On writing processors
Feb. 25th, 2026 10:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
witchpoetdreamerI'm giving Obsidian another go. It's going to be my third try, but if Dreamwidth is anything to go by, seems like the minimum amounts of tries I need to give something I'm interested in before it sticks, especially if it has a learning curve to it (I am not the most patient of people but I'm learning to be). I first was a Google Docs girlie, but, well, I've become somewhat of a hater of Google for the past years or so (the only places I still use it is for two of my emails and my Youtube account, the latter of which I put the most blocking of unnecessary ads and sponsorships I could find). Since then, I've used Ellipsus, which I really love, Proton Mail (I'm not really convinced about that one honestly, hence the keeping of my gmails for now), and, unrelated to that, but I've also installed Linux on my old tower PC that couldn't stand the bloatware of Windows (at least the fan doesn't whirl loudly 2 minutes in, in doesn't whirl loudly at all actually! Although the PC is still pretty slow so I have to figure that out). I still use Windows on my laptop (that I got as replacement for the tower PC before I figured out I could change to Linux -- I do love my laptop though), and I plan to keep it that way for now (I disabled most of the things I hated about Windows so far anyway, at least as much as I could get away with without bricking my laptop).
But back to writing processors. I've been wanting to have something that is just in my own computer/that can be used completely offline. I've got LibreOffice for all kinds of documents that need to open on the Microsoft Office suite, but that's not my favourite to write with. I tried Scrivener when I got it 50% off after a Nanowrimo, and it was fun for a while but it feels like a waste of time for the most part, at least for how I write. I tried Quoll Writer, which is pretty much the same thing as Scrivener but for free and it works well on Linux. I still use it sometimes, but again, not my favourite kind of writing software. Editing software, sure, let's go! But writing, no. Doesn't mesh well with my brain.
I have on and off phases with typewriters as well. I own two, one that I tinkered with to bring it back to life, the other that I got in an amazing condition right off the bat. I like the one I tinkered with better though, if I'm honest. It's missing a non essential part that makes it so the bell doesn't ring at the end of the line, but the keys are much smoother to hit so I can write for longer on it. They both bring me joy in their own ways though. I should probably name them actually. And eventually, display them (for now I keep them safe in their boxes and only pull them out as needed).
I also got an AlphaSmart 3000 from ebay. That one is really fun but the keys are all so sticky, I just need to gather the courage to solder in the new mechanical keyboard I got for it and it'll be fine. But ya, soldering. That thing scares me a bit because I know the fumes can get bad and I don't really have a space to properly do it at. I do want to do it sometimes before summer though cause I'll be moving somewhere in June/July and I would love to have it perfectly working before then.
So ya, back to Obsidian. It's not a complicated processor, or at least not too complicated. At first, the lack of choice of font bothered me, but I discovered that I can just change the theme for it. I went with the typewriter theme (pretty on brand for me XD), and could from there change the font the one I've been writing the most in lately: a coding mono font. I can't remember the exact name of it though, but if you post here and write in the HTML formatting rather than the rich text, that's the font. I knew some writers like to use a different font than typical Arial or Times New Roman when they write (something about loosening the need to be perfect from the get go), and I knew some of them use fonts like Comic Sans or even Wingding to trick themselves into writing, but hey, this coding font seems to work for me and I'm here for it. I think since joining here it's the first time I wrote that often (practically daily) in a LONG time. Even in my paper diary, I've been writing every day too (might have to do with the new gel pens I got too, seems like I'm winning with the choice of tools this year).
Moral of the story: it might take a while to find the good tools, but once they are found, they stick. And also, it pays to give tools another try and learn to be patient with them rather than dismiss them right away because they're not immediately understood.
But back to writing processors. I've been wanting to have something that is just in my own computer/that can be used completely offline. I've got LibreOffice for all kinds of documents that need to open on the Microsoft Office suite, but that's not my favourite to write with. I tried Scrivener when I got it 50% off after a Nanowrimo, and it was fun for a while but it feels like a waste of time for the most part, at least for how I write. I tried Quoll Writer, which is pretty much the same thing as Scrivener but for free and it works well on Linux. I still use it sometimes, but again, not my favourite kind of writing software. Editing software, sure, let's go! But writing, no. Doesn't mesh well with my brain.
