Keybored Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Version 2 takes us to a new plateau in writing software. Storyist understands the sweet spot between, on the one hand, programs that turn you loose with all that snowy white expanse of emptiness, feeling a bit like a Jack London character trying to get a fire going before you freeze to death, and, on the other hand, those that are like a mad terrier yipping and snapping at your ankles with forms to fill out and questions to answer and timelines to fuss with and on and on. We're not naming names here (we don't have to; we just wrote one of the longest sentences ever to appear in the Storyist forums, and with more commas than the average bear would twit into his/her prose). The PDF guide is also a remarkable piece of documentation. A PTSS victim of programmer-written docs, I take great pleasure in reading something that makes sense on every page and teaches me things I ought to have already known from using the program for a while. Clarity about all these interrelations? You oughta see my cheat sheet taken down in SideNote as I read along... I refuse to confess how many writing programs I have bought and put on my aching hard drive, but the one I write stories in is Storyist. What was cool and useful in 1.5 is slick, fast, and ultra-functional here and supplemented by some amazing new treasures.. Sometimes I am a purely verbal thinker, and the ability to see no nonsense forms and a wide expanse of my gorgeous prose is all I need to clack away. Other days, mildly deranged, my visual imagination hungers for Collage view that has all the benefits of mind mapping without all the fussy little particulars of arrows and sticky points and collapsing branches and bizarre imposed layouts. Guess who has views for both verbal and visual days one little mousing away? Pure joy, that whole Views thing. And may I say how startling it is to see the idiocy of my caffeine-driven streaks of 4k words in outline form? Fix, fix, fix; and the fullscreen escape from email and MyDay alerts is a great relief. And then there are these strange people who write thousands of words in these forums every day, and have the audacity to ask programmer guru Steve if he ever sleeps (which question, I note, he politely dodged). What a community! Wish we had a library of people's fiction to check out... Thanks, Steve: you've got us all writing madly now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btjeppesen Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Version 2 takes us to a new plateau in writing software. Storyist understands the sweet spot between, on the one hand, programs that turn you loose with all that snowy white expanse of emptiness, feeling a bit like a Jack London character trying to get a fire going before you freeze to death, and, on the other hand, those that are like a mad terrier yipping and snapping at your ankles with forms to fill out and questions to answer and timelines to fuss with and on and on. We're not naming names here (we don't have to; we just wrote one of the longest sentences ever to appear in the Storyist forums, and with more commas than the average bear would twit into his/her prose). The PDF guide is also a remarkable piece of documentation. A PTSS victim of programmer-written docs, I take great pleasure in reading something that makes sense on every page and teaches me things I ought to have already known from using the program for a while. Clarity about all these interrelations? You oughta see my cheat sheet taken down in SideNote as I read along... I refuse to confess how many writing programs I have bought and put on my aching hard drive, but the one I write stories in is Storyist. What was cool and useful in 1.5 is slick, fast, and ultra-functional here and supplemented by some amazing new treasures.. Sometimes I am a purely verbal thinker, and the ability to see no nonsense forms and a wide expanse of my gorgeous prose is all I need to clack away. Other days, mildly deranged, my visual imagination hungers for Collage view that has all the benefits of mind mapping without all the fussy little particulars of arrows and sticky points and collapsing branches and bizarre imposed layouts. Guess who has views for both verbal and visual days one little mousing away? Pure joy, that whole Views thing. And may I say how startling it is to see the idiocy of my caffeine-driven streaks of 4k words in outline form? Fix, fix, fix; and the fullscreen escape from email and MyDay alerts is a great relief. And then there are these strange people who write thousands of words in these forums every day, and have the audacity to ask programmer guru Steve if he ever sleeps (which question, I note, he politely dodged). What a community! Wish we had a library of people's fiction to check out... Thanks, Steve: you've got us all writing madly now... Hey Keybored, This is a wonderful post, and I'm sure Steve is flattered. 2.0 is amazing, isn't it? We'll all be more productive writers because of Steve. As for purchasing other writing software, I'm guilty of the same thing. Scrivener and Story Mill are just two of the other ones I've purchased, and I've tried out some of the free ones too. Storyist is by far the best. Not to bad mouth anyone, but Story Mill is epic failure. It is extremely buggy. I wrote a piece in it. Saved it. Closed it. Reopened it, and all of the sections/characters/etc were there, but any of the text I had typed was gone. That's about the worst bug a writing program could have. The only thing worse would be if the program published my writing under someone else's name. The company in charge just buys programs from indie developers and releases them under their own license. Their new program, Contour, doesn't look or function anything like a Mac app should. That's what I love so much about Storyist. Steve has taken careful steps to ensure this program works intuitively for Mac writers. Contour isn't even using Aqua. It looks extremely outdated. And the MacBook's trackpad won't effect Contour's scroll bars. You have to actually click on them and drag. So, a big heartfelt thank you goes out to our friendly, neighborhood SpideySteve for wonderful, intuitive, beautiful, and production-increasing writing suite. Thank you, Steve. Hoping this earns me brownie points, Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Amen! Hear