Writing A Novel with Ulysses III by David Hewson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have no idea why the Kindle edition identifies this book as Writing a Novel with Ulysses III as there is no version 3 of the program (it’s at version 2.7 as of March 2017 and the book is based on version 2.6. The differences between these versions have no impact on the advice offered). That aside, David Hewson’s book–more of a booklet, really–is a fine guide on covering the basics and some of the specifics in using Ulysses to write a novel. As a bonus, he also includes a chapter on how to use the program to write a screenplay or radio script, too.
Ulysses bills itself as a “pleasant, focused writing experience.” It’s a minimalist writing program, using plain text with markdown to provide a very clean writing environment. As with similar programs like WriteMonkey, it is meant to be a distraction-free way to write, where almost all formatting is handled separately from the actual writing, through an export process done after the project is complete.
Ulysses is not a complicated program. In use, it is rather the opposite and intentionally so. It wants to get out of the way so you can just write. The value in this book is in how Hewson concisely covers its features while offering enough specific tips to further smooth the experience without having to search forums or other resources for information. The combination of his writing experience and familiarity with the software work well to provide advice that is of immediate usefulness.
He peppers the book with general writing advice while also encouraging writers to use their own approach if their methods don’t match his own. You may organize your manuscript, research material, and other notes differently, but Hewson’s suggestions in regards to Ulysses remain useful.
Overall, this is a quick, useful read for anyone interested in fiction writing and has chosen Ulysses for the task. It has helped me to better organize and tweak my writing projects.
(Ulysses is only available for macOS and iOS.)