I have on and off phases with typewriters as well. I own two, one that I tinkered with to bring it back to life, the other that I got in an amazing condition right off the bat. I like the one I tinkered with better though, if I'm honest. It's missing a non essential part that makes it so the bell doesn't ring at the end of the line, but the keys are much smoother to hit so I can write for longer on it. They both bring me joy in their own ways though. I should probably name them actually. And eventually, display them (for now I keep them safe in their boxes and only pull them out as needed).
I also got an AlphaSmart 3000 from ebay. That one is really fun but the keys are all so sticky, I just need to gather the courage to solder in the new mechanical keyboard I got for it and it'll be fine. But ya, soldering. That thing scares me a bit because I know the fumes can get bad and I don't really have a space to properly do it at. I do want to do it sometimes before summer though cause I'll be moving somewhere in June/July and I would love to have it perfectly working before then.
So ya, back to Obsidian. It's not a complicated processor, or at least not too complicated. At first, the lack of choice of font bothered me, but I discovered that I can just change the theme for it. I went with the typewriter theme (pretty on brand for me XD), and could from there change the font the one I've been writing the most in lately: a coding mono font. I can't remember the exact name of it though, but if you post here and write in the HTML formatting rather than the rich text, that's the font. I knew some writers like to use a different font than typical Arial or Times New Roman when they write (something about loosening the need to be perfect from the get go), and I knew some of them use fonts like Comic Sans or even Wingding to trick themselves into writing, but hey, this coding font seems to work for me and I'm here for it. I think since joining here it's the first time I wrote that often (practically daily) in a LONG time. Even in my paper diary, I've been writing every day too (might have to do with the new gel pens I got too, seems like I'm winning with the choice of tools this year).
Moral of the story: it might take a while to find the good tools, but once they are found, they stick. And also, it pays to give tools another try and learn to be patient with them rather than dismiss them right away because they're not immediately understood.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-25 11:58 pm (UTC)However, because I am working with a publisher (for my books) I have learned to write in the program that will give me the manuscript as they require it. It's just easier. I don't have to convert it when it's finished to Word, which is always a massive pain in the ass because Microsoft never easily accepts a document in rich text for conversion.
And I honestly just don't want to spend the time dealing with that.
I do also have things I love about some keyboards and hate with a burning passion. I'm not at all happy with the new Dell keyboard. They put the damn calculator on the right hand side of the keyboard, so to get your hands in the correct place to type (yes, I fucking learned to type - not keyboard or whatever people call it these days). This annoys the shit out of me, but I am a beggar and therefore cannot be a chooser.
If I had the money and an actual desk I would buy an external keyboard like the one I have at work. I love it.
But since I write on a tv table, an external keyboard is not going to work. (sigh)
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Date: 2026-02-26 05:07 am (UTC)It's good to know that publishers work with specific programs, I never heard about that (not that I ever wondered about it so it's not something I would ever ask about XD). Whatever's most effective works best honestly!
I also learnt how to type, we called it that too when learning on computers, but I didn't learn touch type on a typewriter (my current typing is close enough though!). It really sucks that your keyboard isn't up to your needs though, hoping the next one when it's time will be better suited to you! (Also love the detail that you write on a tv table, even if it's not a big desk, you still manage to get your writing done! The way I see it, it's like... I've seen way too many aesthetic mood boards of what a writer should look like/aspire to, and it feels really nice to have this image of the reality of things rather than an aesthetic ideal, if that makes sense. Aesthetics are sucking all the real life joy of the world at this point I swear XD)
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Date: 2026-02-26 08:13 pm (UTC)I have worked on books at a tv table with a baseball game on in the background, or Pat playing music that our neighbors can hear. I'm drinking water and have a shitload of tabs open behind the manuscript so I can check road numbers, weather, medical facts, words I can't remember how to spell, and probably 10 or 12 more.
My water sits in a gatoraid bottle in the chair next to me.
(I got asked by a little girl in the rock gym recently why I had a Gatoraid bottle full of water. I told her that I had a bad habit of forgetting my water bottles, so I used Gatoraid bottles because then it didn't matter if I forgot them.)
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Date: 2026-02-27 06:10 pm (UTC)Also, love that you know you tend to lose your water bottles so you just remedied it with the easiest of solution!
