September 27, 2020
Finding focus with iA Writer
Way back in the day, iA Writer went through a major upgrade that left the original version in the dust. That original version is now known as iA Writer Classic and I’m pretty sure it’s no longer available unless you want to explore some sketchy download sites.
I actually did download that new version, but I kept the old one, too. Because, well, you never know.
I used to have that old journalist’s pride of being able to write anything anywhere, regardless of the circumstances. So who cares what app you’re using? If you need to focus, then develop some self-discipline.
(Apparently, there is a real need for focus these days. Just do a search on “writing focus apps” or something similar. You’ll get suggestions by the dozen.)
Those decades of working for a newspaper left an indelible imprint, but they’re far behind me now, and I do love trying out apps.
So here I am writing this post in iA Writer Classic, feeling a little guilty that I never did pay for the upgrade. But also feeling a little pleased with myself for having hung onto it. Anything with the word “classic” in its name has to be good, and it is.
I like the focus mode where there is nothing but text and a blank screen. The text blurs into grey when you finish a sentence. The sentence you’re working on is always vertically centred.
It corrects my typos and points out my spelling mistakes.
I’ll just save this post into a folder, then copy and paste it into Textpattern. At this point, it’s all I really need.