(Archived) REQUEST: Evernote for writers

[imflowers 1]

I have been using Evernote for at least a couple of years now (was it that long??). While I love everything about this app including desktop and mobile clients, abilities to sync the data between all computer and gadgets - I want more (of course).

I would like to use this app not just as a notebook that contains information but also as a word processor. Basic features that would make me extremely happy are:

1. Ability to set up a page in 8 by 11 inch format

2. Having a "comment" option

3. Ability to set left / right / top / bottom margins

4. View the long texts in "page" format

I think Evernote has a great potentials in the writing community. There is no software today that is able to do what Evernote does.

Please?

[tardis 87]

I'm a writer and use Evernote quite a bit for gathering research and materials but I wouldn't use it as a word processor or composition software because that's just not what it is nor what it tries to be. I vastly prefer Scrivener for this. Sometimes I'll throw snippets, ideas, and passages into Evernote but all of my actual writing is done in dedicated writing software.

Information gathering software for information gathering. Writing software for writing.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I'm a writer and use Evernote quite a bit for gathering research and materials but I wouldn't use it as a word processor or composition software because that's just not what it is nor what it tries to be. I vastly prefer Scrivener for this. Sometimes I'll throw snippets, ideas, and passages into Evernote but all of my actual writing is done in dedicated writing software.

Information gathering software for information gathering. Writing software for writing.

agreed. i really want evernote to be my uber app, but i don't think this would be a good idea. scrivener is so much better as a writer's tool that i cannot see evernote being even remotely competitive without some major investment of time, effort, and money that could be better allocated to the mobile platforms (for example).

in fact, evernote as it stands now is really tough to use for long projects because it is not set up so that you can easily change the sequence of notes (move a section of writing from chapter one to chapter two, for example). that's cool. i'm fine with that. but, to be truly writer-friendly, it would have to change a lot more than just margins and so forth.

that said, if the suggestions the op made are all they need to consider evernote writer friendly, then it seems relatively easy to accomplish.

[imflowers 1]

I do use Scrivener as well but it doesn't give me the same freedom as Evernote - I can't use it on multiple computers / devices. I tried syncing Scrivener over the Dropbox - it just doesn't work. For people who have one computer - one mobile device - time to sit down and write - Scrivener is the best option. For people who have multiple computers - multiple mobile devices - and end up in all kinds of places: karate class (waiting for a child), in the office after work hours (waiting for the internal review on a product) - Scrivener is just not working. I looked into a lot of options - including Google docs and MS Word (with documents synced over Insync) - Yarny, which is a cool online tool but doesn't have offline capabilities - and I am still in search of a perfect tool. Evernote is the closest to what I consider the perfect app, if only it had some word processor options.

[tardis 87]

It's too bad you couldn't Scrivener working with Dropbox. I save all Scrivener projects to my Dropbox folder and they sync instantly with the autosave option. (The support forums at Scrivener are excellent and they might be able to help you figure out why syncing via Dropbox isn't working for you.)

Like I said, I think Evernote is fine for short bursts of writing like the ones you describe: ideas, snippets, and writing on the go. I'd like to see more discussion about how writers (both creative and academic) employ Evernote for their work. But I don't see how Evernote would be the best solution to handle a 100,000 word piece of fiction or a academic dissertation of any length.

That being said, I agree with both you, GM, and the dozens of other users who post here about it: the formatting in Evernote needs work.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I do use Scrivener as well but it doesn't give me the same freedom as Evernote - I can't use it on multiple computers / devices. I tried syncing Scrivener over the Dropbox - it just doesn't work. For people who have one computer - one mobile device - time to sit down and write - Scrivener is the best option. For people who have multiple computers - multiple mobile devices - and end up in all kinds of places: karate class (waiting for a child), in the office after work hours (waiting for the internal review on a product) - Scrivener is just not working. I looked into a lot of options - including Google docs and MS Word (with documents synced over Insync) - Yarny, which is a cool online tool but doesn't have offline capabilities - and I am still in search of a perfect tool. Evernote is the closest to what I consider the perfect app, if only it had some word processor options.

i have to strongly disagree with this. scrivener works great for me across platforms. in fact, i do (actually did--ipad 2 sold in anticipation of ipad 3!) most of my writing on the ipad using elements (4.99) and when i fire up the mac at home, it's all there for me. no big thing. i've had a little trouble with simplenote, but that also seems a popular option for scriveners. at any rate, scrivener is definitely not limited to just one device. i recommend visiting the literature and latte forum for details about how to customize it for your situation. i am sure you'll find an easy solution!

evernote is far more accessible, of course, because it doesn't need anything like simplenote, dropbox, or elements to get it onto other platforms. you know why i don't use evernote on my mobile apps? no easy way to save information. sorry evernote, but if i have a choice between elements saving every single keystroke onto my device and my dropbox account, or evernote with a save button that will close out the note and make me start over again (assuming the save works and no crash occurs), there is no way i'll use evernote. it sucks. i'm fine with plain text. i am not cool with unsaved text.

