It has just about everything I need - a word count, a spell-checker, and shortcuts to produce clean HTML (if that's what the editor requires), and little of the overhead and distractions of a word processor. Unfortunately, while it shows some promise, it turns out to be another writing tool designed more for wannabes than a working writer.īut I am always on the lookout for other tools, which is why FocusWriter interested me. I am actually surprised and disappointed to make that statement. FocusWriter and WriteMonkey, among others, include typewriter sound effects. Many of the programs include timers to pace writing. Other aids can include spell checkers, auto-corrections and quick text templates. Graeme Gott, FocusWriter's developer describes it as a "fullscreen, distraction-free word processor," which sounds like something that should suit me. Word count is a common feature in these editors. And, whether full-screened or windowed, with its auto-hide menu and icon and status bars, FocusWriter does provide a minimalist environment in which to work. The problem is that FocusWriter also provides other features that Gott imagines that Writers need that are actually other forms of distractions. FocusWriter is a fullscreen, distraction-free word processor designed to immerse you as much as possible in your work. Standalone software, no installation required. FocusWriter Portable 1.6.15 has been released. Other features include as-you-type spell checking, tabs to switch between multiple documents, auto-saving and session support. Take, for example, the progress indicators. FocusWriter also includes productivity features that allow you to set daily goals and view live statistics about your progress (word count, page count etc.). If you are writing for publication, an approximate word count is useful. Assignments are usually given out in approximate word-lengths, which helps editors plan layout. However, the key word here is "approximate." In selling over 950 articles, I have yet to meet an editor who wants more than a count rounded off to the nearest multiple of 50 or 100. Only amateurs care enough to get the exact count. Under such approximations, exactly how words are counted, which FocusWriter allows you to set in its preferences, is largely irrelevant. Personally, I have not the least idea how Bluefish calculates words - whether, for instance, it counts HTML tags or spaces or counts words as five or six spaces. All I know is that no editor has complained about my word counts, and what I get is more than good enough for me.
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