#focuswriter

[the960writers]

Alternatives to google docs

For various reasons, this is now a hot topic. I'm putting my favorites here, please add more in your reblogs. I'm not pointing to Microsoft Word because I hate it.

Local on your computer:

1.

LibreOffice (https://www.libreoffice.org/), Win, Linux, Mac.

Looks like early 2000 Word, works great, imports and exports all formats. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

2.

FocusWriter (https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/) Win, Linux.

Super customizable to make it look pretty, all toolbars hide to be as non-distracting as possible. Can make typewriter sounds as you type, and you can set daily wordcount goals. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

3.

Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview) Win, Mac, iOS

The lovechild of so many writers. Too many things to fiddle with for me, but I'm sure someone else can sing its praises. You can put the database folder into a Dropbox folder for cloud saving (but make sure to always close the program before shutting down).

Web-based:

4.

Reedsy bookeditor (https://reedsy.com/write-a-book) Browser based, works on Firefox on Android. Be aware that they also have a TOS that forbids pornography on publicly shared documents.

My current writing program. Just enough features to be helpful, not so many that I start fiddling. Writing is chapter based, exports to docx, epub, pdf. You can share chapters (for beta reading) with other people registered at Reedsy.

5.

Novelpad (https://novelpad.co/) Browser based.

Looks very promising, there's a youtuber with really informative videos about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHN8TnwjG1g). I wanted to love it, but the editor didn't work on Firefox on my phone. It might now, but I'm reluctant to switch again.

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So, this is my list. Please add more suggestions in reblogs.

[aquilacalvitium]

hello! i saw in one of your reblogs that you use focuswriter to write and i would like it if you would elaborate a bit on how it looks and what are its functions, maybe even something that happened.

i saw that you can change the background and set a word goal, which is very helpful, but i would like a bit more than that if you would feel comfortable doing so. the experience of someone who already uses a program or app that i want to download is invaluable to me.

of course! feel free to respond to this as you see fit. there is no pressure to answer this ☆

Oh I would LOVE to talk about FocusWriter! My personal opinion is that every writer would benefit from using it.

So! It is entirely free to download, includes no purchases whatsoever and hardly takes up any space. It gets running quickly and throws you right back into whatever you had open last at the exact point where you left it.

Now, it does not have any instructions so a first-time user will have to figure things out on the fly. Luckily! I'm here to help!

Now, this is what the program looks like upon being opened. Minus all the text - that's my fanfic I'm working on right now.

Moving your mouse to the very top, very bottom and very left of the screen will show you a few toolbars. The top toolbar includes all of your generic options like file, edit, settings, etc. (also has a very nifty find and replace option). The bottom toolbar lets you change between documents - yes you can have many documents open at a time and I personally am yet to find a limit. And on the far left, you will see a tab which you can use to navigate the document you are currently on.

In order to navigate, you will need to put a double hashtag [##] at the necessary points such as between chapters. This will differentiate the paragraphs and allow them to show up in the navigation bar.

Now, my personal favourite feature, the themes!

You can change SO MUCH and then save all of said changes in a template to switch back and forth between whenever you want! I like to stick with a generic grey background with large black text, but with just a few clicks...

I suddenly have a new wallpaper! I could also change the font and the background of the text and the colour of anything I want. Although, I did have to put these images together in a picture editing software before being able to use it as a wallpaper - FocusWriter will let you use any pre-saved image on your computer but will not let you scrapbook something together out of multiple images. You'll need to use something else for that.

This feature is PERFECT for getting into the right zone. I've made custom backgrounds for most of my fanfictions, and intend on making one for my original novel to help me write that.

In the bottom toolbar you will also see a wordcount and a daily word goal which can be adjusted in the settings.

The whole point of FocusWriter is to keep you Focused on your Writing. It's just you and the words! But it's easy to minimise or close out of when necessary. To minimise, I personally hit the windows key which brings up my regular desktop toolbar.

And to close the program, you just need to tap the windows and Q keys together. And when you open it again, as I said before, you will be exactly where you left off.

And yes, all documents created and saved in FocusWriter are saved as Word documents. This means that you can open anything made on this program in Word and vice versa. Which has definitely saved my writing a time or two, let me tell you.

I've been using FocusWriter for around seven years now, probably even longer, and I have no intention of stopping any time soon.

You can download it here!

I hope you find it as useful as I do. Happy writing!

[ink-asunder]

God FocusWriter is so FUCKING underrated.

It's 100% free always and forever. No ads, no popups, no updates. You just download it and you can work on it immediately.

It has a full screen mode that blocks out your task bar, so you can't get distracted by other apps.

It has in-program typewriter sounds, but I feel like I type too fast for it to be effective.

It has customizable daily goals with a blue star calendar, so it has a built-in reward system.

It's one of the only "zen"/no distractions word processors that stayed free and survived the jump to windows 11.

You can customize how the word processor looks, all the way down to background image, page size color and opacity, fonts, and font color as THEMES. So if you're in dark mode you have a preloaded theme for that. And if you're in silly mode you can switch up the background, fo t, and colors with 2 clicks instead of re-configuring all the settings.

It's the only free processor I've found that actually lets you turn spellcheck and grammar check OFF. And it STAYS off. It never "bugs out" to whinge about your dialectal narrative style like SOME word processors.

You can't format a document in FW, meaning you can't control the font/size on a printout, but you can still bold, italicize, justify, etc. It's great for just sitting down and writing the meat of the story, which is why I've been able to write 200,000k+words a year since I was 15.