@EVERNOTE: Please, please, please address this issue by giving us a "save and continue" button and/or save each character automatically to the device.

[imflowers 1]

It's too bad you couldn't Scrivener working with Dropbox. I save all Scrivener projects to my Dropbox folder and they sync instantly with the autosave option. (The support forums at Scrivener are excellent and they might be able to help you figure out why syncing via Dropbox isn't working for you.)

Usually I forget to close Scrivener on my home computer, so I can't open it on a different one. Also, if I close my Mac too fast without allowing Dropbox to sync - it would show an error message - "You have this file open on another computer". So, no I don't really want to use Scrivener as a mobile app.

[tardis 87]

Usually I forget to close Scrivener on my home computer, so I can't open it on a different one. Also, if I close my Mac too fast without allowing Dropbox to sync - it would show an error message - "You have this file open on another computer". So, no I don't really want to use Scrivener as a mobile app.

Well, yes, you do have to use the software properly for it to work as advertised.

The only other thing I can suggest is to use Evernote for drafting purposes and when you get to the point when it's time to edit and format the text, move it over to a dedicated writing software.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

It's too bad you couldn't Scrivener working with Dropbox. I save all Scrivener projects to my Dropbox folder and they sync instantly with the autosave option. (The support forums at Scrivener are excellent and they might be able to help you figure out why syncing via Dropbox isn't working for you.)

Usually I forget to close Scrivener on my home computer, so I can't open it on a different one. Also, if I close my Mac too fast without allowing Dropbox to sync - it would show an error message - "You have this file open on another computer". So, no I don't really want to use Scrivener as a mobile app.

Scrivener only takes a second or two to back up before it closes! You've gotta make a sacrifice here. Five seconds a day. Put that in your Evernote TODO list Then, you get to use Scrivener with your mobile apps!

[Chadwick 0]

With the advent of tablets with keyboards (Bluetooth or otherwise). I think the future is just about here to put longer writing on the mobile devices. I have the Asus Transformer Prime and that has a keyboard docking station. It's a fast, mobile laptop with no boot time. I'd love to be able to use Evernote to write stories more efficiently.

If you think of a story as a Notebook, and each Note as chapters/scenes, then a big chunk of what needs to be added is functionality to order/re-order scenes/chapters. I suppose a corkboard and outliner function as well. Like Scrivener, it keeps the files separate until you decide to merge/compile. I see a huge chunk of what Scrivener does already existing in Evernote.

This could provide some great functionaliy for not just writers, but others such as lawyers, academics, students, etc.

I use Scrivener for Windows and I have Android devices, not Apple so I don't have a mobile option for Scrivener and fewer writing apps. C'est la vie.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

any reason you didn't get an ipad? i had a prime for a while. it's nice, but the ipad... well, let's not get in a fight

i totally agree about evernote and writing. fix the formatting issues (a pox put on the ipad by android users?) and give us the ability to easily arrange notes, and i will be one very happy user. i really wish i could do it all in evernote. we are so very close!

btw, if you sync scrivener with a folder in your dropbox folder using text files, i bet you could pretty much accomplish what i do with elements / index card / simplenote on the ipad. you may want to check out the literature and latte forums for advice from your fellow android users

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

For people who have one computer - one mobile device - time to sit down and write - Scrivener is the best option. For people who have multiple computers - multiple mobile devices - and end up in all kinds of places: karate class (waiting for a child), in the office after work hours (waiting for the internal review on a product) - Scrivener is just not working.

Have you considered a MacBook Air (MBA) 13-inch? It is very portable and powerful at the same time.

I have simplified my computing devices from three (desktop, laptop, iPad) to one: MBA

It is light and small enough to carry everywhere. On the go it is a very quick start/stop just by opening/closing the lid. As fast as iPad startup if not faster. I use it all the time in waiting rooms, or really anywhere I can sit down. At home and office, I can easily connect it to two large 23-inch screens. Even driving two screen it is very fast and snappy.

I also use Dropbox, but I am not nearly as dependent on it since most of the time I have the same device with me.

Somehow, my wifi/internet access seems faster than my Windows machine.

The MBA keyboard is very nice -- one of the best I have used.

If you have not used one recently, it is definitely worth a trip to the Apple store to test drive one.

It is the best computer I have ever used.

[Chadwick 0]

Why didn't I get an iPad? The simple answers are that I'm a windows developer and because my cell provider did not have IPhone, I went Android. I have bought apps for Android and don't want to buy them all over again. Plus, I've started learning Android apps development. It just make good sense for me to buy Mac computers and iPads when I have those needs covered. Now if/when I get deeper in to mobile app development, you bet I'll need to get an iPad and ofc you need a Mac to compile/deploy Apple apps. But that day is not today. Heh.