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Date: 2026-02-27 09:46 pm (UTC)I did not know that youtube had coffeeshop noises. I've only ever used it to listen to music videos on repeat. (grin)
Yes, Gatoraid bottles were a very easy solution!
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Date: 2026-02-28 05:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-26 04:48 am (UTC)I can also relate to trying out different writing software. I've tried many of those you listed, and it just didn't work for me either. I also wanted to move away from Google and have something stored more locally and in a more universal file format too, and somehow (I can't recall when/how), I stumbled on Obsidian. I was likely just browsing best free mac writing apps or something similar.
I agree it takes some time to figure out how you want to set up your Vault, and to get comfortable with the formatting (I for one can't stand how the headings are formatted so I had to change that), as well as exploring the overall functionalities and plugins.
I feel like I have found my match. I've disabled the spell check and just having one window open with the side bars hidden, really helps my focus when I want to work on writing something that requires a lot of focus. I think the transition also worked well since I could stick with the folder structure I already had set up on both Google and locally (only making slight improvements), and since I didn't have any grand project going on, I didn't feel rushed to figure everything out at once either (becuase I too, can be very impatient. Especially if I know what I want to do, but not how to do it). The only things I will keep on Google for now are a few spreadssheets that I cannot replicate in Obsidian or files that are shared/collaborative. I hope to eventually figure out how to do that offline as well.
I mainly use Obsidian to organize my fanworks (drawing & writing), but also for writing journal entries for Dreamwidth and drafts for Tumblr, or just general thoughts that I somehow feel won't fit in my Bullet Journal. It's also a kind of use it as a digital scrapbook.
Speaking of typewriters, I found this lovely app for my mac called JazzUp which adds sound effects to your typing (including a big and small typewriter). It adds a very nice vibe! I think it has a little bit of that effect of using a fancy/different font when writing.
I'm crossing my fingers that third time's the charm for you with Obsidian!
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Date: 2026-02-26 04:58 am (UTC)If you want collaborative google docs type, ellipsus does just that! If you can get your collaborators to get on board, it's going to be pretty much seamless! (they don't have anything other than writing though, so no luck there XD)
Quollwriter also has the typewriter sound (although you can replace it with plenty others, at one point I tried super mario jumps and wahoos XD) Oh! I've also tried Zenwriter at one point that also has a ton of sound effects as well as background ambient music and it's full screen too the moment you open it. It's a paid one though (just one time), and obviously it didn't really work for me since I forgot about it at this point XD
I'll let you know how it goes with Obsidian!
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Date: 2026-02-26 05:39 am (UTC)They will show up the same way as notes do in your navigation sidebar (but with a file extension to the right). If you click on it, it will preview the image in the reading window. You can also embed supported files into your notes. For images you have three options. You can add images as links to sources online (they do not get added to your Vault), or as a markdown link when the image already exists within your Vault, and last you can also paste from your clipboard directly into a note (and in that case it's usually saved in your top Vault folder - unless you changed it in the settings).
I love the Obsidian help page and it also has a section on what kind of file-formats are supported. But sometimes, I don't fully understand what they mean... Oh, and here's a list on how to embed images.
Anything Obsidian related will have me yapping 🙃
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Date: 2026-02-26 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-26 07:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-27 05:51 pm (UTC)Ellipsus doesn't have an app but you can easily "make" one by putting the website from your browser app onto your home screen (Ellipsus have the infos on how to on their blog I think?). Otherwise, keeping things in your computer, on a usb stick (or other external memory) AND somewhere on a trustworthy cloud storage (not always easy to find, but they are out there) is the best way to go rather than putting all of your eggs in the same basket. Redundancy feels like a bit too much but I can guarantee you it's the only way to make sure nothing online disappears forever.
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Date: 2026-02-27 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-27 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-03-01 03:29 pm (UTC)(I tried Notion a year or two back but it wasn't for me, idk it felt like too much somehow?)
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Date: 2026-02-26 05:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-26 06:53 pm (UTC)No matter what you use, I think it's always a good idea to decentralize what you use online so it's not all under the same banner (that is actively doing fucked up shit) or within the same billionaire social circle (that is also actively doing fucked up shit). Let me know what you think of Cryptpad if you ever decide to fully go with them!