OpusWriter

Latte Other Software & Development
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Hi all,

I have mentioned this briefly in another post, but I wanted to also post separately about a superb piece of writing software that I recently started using. It is available for the Mac, Windows and Linux, and is called OpusWriter.

It is comprehensive in scope, encompassing Planning and Plotting, Writing, Editing, Publishing via a very comprehensive Manuscript Layout workflow (very close to Vellum functionality), as well as Series Management.

It is developed by a single developer and is a one time fee, no subscription. It does not have any direct AI content generation built into it. Although it does have the option to connect AI to it for feedback, should you want. Not that I intend to use this.

Some of the stand out features are its manuscript layout, its ability to import Scrivener files, including their snapshots, custom metadata, notes, character sheets, location sheets etc and the word count history. It also has the ability to generate critique documents for sending to editors (amongst other export document types such as ePub, Print Ready PDF and AudioBook scripts). It can also reimport documents received from editors and transfer their comments direct into the editor to be worked on.

It has Outlining, Timelines, Character Development tools, Plot Grids, a separate Editing Workflow with Revision Passes and Prose Inspection, extensive writing metrics with word count projections and information about how many words were added and removed as part of the writing and editing phases. It can store research documents in its own research binder, and access all supplementary information during writing through a Companion mode.

The developer is super responsive and friendly.

Its writing environment is also really great, but it is built specifically for fiction.

I am posting this here for others to check it out, but also because I can see OpusWriter acting as an extension of Scrivener. Import a complete first draft Scrivener project, edit it in OpusWriter, and Publish it from there also.

I have no affiliation with the software, but thought others might want to take a look.

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I hadn’t heard of OpusWriter, and will check it out, but off the bat I have to give kudos to the developer for his approach to comparisons with other apps. He actually lists where other apps are stronger alongside where OpusWriter is stronger, which is the sort of thing that encourages trust rather than scepticism.

I also appreciate the way the main page talks about wanting to combine the features he uses from other apps without belittling those other apps, as some other companies are wont to do. (Yes, I have a bee in my bonnet about that sort of thing. :slight_smile: )

It looks interesting and I wish it all the best.

Edited to add: Also, it is very cool to see Scrivener influencing some apps that take some of its ideas along with inspiration from elsewhere to create something new.

I’ll try to get it added to our links page when we have time to update it.

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Thanks Keith. Was nervous about posting on your forums, but I agree, the developer has done a really good job of acknowledging the strength of other software, and only has great things to say about Scrivener. Plus, he is a nice guy.

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It appears to be an Electron app, is that correct?

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Thanks for the heads up!

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Liked that he includes the price. I’m still agog at one app’s pricing …

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I think so, yes. But it is fast, efficient and not at all memory intensive. The developer recreated all of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series in the app, some 4 million words and it didn’t miss a beat.

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I should also say that there is a 30 day free trial and no online storage; file based and on your computer only. Which were both important to me.

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Oh crap. Here’s my post again after I deleted it for some reason. (Otherwise known as finger trouble.)

Well, right off the bat I couldn’t open my latest Scrivener project in said software - not that I’m any software guru, mind you. The project wouldn’t Open, Import Scrivener Project (seems pretty clear to me), or Import Document (whatever that is). Uninstalled.

Now how do I turn off strikethrough? Never mind. The post figgered that out on its own.

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I didn’t mean to imply that it sucks, it’s more of a full disclosure thing. Some people really dislike non-native apps in general. I use VSCodium and Obsidian frequently and it’s not the end of the world.

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Import Document is the ability to import any word or text document into different parts of the app. So into a brainstorming section, or into a scene, for example. A snippet of text written elsewhere. I think the developer is looking to improve this in the future and have something a little like External Folder Sync in Scrivener.

As for importing a Scrivener project, it worked brilliantly for me. So i can;t answer why you struggled.

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Struggled? The program wouldn’t work as advertised. All myMac .scriv directories were greyed out, no matter what I selected. So there’s that struggle.

Solved my struggles by uninstalling. The AppCleaner app does work as advertised.

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Apologies, I was thinking more of some of my old concerns regarding Electron apps way back.

I know, for some native means a lot. But I think in today’s world development costs are so high, developing separate versions across three different platforms and then possibly adding iOS and Android into the mix (there is no mobile app currently) makes it an even costlier enterprise. Old Electron apps certainly could suck. But this one is certainly stable and fast.

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Fair enough. Each to their own.

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Looks really nice, thanks for posting. The lack of support for academic writing tools means it’s a non starter for me. Inline annotations, notes and footnotes are all incredibly flexible writing tools in Scriv

I still remember @KB responding to a post I made here re a problem I had with footnotes, coming up with a fix in short order and sharing a beta version with me until the fix could be pushed out in a general update.

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Inline annotations aren’t in OpusWrier as yet. But there is a quick note feature which generates a full list of notes against sections of text, much like annotations. And there are comments as well as document links. Footnotes, if I remember rightly, are on the feature request list, as some fiction writers use them. But I appreciate that you may have other non-fiction specific features which might not be present. And, as you say, Scrivener, is a multi use writing powerhouse, and Keith is awesome.

All the best.

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I can’t argue that it’s very comprehensive. I could argue that it’s even more complex than Scrivener (it’s an absolute minefield of little buttons and gizmos), so for people looking to move away from that complexity, whilst still retaining basic functions like character and setting creation, it’s not ideal. Having said that, I like the plugin functionality which allows you to install or uninstall things which are useful/not useful, in order to reduce complexity. I have no use for the fantasy/magic plugins for example, so uninstalled them.

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If it can’t handle footnotes, citations, and integration with a citation manager like BookEnds then that is a deal breaker and of no use to non-fiction writers.

Agreed.

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Well, in fairness, it isn’t advertised or sold as non-fiction writing software. So it certainly won’t be for everyone.

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I think, unlike Deckle, which clearly markets itself as a simpler version of Scrivener, OpusWriter markets itself as a whole creative writing studio, from initial brainstorm through to publishing. And you are right, elements can be turned on and off to suit in the workspace settings. Which helps people seeking less complexity.

I have most things turned on and have found it to be quite intuitive to work with.

Having come from using Ulysses, I honestly struggled to work with that level of simplicity. So a lot of OpusWriter’s features really help. Such as the editorial passes and importing of editorial feedback. And the solid snapshots system.

Scrivener will still feature in my workflow. But OpusWriter has so much that I also love working with.

It is also worth noting that OpusWriter is a very new piece of software and I know the developer is working tirelessly to constantly improve it. And he has some really interesting takes on new upcoming features, such as proving a work has not been written with AI (as much as that is possible).