screenwriting is exceedingly precise. A few writing apps cater specifically to professional screenwriters. Final Draft is one, and it continues to be an industry standard. If you're actively employed in film or television, you might already own a copy. When you purchase Final Draft, you can use the app on two computers, and it's compatible with both Windows and macOS.
Another app that specifically handles scripts is Adobe Story. The app costs $9.99 per month, but it's also available to anyone who has an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. Story is unusual because it's not just writing software. It also lets you make notes about the actual production of a script. For example, you can write a detailed description of shots you want to see or provide information about shooting locations. The app can generate a production schedule based on all the metadata associated with each scene. Adobe Story is also compatible with Adobe Premiere, so after the footage has been shot, you can pipe in the script to run alongside the video, helping the editors do their job, too.
Alternatives to Microsoft Word
Why would a writer use a dedicated writing app instead of Microsoft Word (or Google Docs, Apple Pages, or any other typical word processor)? There's no reason you can't use any of those apps, but they don't have many of the special features you get from apps that are specific to writers.
Fiction writers, book authors, and screenplay writers often change the order or scenes, sections, and chapters. That's easy to do when an app is designed specifically with professional long-form writers in mind. With the right drag-and-drop tools, you can quickly and easily reorganize your files. It also helps if footnotes and endnotes renumber accordingly, when you move parts around.
Another feature that office apps typically don't have is a writing target. It's common for professional writers to strive to meet a daily word or page count goal. So while Word, Google Docs, and Pages all have word count features, they don't have the same options for setting and tracking goals over time.
Some writers need to keep exhaustive notes regarding plot points and characters, and possibly even visual references, such as an image of a shoot location or faces that inspire characters. The best writers' apps include tools that make it easy to see reference material and notes whenever the writer needs, and then get back to writing quickly.
Finally, the word processors in suites are generally heavy-duty apps that can do everything from formatting and footnoting to headers, footers, and special pagination. That's handy for many kinds of business and academic writing, but for the average creative writer, all this may just be a major distraction.
What's the Best Distraction-Free Writing App?
Writers who find themselves in the less-is-more camp will want a writing app that strips away anything that could possibly be the least little bit distracting. Distraction-free writing apps are a dime a dozen; the trick is to find one that also offers the tools you need when you need them. The best distraction-free writing apps hide the tools you need until the appropriate time, rather than omitting them altogether.
Best Writing App For Macbook Air
With that criterion in mind, Ulysses is my favorite distraction-free writing app, and a PCMag Editors' Choice. A well-designed interface makes Ulysses easy to use and easy on the eyes. It has good tutorials and help menus for newcomers, including a cheat sheet for Markdown language. Markdown is a very lightweight set of codes that can be used instead of the rich formatting options that are common in word processors. If you've ever typed asterisks (*) around a word in a chat app to make it bold, that's similar to Markdown. It's very simple, and takes no time at all to learn, especially when you have a cheat sheet to guide you.
The idea behind Markdown is that you can apply basic formatting, like marking titles and subtitles, bold and italic text, without moving your fingers from the keyboard. It's also less distracting than having a panel with 50 alluring typefaces that you're dying to try. Ulysses is only available for Mac and iOS. Windows users might also try yWriter.
Note that we have reviewed Focused (for Mac), but it didn't score well enough to make this top-ten list. If you're curious why, please feel free to read the review.
What Are the Best Writing Apps for Novelists?
Book authors spend a lot of their time simply organizing their manuscript. Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, the work doesn't always shape up as the author originally intended. Chapters sometimes move. Stories aren't always told in a linear fashion. And scenes sometimes become more effective when their order changes.
To facilitate the shaping of a story in this way, you need a library, or a pane within the writing app showing file folders and their organization. Not all writing apps have one, as you can see from the chart above.
Writing for Medium, WordPress Blogs, and More
Best Novel Writing Software For Mac
Book authors and screenwriters aren't the only types of writers, of course. Many writers create shorter pieces that they publish online directly, without ever passing through the hands of an agent, publisher, or movie producer. If you're publishing on Medium or WordPress, it sure is handy to have a writing app that can export each piece directly to your platform of choice.
Ulysses and iA Writer both have integration options for those two platforms. Like Ulysses, iA Writer is a distraction-free writing app, but it's much more pared down. It has some neat functions, such as text transclusion, that can be fun to learn for people who think more like programmers than traditional writers. Text transclusion allows you to create a final document of many smaller pieces by, essentially, giving commands about which files to pull together and in what order. 'First display the introduction. Next add an image. Then include my argument. Finally, show my author bio.' The text of your document could be all of four sentences long, but it might whip together a piece that, when exported, is 25 pages.
