I know there are massive forum threads on DT as a writer’s tool, but I am wondering if any users of DT use CopyWrite or Ulysses in preference to DT. I really like the idea of these two programs that you are focused on writing content and you move the content to a word processor afterwards. I also really like that you can have notes on particular files that are viewable simultaneously. But they are also similar to DT and I haven’t been able to justify using both. Does anyone use these programs? Do you prefer them to DT? Does anyone use DT in the same manner as you would CopyWrite or Ulysses?
I would really like to see some sort of “Stickies” integration in DT, so that I can quickly attach a note to a file in DT and have it viewable at the same time (perhaps a floating window or something).
I own Copywrite and have used it now and again (and looked at Ulysses twice but couldn’t bring myself to buy it), but frankly I use Word most of the time with DT Pro as my research repository.
Maybe I’m too old to change, but the notion of writing in a program and then having to export it to another program to print it out the way I want to, just doesn’t work for me. I know that’s the current thing to do (not only with Copywrite, but Scrivener, Jers Novel Writer, and others) but it apparently doesn’t fit how I write because I always end up back in Word when I get frustrated with the others.
I’m sure many use DT Pro to write in as well, but I’ve never done any extensive writing in it - long notes occasionally, but that’s about it.
I know there are people who try to use DT for everything. I’m not one of them. I love the application but I use it in a fairly specific way. It’s my archive database for information I may want to access later. I use it to store captured web pages, rich text from web pages, pdf files, emails, anything I want to save for reference. It’s unbelievable for that.
I do not consider it a writing tool. I use Ulysses for that and love that application. But like the post above states, just depends on your preferred work flow.
I also use and love Notebook. I don’t view DT Pro and Notebook as exclusive applications. Notebook has a much richer feature set for outlining. So, for example, I’m putting together a company handbook designed to document all of our processes. Could I do that in DT? Yes, but for me it’s easier and better in Notebook.
I have and use DT Pro, Notebook, Ulysses and Nova Mind and love each one. They are all different tools for different jobs, at least for me.
I actually do use DevonNote to draft short articles (columns, mostly) in which I’m just basically writing top to bottom without much need for reorganizing material. It’s basically like using TextEdit, except that DN also displays the word count as I type (important for columns). And of course the notes I’m writing from are in DN anyway, so this way I just use one app.
But for longer articles, I agree that Devon works best as a first stage, for collecting and organizing and finding info. For the next stage, I used to use OmniOutliner (an elegantly simple app) to organize and draft my longer stories, then export to rtf and do any further polishing in Word or Mellel. I did demo CopyWrite but found OO superior for my uses.
Now, however, I’m down to only Devon and Scrivener, which offers all the advantages of CopyWrite and much more, with none of the disadvantages. I do all my info organizing, outlining, and writing in Scrivener now, then export to RTF and send to the editor. In fact, since I’m not as heavy an info cruncher as many Devon users, I could probably just use Scrivener and the Finder for all my writing, notetaking and organizing needs, but Devon does make note organizing and searching easy, and I’ve already paid for it.
I don’t use footnotes or do any complex formatting and so seldom need a more advanced word processor. If I were to use footnotes, I’d go with Mellel; if I were producing printed docs I’d probably use Pages. I sometimes use Word when editors prefer it for its note and comment and change tracking features, which are still the best around. (Though hardly enough to compensate for Word’s many deficiencies.) I’d recommend OmniOutliner and Scrivener to any Devon user looking for an effective way to turn your Devon notes into well organized prose.
DEVONthink: library of info, search engine, AI-recommendations (see also)
Scrivener: project organization and writing
For those interested, Scrivener has the ability to export your finished writing project in many formats (through a format called MultiMarkDown): for screenplays, RTF, HTML and now even LaTeX. This last one is a major development, in my opinion, and would be useful for anyone who is interested in producing nice PDF’s, without worrying about layout and design. For people who have to write long papers/essays/dissertations, where the structure is paramount, this is a godsend.