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On writing processors
Feb. 25th, 2026 10:28 amI'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.
