brettworks

• iA Writer. For everyday writing I use iA Writer, an app for Mac OS and iOS. The app is quite expensive, and you need to purchase one version for the phone and another for the computer, but it’s well worth it. iA Writer looks pleasingly minimal and cloud syncs perfectly across devices, so if you start a file on your phone (as I always do) it’s instantly waiting for you on the computer, and vice versa. The developers seem to be updating the app all the time, which is always a good sign.

• Scrivener. For long form writing I use Scrivener. Its Binder organization allows you to organize all of your materials, write in sections, and then move those sections around. The Binder also has a Research area into which you can drag in anything you may need for your book (PDF articles, photos, etc.). This software’s flexibility has shaped how I understand large writing projects as incorporating a plethora of materials while also being modular in structure. In other words, Scrivener helps me see a project from 30,000 feet. Also, the full screen writing mode (with adjustable paragraph width) is awesome.

• Pocket. Pocket is a free app for OS and iOS for saving anything from the web. Install the Save to Pocket browser extension so you’re always one click away from saving a link. I have thousands of things saved, all of them searchable by keyword. Pocket has impacted my everyday reading by encouraging me to be more discerning the moment I encounter a piece. If something looks interesting I save it immediately, then go back later to get into the interestingness. (Now the only problem is remembering to go back later.)

• Zotero. Zotero is a free annotation app for OS and iOS. Like Pocket, there’s a browser extension that allows one-click saving of online articles. But what’s really great about the app is that you can drag your saved citations directly from the Zotero window into say, a footnote in Scrivener, and voila–the citation is perfectly formatted (and formatting defaults can be changed to any style).