For years as a curious nerd with an affinity for computers I have hopped from one writing platform to another.
In my early years, those included word processors including Microsoft Word, Nisus Writer (the classic version for MacOS 9 and earlier), ClarisWorks (same, obviously), and others. At some point, probably around the time I discoverd Markdown, my paradigm shifted from WYSIWYG to text editors. Those included BBEdit, Sublime Text on macOS and dabbling in Ulysses, Byword, and AI Writer for their cross-platform compatibility with macOS and iOS. Some software like Scrivener fit in between.
For my own sanity at age 50, I need to put stake in the ground.
BBEdit is my text editor of choice and that is where I will write. I don’t use word processors at all unless I have specific formatting needs for print and that is rarely the case. I enjoy Ulysses for it’s syncing across my Mac and iPhone, that rarely comes into play and I don’t like how it hides Markdown (which is designed to be easy to read in plain text). I also have a heretofore unmentioned intermediary app that is also cross-platform and more useful. That app is Drafts.
Drafts not only syncs across macOS and iOS, but offers dictation from watchOS, making any idea ready to be accepted by typing or speaking to any of the platforms I enjoy.
For the record:
- I will continue to use MarsEdit to manage my posts to WordPress because it’s awesome (also available via Setapp). If you like what you see at Setapp, which provides access to more than 100 great Mac apps, please sign up using this affiliate link to help me keep running this site.
- LaTeX (particularly MacTeX) still has a place in my heart if not my current publication medium.