Getting Started
What Writing Desk is, what platforms it runs on, and the basics of how it works.
Exploring Focus Mode and Writing Tools in Writing Desk
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0:00 Writing Desk can help you enhance your writing with features like The Pad, Chapter Variants, connected resources, and Prose Analysis.
0:08 Writing Desk has three main sections. The first, which is what it's all about, is the editor.
0:17 Click Focus Mode to dismiss sidebars and distractions and get down to the business of writing.
0:22 The Pad, on the left, is where all your chapter and scene notes live alongside your manuscript for quick reference, organised by chapter.
0:35 Quickly navigate through your chapters, and from here you can also create new Chapter Variants, so you can experiment with ideas freely without ever losing your work.
0:46 Bottom left, above the word counter, you have your connected resources. Add structured character sheets, locations, lore, magic, relationships, and more, and attach images for quick reference.
1:01 You also have Story Plotter on the left, which we'll visit in a separate video.
1:05 Over on the right, you have the analysis tools: Proofreader, Editor, and Prose Analysis.
1:12 The Proofreader gives you grammar and style tips, highlighting things like filter words, weak intensifiers, overuse of adverbs, and repetition.
1:24 Writing Desk is designed to bring your words front and centre, so you can get down to the business of writing.
1:30 Download the app for free today.
Writing Desk is a desktop writing app for creative writers. It brings together story planning, distraction-free drafting, editorial review, and manuscript typesetting in one place, so you can go from a blank page to a submission-ready manuscript without leaving the app.
Writers at any stage. Whether you want a distraction-free space to get a first draft down, or you're polishing a finished manuscript ahead of publishing, Writing Desk is built around your process.
The writing, planning, and editing tools currently run on macOS only. The typesetting and formatting tools are available separately through the online Formatter, which works in any browser.
It's on the roadmap, but there's no launch date yet.
No, you can write fully offline. A few features need a connection: the Research Assistant, AI editorial review, and the online Formatter.
Three options: open an existing project, create a new file, or open a file already on your device. If this is your first time, Create a New File or setting up a project is the place to start.
Select Projects, then Create New Project. Choose novel, short story, or poetry, add a title and target word count, then click Create. Writing Desk sets up a folder for your manuscript and takes you straight into the editor. More on creating and organizing projects.
From the start screen, select Projects to see your existing projects, or Open a File to browse for a manuscript on your device. Opening a project takes you straight into the editor, with your manuscript front and centre.
Your manuscript sits front and centre. The left-hand sidebar connects your resources, lets you navigate chapters, and holds The Pad for chapter notes, Story Plotter lives there too. Top right shows your Writing Tracker. Analysis opens the editorial tools, and the hamburger menu, top left, has your export options.
New chapters are created with an H2 heading, or the shortcut Cmd+Opt+2. Just start typing, Writing Desk autosaves as you go.
Whichever suits you. Story Plotter is there if you want to map chapters and threads first, but nothing stops you from opening a blank page and writing straight away. Add structure whenever it's useful, not because you have to.
Hit Focus Mode to hide the sidebars and get down to writing immediately. One click to enter, Esc to exit.
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