Writing program
Writing program
Besides Libre Office, what other programs/solutions exist in the Linux world for writers?
(Please, don't suggest VIM. After all the memes and comments I've read, I've come to dread it).
I like writing but the standard Writer tends to send me in a constant formatting spree.
I want to get back to writing regularly and something that could help me stay focused and somewhat organized would be nice.
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It depends on what you want to achieve.
Vi and it’s descendants are brilliant editors for a programmer but not for writing prose. So stay away from them. ;-)
Do you want just to write text without being distracted by an overwhelming gui or are you fine with the hint at options?
Do you want to write in a terminal?
How much do you want to format while typing? By typing the format commands into the text or by clicking on buttons or ctrl-key magic?
Do you need version control?
For each of your combination of answers there are different solutions.
Vi and it’s descendants are brilliant editors for a programmer but not for writing prose.
They work just fine for writing prose too. Though you probably do not need to learn them if you only want to write prose.
I wrote almost all of my grad school work in Vim and Emacs/Evil, in a non-compsci field! It was fantastic for editing, and I used pandoc to automate proper formatting, citations, and bibliographies for my papers and thesis. 10/10 would recommend to someone who is tech savvy or has a tangential interest in programming.
If you used pandoc hen you were programming your thesis. ;-)
Version control is an interesting idea.
I used to write fiction as a hobbie and want to return to it again.
The blank sheet of a standard text editor messes with my nerves. I lose myself editing, formating, etc.
If I could find a prompt that I could pre set the font, layout of the final work, and then have the program leave me alone, it would be perfect.
Most writers solutions come with a lot of bells and whistles, like word counter, time elapsed, goals, etc. Unnecessary. Distracting.
If I could find a prompt that I could pre set the font, layout of the final work, and then have the program leave me alone, it would be perfect.
You're describing a workflow using TeX or LaTeX, like typesetters for publisher's use. I don't have a specific recommendation, but in your shoes, I'd look for a CLI text editor (to avoid distractions) that supports word wrapping and do your actual formatting and typesetting totally separately from your writing with LaTeX.