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As of late, I’ve been interested in a new group of writing apps called “streamlined, minimalist writers.” These program purposely don’t have complex WYSIWYG settings. They skip the formatting bells and whistles to give you a simple set of tools that are only for writing. Think of a blank page with nothing but a flashing text cursor. For Mac users, there are well-known program like WriteRoom, Byword, Omnwriter, and the newest one, IA Writer.
I’ve tried a lot of different choices, like WriteRoom, but I keep coming back to TextEdit, the simple text editor that comes with Mac OS X. It’s a simple program that lets you do basic editing, like WordPad on Windows. What makes TextEdit unique, though, is that you can remove most of its editing tools, leaving you with just plain text. This is a truly minimalist writing experience.
What I didn’t like at first about TextEdit was that it didn’t have borders. You can switch between a mode that shows a page layout with borders and a mode that shows just text without any margins, so the text is close to the edges of the window. Even though I tried hard, I couldn’t keep the app in the page layout mode all the time. This made it hard to work without the comfort of borders.
That being said, this small problem wasn’t a deal-breaker for me in the big picture. TextEdit became my main tool for writing, showing that its ease of use and usefulness were more important than my initial doubts, even though it didn’t have perfect borders. This taught me how important it is to take a simple approach to writing and focus on the words on the screen instead of getting distracted by extra features.
iA Writer Specifications
In general, iA Writer is a powerful and versatile writing program that offers a writing experience that is uncluttered and free of distractions. It is a useful tool for writers. It is a wonderful choice for writers of any level who are interested in concentrating on their work and will find it to be an available option.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Markdown Support | iA Writer supports Markdown, a plain-text formatting syntax that allows you to format your text quickly and easily. |
| Focus Mode | Focus Mode hides everything except the current sentence you’re working on, helping you stay focused on your writing. |
| Syntax Highlighting | iA Writer automatically highlights different parts of speech in your text, making it easier to see the structure of your writing. |
| Live Preview | See how your document will look when it’s exported to PDF, HTML, or Microsoft Word. |
| Version History | iA Writer keeps track of all changes you make to your documents, so you can easily revert to a previous version if you need to. |
| Sync Across Devices | Keep your documents in sync across all your devices with iCloud or Dropbox. |
| Visit Website |
What Is IA Writer?
Nishi-Azabu, a designer and developer, was the one who came up with the idea for iA Writer in the year 2011. The tool is clear and easy to use, and it was developed with the express purpose of assisting content creators, bloggers, and writers of short forms in concentrating on composition. It pushes the boundaries of what is considered to be a minimalistic app by being devoid of any unnecessary functionality.
There was a lot of excitement surrounding the launch of iA Writer on the Apple App store a few years ago. These days, it is compatible with all Apple products, including the most recent versions of both Windows and Mac operating systems. iA Writer places more of an emphasis on the text than it does on formatting and other unnecessary user interface settings, regardless of the configuration you have chosen.
iA Writer review: Features
One of the most appealing aspects of iA Writer is the fact that it has a straightforward and simple user interface. The package of the application comes with three different fonts: Nitti, iA Writer Duo, and iA Writer Quattro. These fonts are each included in the bundle. The combination of these typefaces and the contrast between black and white in iA writer contributes to the amazing appearance of the program, which makes it a joy to use when writing.
Even though you have the ability to switch between these three fonts or typeface sizes, this is the extent of the possibilities available to you. In addition to displaying your work in the library, the application also highlights particular parts of speech by utilising a function known as Syntax Highlight. The fact that iA Writer is compatible with Markdown is yet another one of the most persuasive selling factors of this program.
During the full five minutes, you will learn how to use Markdown. Using Asterix symbols and hashtags, you may quickly and effectively prepare text for the web. This is possible because of the combination of these two elements. Any friction that may have been produced by formatting formatting is eliminated if you copy and paste articles from iA Writer to an online writing platform such as WordPress.
This eliminates any opportunity for formatting formatting to cause friction. Additionally, you are able to preview text that has been formatted at any time by utilising the Markdown programming language. The capability of iA Writer to exclude files from its functionality is one of the aspects that I found to be particularly appealing. If you follow these steps, you will be able to include visual content blocks into your project without having to remove your hands from the computer.
iA Writer review: Writing
Now that you have opened iA Writer, you will see a blank page, and you will be able to begin typing right away, which is your focus! There is support for the Markdown language in this text editor. There is no need for you to be concerned about becoming sidetracked by an infinite number of menus and options. iA Writer is an application that allows users to explore and become familiar with the features that are located on the left side of the screen.
However, the app is intended for writers who want to engage with the written word as rapidly as possible. As well as displaying your storage options, such as iCloud, the left side of the screen displays your information. The fact that text files may be saved in a variety of formats, including Docx and txt, made it much simpler for me to locate file types that were compatible with my needs.
iA Writer review: Drawbacks
The IA writer document library is not overly complicated yet still accessible. When it comes to iA Writer, the document library is where the majority of the problems lie. Through the use of search or hashtags, it is quite simple to locate and manage articles and short-form writing. Managing the process of creating freelancing articles on a Mac and tablet was a breeze with this program.
On the other hand, if you are writing something that is lengthy, such as a novel, maintaining the chapters might become a burdensome affair. Simply said, it is difficult to discern between chapters, articles, and notes without devising some kind of labelling system. This is because of the nature of the information. When taking into account the price point and the edge use case, it is not exactly a show-stopper; yet, authors who are searching for a minimalist writing program might want to consider purchasing Ulysses instead. The use of a more feature-rich editing program, such as Scrivener, may also be preferred by published authors.
Final Words
From my own personal experience, I can say that iA Writer is a very pleasant minimalist tool that is specifically designed for bloggers, content creators, and writers that produce short-form content. As a result of the application’s ease of use, I am able to devote my full attention to the trade of writing content without being interrupted by activities that are not essential.
iA Writer’s user-friendly design, which makes the writing process painless and joyful, is what I consider to be the most distinguishing feature of this program. iA Writer stands out from the competition due to its affordability, which is a remarkable aspect. The pricing of iA Writer is commensurate with its features and capabilities, which is convenient for someone like myself who places a high value on cost-effective solutions.
iA Writer review: The Good and Bad
Taking the idea of minimalism to its logical conclusion, it is feasible that iA Writer has the fewest built-in distractions of any writing tool. This is because iA Writer is designed primarily for writing. Due to the fact that it is inexpensive, it will be a fantastic choice for authors who maintain weblogs and other forms of short-form writing.
The Good
- Distraction-free design
- Supports Markdown formatting
- Can export directly to Medium and WordPress
- Inexpensive
The Bad
- No templates
- Few tools for organizing and arranging files
Questions and Answers
Maintaining your concentration while working on a job is made much easier by this. On top of that, it is compatible with iCloud Drive. No. 2 The only software that I tested that was compatible with all of the different operating systems was this one. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and even your iPhone or iPad, so you can use it anywhere.
The thumbnails of photos that are contained within the document are displayed by Ulysses, whereas iA Writer handles images in a manner that is comparable to that of content blocks. When in writing mode, a link is displayed rather than the real image, and moving to Preview mode displays the image in the manner in which it would appear when it is published.