Why would you want to go out and buy another program just for writing? You already have a perfectly good editor in TextEdit. You probably have a copy of Microsoft Word or Appleworks, both of which have perfectly good word processors. Honestly, almost every program written can do some sort of text editing. If you had to you could write a novel in Photoshop or Dreamweaver. And just 20 years ago most people would have been happy for the opportunity.

Yet, I just plopped down $30 for a CopyWrite license. I have all the programs I just mentioned plus a few more like TextWrangler that are all decent writing tools. But CopyWrite is not a general purpose tool that can be used for writing. It is a writer’s tool. Bartas Technologies, the publisher has this to say:

CopyWrite is a project manager for writers of all kinds. Rather than focus on formatting and layout, CopyWrite stands apart in its project-oriented approach. Word processors and page layout tools are good at what they do – formatting and layout – but they offer no help at all to a writer during the creative process. In fact, the ‘gee-whiz’ features crammed into these tools do more to hinder writers, getting in the way of their work flow. Put simply, these tools constipate writers; CopyWrite is like a tasty bran muffin … with extra bran.

I don’t know about the tasty bran muffin part, but CopyWrite is stripped of all the page formatting options most word processors offer. Instead it gives us a customizable database format that allows writers to define chapters, characters, categories, notes, whatever. All are just a click away.

Keep notes in a side panel, always visible (if you want) when writing. That’s handy. Or, if you are like I am and hate distractions, switch to full screen mode. I’m writing in that now. Both views, as well as printing, have separate preferences. My writing text size is cranked up so I can write without glasses. I’ve set the screen to mimic the old green-yellow on green-black of the first computer monitors, not because I am some kind of retro freak but because that configuration has been shown to cause less eye strain.

There’s the screen, the text a scrollbar and the nubbin of an expandable panel stuck on the bottom edge of the screen. That’s it. Nothing else to distract me when I write.

Like a chef with favorite knives, all that writers I know have favorite writing tools, some of which seem strange to me but what matters is that they work. CopyWrite works, and works well. If I need data like word, character or paragraph count, those are a click away. If I need to organize notes in multiple categories, that too is just a click away. If I want all distractions to just go away, yep, a click or keystroke will make that happen. There’s even a Goal Meter that will tell me how far along I am in writing. The goal can be pages, words or characters.

We find another nice touch in the menus. Virtually every menu command has a keyboard shortcut. Writers want to keep their hands on the keys and CopyWrite obliges. CopyWrite also saves multiple versions of your work. I love that.

And like a good Mac citizen, CopyWrite works nicely with OS X Services so I can use Markdown markup on a page and convert it to HTML via the HumaneText Service.
Since CopyWrite is really a database program it is necessary to export projects to RTF if you want to use the contents in any other program. Of course, copy and paste work as they should.

If you are used to formatting your documents, this is not your program. For that you need a word processor. Formatting choices consist of font and font size, bold, italic and underline. You can set Copywrite to display single or double line spacing. Period. There are no tabs. There isn’t even a text align feature.

CopyWrite will organize a writing project and offer a lean interface for writing but it is clearly intended that your words end up in another program for formatting.
CopyWrite isn’t quite unique. Ulysses works from a similar writing philosophy, though at four times the price. The only advantages that are immediately obvious for the extra money are a number of export formats. If you want to output to LaTex on OS X, you might look into Ulysses.

On the other end of the spectrum is Jer’s Novel Writer, a freeware program that has many of the same features. I love the price but just didn’t quit take to it like it did CopyWrite. It’s worth a look, though, especially at the price.

CopyWrite

Publisher Bartas Technologies
$29.99
Mac OS X 10.3 or above required.
CopyWrite is a Universal Binary.
Features: 4
Value: 4
Ease of use: 5
Documentation: 4
Macness: 5
Highly recommended.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 5th, 2006 at 12:49 am and is filed under Editors, Software Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.