Your Writing, Your Choice
Best Writing App For Mac And Ipad
Every writer has unique needs and desires. Do you need an app that works on both Windows and macOS? Is learning a new way to format text a deal-breaker? Does your final submission need to meet industry standards the way screenplays and teleplays do? The range of software dedicated to writers is impressive. If nothing tickles your fancy from the full reviews linked below, you should also read our short synopses of many other apps for writers, as well. Finally, if you decide that a dedicated writing tool just isn't for you, and you'd rather just use a plain old word processor, we've rounded up the top office suites, too.
Featured Writing App Reviews:
Final Draft Review
MSRP: $249.00Pros: Well tailored for screenwriters. Powerful tools for both writing scenes and crafting the larger story. Plenty of view options. Offers a variety of templates. Collaboration supported.
Cons: Collaborative editing restricted to one person at a time. Inadequate default auto-save and revision history.
Bottom Line: Final Draft is the software you need if you are in the screenwriting business or aspire to be. It has all the tools you need to get the script right, both from a story perspective and a technical one.
Read ReviewScrivener Review
MSRP: $45.00Pros: Excellent tools for organizing writing. Ample collection of templates. Competitive price. Multiple installs allowed. Also available for Windows and iOS.
Cons: No web app. No native collaboration features.
Bottom Line: Built with writers in mind, Scrivener 3 has everything you need to research, compose, organize, edit, and finish a piece of writing, all for a ridiculously reasonable price.
Read ReviewUlysses (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Beautiful and clean interface. Excellent selection of distraction-free modes. Flexible. Tracks writing goals. Filters help organize content. Can publish directly to WordPress.
Cons: Now sold as subscription. Requires some learning, especially for those unfamiliar with Markdown. No audio file uploads.
Bottom Line: Ulysses is the most elegant distraction-free writing app for Mac. It's ideal for writers who prefer a minimal interface and total flexibility, rather than a lot of structure and hand-holding.
Read ReviewAdobe Story CC Review
MSRP: $9.99Pros: Screenwriting and preproduction in one app. Generates shooting schedules. Feature rich. Collaboration features.
Cons: No mobile apps or desktop apps; online only. Monthly subscription makes it expensive over the long run.
Bottom Line: Screenwriters who not only write but also direct and produce their own work won't find a better outlet for their creativity than Adobe Story.
Read ReviewScript Studio (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $199.95Pros: Excellent feature set. Helpful sample scripts included. Attractive and organized interface. Also available for Windows.
Cons: Expensive. No mobile apps. Some crashes in testing.
Bottom Line: With a professional interface and wealth of tools, Script Studio is among the best writing apps you'll find. Its high price may dissuade some from trying it, though.
Read ReviewStoryist (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $59.99Pros: Very good templates for scripts. Clean, clear interface. Includes tools for storyboarding, outlining, character sheets. Supports importing and exporting many formats.
Cons: No collaboration features. Mediocre auto-save functionality.
Bottom Line: Storyist packs the power of a full word processor into an app for writers. If you don't get distracted by having too many features, it's an excellent Mac app.
Read ReviewiA Writer (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $19.99Pros: Inexpensive. Uses distraction-free style with Markdown language. Offers transclusion method for embedding images, tables, and so on. Can export directly to Medium and WordPress.
Cons: Few tools for organizing and arranging files. No templates for genres. Not ideal for code-phobic writers.
Bottom Line: Taking minimalism to the extreme, iA Writer might be the writing app with the fewest built-in distractions, and it's inexpensive, too. But this Mac app is also BYOE: bring your own everything.
Read ReviewyWriter Review
MSRP: $0.00Pros: Good structure. Rich tools for story and character development. Plentiful stats. Free.
Cons: No Mac app or mobile apps. Doesn't include screenwriting tools or templates. Support for third-party backup options could be more apparent.
Bottom Line: The free writing app yWriter has a stats-heavy, technical feel to it, which is great for writers who crave organization and data about their work.
Read ReviewByword (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $11.99Pros: Distraction-free writing app with support for Markdown language.Supports direct publishing to popular online sites. Good export options. Inexpensive.
Cons: No library or tools for reference materials. Not ideal for long-form writers. Lacks templates. Solutions to common technical problems require macOS Terminal.
Bottom Line: Byword, an inexpensive writing app for Mac and iOS, publishes your work directly to Medium, WordPress, and other platforms. It's not ideal for long-form writers, however.
Read ReviewWriteRoom (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $9.99Pros: Distraction-free, lightweight Mac app for writing. Inexpensive. Some neat view options.
Cons: Does not support Markdown formatting. No mobile apps. Lacks a library view/folder structure. No preview before PDF export. No collaboration features.
Bottom Line: WriteRoom is an inexpensive Mac writing app with a less-is-more approach that helps you focus on your words. It's too bare-bones for book projects or screenplays, but, for shorter works, it can get the job done.
Read Review