Writing a book, be it fiction or fact, is a daunting and difficult task, and it makes sense to use every tool at your disposal to make the job easier.
While the traditional word processor has always been a popular choice, we now have more apps tailored to large and complex writing projects, and one of the prime examples is Ulysses.
Ulysses (opens in new tab) is a Markdown (opens in new tab) writing environment, which means you write in plain text using some simple punctuation marks to apply styling. The syntax will be familiar to almost everyone who has written a text message or tweet; For example, you can surround a phrase with an underscore for emphasis, use a double-asterisk for boldface, or use a hyphen to create a bulleted list. Ulysses also provides controls for you to apply the styling but it’s easy to learn.
The app runs on macOS, iPadOS, and iOS, with all your writing synced automatically via iCloud. It is available on the App Store (opens in new tab) as a monthly or annual subscription, priced at $5.99 / 4.99 / AU$6.49. Backups are also automated, and you can take additional snapshots at any time. While Ulysses is subscription-based and is regularly enhanced with new features, it has a free trial that is available on all supported platforms.
organize your writing
(image credit: TechRadar)
With a word processor, you can have one big file for the whole writing, but in Ulysses you can work more flexibly. Ulysses has a unified master library of all your works, made up of groups and sheets. Groups are like folders that can be nested, and sheets are single documents that can exist at any location within the group’s hierarchy. There’s also a special kind of group called a filter, which is like a smart folder: a group whose contents update dynamically based on the conditions you specify.
You can mark any sheet as a content sheet, which means it won’t be included in the word count, and it won’t be exported when you save your work in another format. Content sheets are ideal for your planning documents such as reference information, character profiles, location descriptions and plot outlines. You can – and should – create groups to keep that information as well, separate from your actual manuscript.
A smart tip is to use one sheet per scene, or at least one sheet per chapter in your book. This lets you work on smaller pieces at a time, makes it easier to rearrange parts of text later, and more easily allows you to keep track of what’s going on using some of Ulysses’ other features. . You can also “glue” multiple sheets together, ensuring that those sheets behave as a unified document when editing or exporting them.
Using keywords to track story elements
(image credit: TechRadar)
Ulysses offers color-coded keywords that you can create and apply to any of your sheets. Keyword groups will appear in the list, giving you an overview of any aspect of your book you’re using the keywords for.
For example, scenes written from the point of view of a particular character (such as the protagonist) may have a certain keyword applied to it, and another to the antagonist. This will quickly and easily allow you to see the flow and balance of the narrative, and you’ll know if you’ve been spending too long with one character.
The same techniques can be used to interpret conflict scenes, changes of location, special plot arcs, and just about anything else. Keywords are also useful for tracking the status of a particular sheet, such as First Draft, Revised, or Completed.
Handling tk tasks using filters
(image credit: TechRadar)
One of the worst things you can do while writing is to break your focus or flow. For this reason, authors often like to make a vaccine (often also called come) when they know they need to go and see something, or insert something later.
The idea is that you quickly insert a TKwhich is usually just letter TK, by itselfin a place where you know you need to come back later and fill in something, then just keep typing. The letters TK are used because they rarely occur in English, so it is easy to find that sequence of characters and no false positives are found.
Ulysses also supports a variety of Markdown highlights for adding inline notes to your writing, and since Markdown is all plain text, you can search for those later. Even better, create a filter, which as mentioned above is a kind of Smart Folder. Choose the criteria for the filter, which will find your annotation or vaccine, and you’ll always have an up-to-date list of what still needs attention in your book.
Proofreading and Editing
(image credit: TechRadar)
Ulysses has a variety of tools to help you check your writing, including spell checking, word count, and statistics, as well as advanced text checking using an online service (at no extra cost) that specializes in grammar and Also checks stability.
There is a dedicated modification mode for this purpose, and you can also review Each sheet’s annotations, automatically generated structural outlines, and any attachments such as notes or images you add.
The editor view’s typography can be quickly changed on the fly without needing to go into the app’s main settings screen, allowing you to read back on your work and change the layout to help spot mistakes.
Creating eBooks and Paperbacks
(image credit: TechRadar)
In addition to exporting in mixed text formats, such as HTML, or as a Word document, Ulysses also allows publishing to WordPress and Medium, and creating PDFs and ePubs. All of these formats are controlled by export styles, dozens of which are freely available on the Ulysses Style Exchange (opens in new tab) website.
Your writing can become a screenplay or poem, a print-ready paperback interior, or an ePub file ready to be uploaded to the Kindle Store, Apple Books, and elsewhere. Export styles can be previewed online and installed using Ulysses on any platform with a single tap, and your installed styles will also sync via iCloud.
If you want to publish a novel or story collection as an ebook and paperback, check out two related genres called GeMail Novels (opens in new tab) on Style Exchange. You’ll also find a long list of editor color schemes out there for you to customize your writing environment to your liking.
From writing down the first word of chapter one to creating a finished book in multiple formats, Ulysses can help you do it all, no matter which Apple device you prefer to work on. However, the story you want to tell is up to you.