hear! And Hip Hip Hurray! In Agreement - Jules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marguerite Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Amen! Hear hear! And Hip Hip Hurray! In Agreement - Jules Hear, hear, indeed! Three cheers for Steve. I love version 2 more every day! (Sir Percy is becoming jealous.) One of the strange people previously cited, M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Better keep an eye on darling Sir Percy, to make sure he doesn't team up with any gremlins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Better keep an eye on darling Sir Percy, to make sure he doesn't team up with any gremlins. Sir Percy would never do that. Gremlins? Not his type. Especially with the Golden Lynx about. (Or are you introducing gremlins to your story, M?) And yes! Three cheers for Steve. Four. Five even! Not only has he produced a brilliant product, he as produced a brilliant support system for that product. I know that sometimes I take Steve's awesome reaction time for granted; then I recall what trying to get an answer out of many other software companies has been like. Not just software companies. My mobile contractor won't let me talk/type to a human under any circumstances short of a subpoena. (No offense meant, Steve, if you're really a super-intelligent computer from the future or a mutant alien overlord, as some of us have suspected, and not an actual human.) Cheers hardly seem adequate. -Thoth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marguerite Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Sir Percy would never do that. Gremlins? Not his type. Especially with the Golden Lynx about. (Or are you introducing gremlins to your story, M?)-Thoth Only the gremlins that cluster around the beta versions, and only when my supply of gremlin-whacking wet noodles runs low (Sir P. gets hungry sometimes. He is, as his creator often noted, rather large.) Indeed, gremlins are not his type. Far too energetic and not nearly educated enough on the subtleties of the cravat. Plus they squeal horrendously when he goes after them with his rapier. It makes him yearn for Chauvelin (as an adversary, that is). And he can't get too jealous. A lady has to occupy her time while he's dashing off to Paris, doesn't she? Better Storyist than the gaming hells, I say. Those who lack the literary context for this discussion—a group that does not include Thoth, of course—may want to visit Blakeney Manor. And please, brush up on your reading, people! This is a classic. A not terribly well-written one, but still. BTW, Anthony Andrews made a splendid Percy for the BBC. A DVD well worth watching, and available through Netflix. Stay away from the A&E version, though. Best, Marguerite (aka Lady Blakeney) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Those who lack the literary context for this discussion—a group that does not include Thoth, of course—may want to visit Blakeney Manor. And please, brush up on your reading, people! This is a classic. A not terribly well-written one, but still. When you go, don't forget to take the personality test to see which character you are. (I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm George IV, but without the money to really indulge in the lifestyle as much as I'd like.) Regards to Lady Blakeney. -Thoth, Lord of...well, you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marguerite Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 When you go, don't forget to take the personality test to see which character you are. (I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm George IV, but without the money to really indulge in the lifestyle as much as I'd like.) Regards to Lady Blakeney. -Thoth, Lord of...well, you know. Well, I was Sir Percy, so clearly the test has a few, ahem, flaws. He must be my animus, in the Jungian sense. Best, Marguerite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Oh.. hrm... I thought Sir Percy was an OC of yours... ... guess I better brush up on my reading Under-read - Jules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marguerite Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Oh.. hrm... I thought Sir Percy was an OC of yours... ... guess I better brush up on my reading Under-read - Jules Oh, he is, he is. But he does have an existence independent of me and my fiction. And in that existence he is approximately 132 at last count (from his date of publication; if you add in his setting, the numbers become quite alarming), so I think we would have to say that he has worn very well. Gremlins everywhere fear him. Alas, we have digressed again. Umpteen cheers to Steve for 2.0.1! Inveterate digresser, M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 LOL Perhaps at that age most everything should fear him! Cowering.... - Jules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Women fear him. Men want to be him. No. Wait. Women want to be him (M) and woman want to fear him (Jules)? So what do men want? Wear his puffy ruffled shirts I suppose. My own characters confuse me too. Many of them are women. They like to do that. Digressing as is my want. A bushel of cheers for Steve. (Is he blushing yet?) - Thoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 I think it's funny in a way, that Steve replies faster to our whining than our praise. Oh, and if MSWord is Darth Processor, does that make Steve Obi-wan or Luke? Wait.. must be Obi-wan because Darth is Luke's father...... hm.... or perhaps yoda? Thoth! Are you pondering what I'm pondering? - Jules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 I think it's funny in a way, that Steve replies faster to our whining than our praise. I think it's a mark of good character. Praise only impacts him. Our whining...er...diligent observations expressed with appropriate anxiety ... impact the product and all who use it. Oh, and if MSWord is Darth Processor, does that make Steve Obi-wan or Luke? Wait.. must be Obi-wan because Darth is Luke's father...... hm.... or perhaps yoda?Thoth! Are you pondering what I'm pondering? - Jules Possibly. But it's a well-known fact that the Force is with him. -Luke Skythother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Yea yea..Character and all that Well actually I was pondering how Storyist could take over the world! Humming Pinky & The Brain - Jules http://www.sph.umich.edu/~rwatt/ponderin.