My Pet Homunculus

(This post was inspired by my own recent writing efforts, including blog content for SUPERnewb. I’ve personally used both the tools mentioned here with great success.)

Whether or not you consider yourself a ‘writer,’ everyone has to actually sit down and write sometimes. Lists, résumés, blog posts, emails, essays, applications, letters… We’re all writers in some sense. The thing is, writing is extra super tough in the 21st century for two big reasons: 1) everything is trying to distract you all the time, and 2) you’re probably not always in the same place when you get a chance to pound out some wordage. As I’ve recently fallen in love with a couple of possible antidotes to this problem, it’s sharing time.

There’s something special about good old college-rule lined paper. So inviting, so friendly, and not at all intimidating — probably because so many of us spend so much of our youths scrawling class notes, band logos and crush’s names in our three-rings. Penzu gives you that classic lined sheet of paper, full of possibility, packaged in a sexy — and free! — little webapp. 

Positioned as a free online journal (the ‘anti-blog,’ if you will), the service offers military-grade security, a clean and uncluttered interface, and key extras like full text search across all saved entries. Going Pro ($19/yr) gets you additional features like tagging, rich text formatting and even beefier security. 

What really stands out here is the advantage of having your content liberated from the constrictions of local storage, the guarantee of data privacy, and the strategic restraint of the design. The Penzu team have clearly made specific decisions to keep it simple yet smart, and the result is a really useful and appealing way to get those important thoughts down on paper - without the paper. And without the chance of leaving your notebook at home! Bonus: Penzu works pretty nicely in Mobile Safari as well. Here’s hoping for a standalone iPhone app in the future…

There is, on the other hand, the need to escape the browser from time to time. Sure, we all have MS Word, but the words will flow more smoothly if you ditch the cluttered interface in favour of something something simple and focused. WriteRoom for OS X* ($24.95) has been around for quite a while, but the philosophy is as sound as it’s ever been: write in plain text in a full-screen window that blocks out everything else, and you’ll get more done. It’s about as close as you can get to going back to a typewriter - without all the annoying stuff like changing ribbons and living in the past.

So what’s new with WriteRoom that really steps up its game? Well, there’s a brand new WriteRoom iPhone app. Built on the same principles as the desktop version, the app includes a few intriguing extras that make it a great choice for on-the-go types. 

Firstly, a tap of a button from the Documents screen enables wi-fi document sharing via Bonjour - this means super easy document sharing between your iDevice and your computer.

Second, Hog Bay Software has created an online writing environment that syncs with the WriteRoom app, meaning a single tap of a different button gives you a completely-updated online version of your document that you can access from any computer. The online service at simpletext.ws is, even as a standalone tool, also a testament to simplicity - and a design homage to Mac System 1.0.

Despite the fact that the desktop version of WriteRoom has not yet been updated to sync with simpletext.ws as well, these cross-platform sharing options mean more chances to get your writing done, distraction-free. 

* Non-Mac alternatives: DarkRoom (Windows), Writer (online). Neither boast the same integration options as WriteRoom, sadly.