Get FocusWriter. Try FocusWriter. You wanna try FocusWriter so bad.

[coisasquetefazemsuspirar]

WriteRush is amazing!

I’m in love with WriteRush.

Every time you type, the screen fills with confetti. It's a great app and so beautiful. Give the author a chance, he is indie and very kind, always responding quickly to any question or suggestion.

Please download, review and support this app!

[moonlitdiane]

anyways here's my macintosh focuswriter theme. no more ugly themes. go crazy with it.

ignore the small green dot in the screenshot that's my prowritingaid.

──★ ˙🍓 ̟ !! DOWNLOAD HERE.

[hopefulqueer]

writing paralysis.

[simmonsized]

I have to know, what font do you usually write in

FOIJSFO:IJE:J:AO

this is such a funny question to me, i don't know why but i??? i mean it's not that big of a deal but,

okay, I do NOT want to hear it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT!!! when i write on my computer, i use comic sans LOL aka, The ADHD-haver font! i can't guarantee it'll work for you but it genuinely does help me when i'm trying to focus and work on shit on a big screen!

on my phone, which is where i do most of my "drafting" and other nonsense, my notes app just calls it "default" with absolutely NO indication of what it is. if i had to guess, i would say maybe calibri or just a generic sans serif font??? it does not say. i have no idea.

so! yes, these are my two main fontus operandi

[antirepurp]

a monstrous existence: im forced to write on google docs

[jinxpologist]

what happens when i open my .txt file program is truly between me and G-d

[soursherbat]

still thinking abt the time someone asked me why i write my fanfics in the fallout terminal

[shodansbabygirl]

if i drink more tea surely more words will come out of my me and i do not need to sleep before i continue

[novella-november]

Free Resources for Writers Masterpost

created October 10th 2024.

Will update every now and then, so click on the original/source post to see any updates that may be added in the future!

Free writing programs (offline):

LibreOffice, Free and Open Source.

FocusWriter, Free and Open Source (?)

Free Writing programs (Online; cross-platform)

4TheWords, (free tier with paid upgrades available) Tracks your daily word count and rewards for daily streaks. 10/10 recommend!

Google docs (Free, requires Google Account.)

Community Writing hubs:

4TheWords (I'm fairly certain the multiplayer option includes this)

Ohwrite - Word Springs with friends.

Online Goal Trackers:

Trackbear word goal tracker

Pacemaker goal planner

Of all of the above links, my absolute champion here is Libreoffice for pure functionality, and for fun and writing goals, 4TheWords!

It is like google docs in that you are writing on an online platform that autosaves your work (don't forget to give it a few seconds to save changes before clicking away from it), but it also means you can write on your desktop or mobile phone while on the go;

it keeps track of your words written for the day, keeps track of daily writing streaks, and makes it easy and fun to stay focused on completing word goals of various levels in one sitting, by "battling" monsters that have different word goals in a time limit.

once you reach that word goal, you've successfully defeated the monster, and earn loot to level up your character if you're interested in the RPG aspect of the site, otherwise, you can use it to simply write and keep to small, steady goals!

[androdragynous]

it's almost november. it's writing time. here is a small list of resources about it

posting original writing and don't know where to do it? don't want to link people to a Gdoc but also don't want to use a fandom writing platform? try a neocities site (here's a starter guide!) with zonelets to share whatever you want on your own site!

need an alternative to gdocs with online sharing / editing between devices? I'll admit I haven't tried it but I've heard LibreOffice recommended!

current word processor not working for you?

need a maximized sensory feedback experience? StimuWrite 2 is a free text editor that includes word count goals, social media type feedback emojis, background audio, typing audio, and video backgrounds. There are also sticky note and timer programs available to go with it!

need absolutely minimal feedback? FocusWriter is an older, free program that is just text on a background, no bells or whistles.

buzzdraft is a free text editor that has keyboard audio and word count features, as well as a pressure timer to remind you to keep writing if your activity pauses for too long

WriteRush is a free text editor that has a browser version

FlowWriter is a free text editor for focusing, but I haven't downloaded this one yet

want to try other add ons?

sound typist is a paid program plays different keyboard sounds when you type

rackety is a free program that plays typewriter noises when you type

4dkeys is another free keyboard sound program with multiple options!

itch.io really just has a lot of free tools available and even more paid ones

and also I just really like supporting people's original stuff so if you're a writer and want to hang out in a creative space. or just want to hang out and not do anything at all. here's myyyyyy discord server:

invite link. I hid it under the break so I could edit later sorry

[rapidhighway]

re your recent posts- im p sure you said it already somewhere but what writing thing do you use? it sounds like it could help me lol!! thy have a good night

I use focus writer! It's my favorite writing software, I've been using it for years. Love it mostly for the fully customizable theme and daily goals and such. And it's free

[writingquestionsanswered]

this might be a basic question you answer too frequently, but what is a good offline word processor? or one you would recommend? using 'notepad' at the moment and it is... basic.

Good Offline Word Processors

I use Microsoft Word. LibreOffice is an open source version. FocusWriter, Scrivener, and OmmWriter are options.

Keep an eye on the comments in case anyone has other recommendations. :)

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[antirepurp]

i have got to get a writing program that lets me format the document im sick of copying over my text to google docs to delete the empty lines i add in focuswriter out of habit