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Yea yea..Character and all that Well actually I was pondering how Storyist could take over the world! Humming Pinky & The Brain - Jules http://www.sph.umich.edu/~rwatt/ponderin.htm So that would make me Pinky to your The Brain. Strangely, I've always found Pinky the smarter, or at least the more intuitive of the two. Brain was just megalomaniacally delusional. You know Brain, if Storyist had an auto-writing feature, and everyone in the world used it, a little pre-programming would allow Steve to control the global meme, and through it the WORLD. - Thoth. BTW: Thanks for the link, Jules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Lol personally I think that when put together they make a well rounded person... er..... mouse.... So uh... back to the topic..... What I love most about Storyist 2.0 is......... *drumroll* ........... Comments, Bookmarks, Trash, & Collage View! Hopping down... er back from... the Rabbit Trail - Jules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 What I love most about Storyist 2.0 is......... *drumroll* ........... Comments, Bookmarks, Trash, & Collage View!- Jules I've used the IBM 360 online network text file processor in '72. I've used the hideously expensive* Xerox 8010 Information System (based on the Xerox Alto) in '81. I've used MS Word in '83 and MacWrite in '84 and Nisus in '89. I've used variations of the above, plus lots of shorter-lived writing tools in the last 20 years. Bottom line: Storyist is the best novel-writing tool ever built. How's that for "impressed I am"? "Trash", Jules? Really? Why? - Curious Thoth. *$75,000 for a one terminal workstation. But you can add more stations for under 20K each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Perhaps Trash Can or Project Trash would have been more descriptive and clear. That's a lot. Hopefully you didn't pay for it! Confuseling people everywhere - Jules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Perhaps Trash Can or Project Trash would have been more descriptive and clear. I knew what you meant. I just didn't see Trash as on a par with all the other 2.0 features. Well, to each his/her own. That's a lot. Hopefully you didn't pay for it! No way, Jules. Nor did enough people to sustain the product. It was way too expensive for what was thought of as a secretarial tool. Confuseling people everywhere- Jules Your Confuseling, -Thoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Well, the ability to retrieve something that you delete when you didn't mean to is a great feature. Least to me it is! Heh, wow. What did it do? I would think it'd run the company for that much. HAHA! I have a Confuse-ling! I was just Tigger-izing the word (Con-fuse-el-ing... kinda like absatively posolutely) and here I've got a confused minion! Even better, though..... I'm not sure confused minions can follow orders very well... perhaps I'll have to rethink my plan. Hmmmm Pacing and pondering in the highest tower of the most obscure castle, surrounded my little minions with blinking question marks above their heads. - Jools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marguerite Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Well, the ability to retrieve something that you delete when you didn't mean to is a great feature. Least to me it is! Hear, hear! Thoth is obviously better organized than the rest of us. For those who've been known to delete their antagonist by accident (guess who that would be?), being able to get things back is definitely worth a few cheers. HAHA! I have a Confuse-ling! I was just Tigger-izing the word (Con-fuse-el-ing... kinda like absatively posolutely) and here I've got a confused minion! Even better, though..... I'm not sure confused minions can follow orders very well... perhaps I'll have to rethink my plan. Hmmmm Pacing and pondering in the highest tower of the most obscure castle, surrounded my little minions with blinking question marks above their heads. - Jools That's the trouble with these schemes for world domination. One little mistake, and you're tripping over Confuselings in every dark corner. Have we managed to embarrass Steve yet? Best, Marguerite (not Percy, Thoth's allegations to the contrary notwithstanding) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve E Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Heh, wow. What did it do? I would think it'd run the company for that much. Essentially it was a word processor. A $75,000 word processor. Here are some basic facts about the Xerox 8010 Star. And here is its Wikipedia page. It's fatal flaw wasn't really it's price since in 1981 Word Processing Workstations were targeted at large corporations (Xerox's customer base) and not individuals. The real problem was the corporate mindset at the time: you simply didn't put anything resembling a keyboard on an manager's desk (much less an executive's). So this pricey gadget was relegated to clerical use, like xerox copy machines themselves. But at that price they could hire three secretaries ('81 Speak for Administrative Assistants) for a year. So I guess it really was the money. Historical note. Back in the '80s I went to a "Computer Show" at the New York Colosseum and, no kidding, the hit of the show was a keyboard hidden in a mahogany humidor. That was back when execs still smoked cigars in their offices. Hiding the keyboard was actually more important to those people than any of the new hardware and software. In 1998 Steve Jobs introduced the "Bondi Blue" iMac G3, a computer that screamed "look at me!". And so it goes. - Thoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolissa Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Were you ever a history teacher? Or a little known facts teacher? You, Sir, are a vast ocean of knowledge. lol!! We should all have a stump Thoth challenge..... like what was the name of the fish in Pinocchio? And what instrument of mashing the potatoes did Sam use in Benny & Joon? Or... What does the Civet (tree dwelling mammal) have to do with Coffee? And what's the difference between the Eastern Garter Snake and the Eastern Ribbon Snake? Or even... Name three types of archery bows (not brand names). Host of the Stump Thoth Show - Jullese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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