
Earnest – A writing tool for first drafts - rhubarbcustard
http://www.moreofless.co.uk/earnest/
======
tptacek
For this problem, I am a little bit irrationally in love with Draftin ---
[https://draftin.com](https://draftin.com).

One problem I have writing is that I've spent ~25 years conditioning myself
_not_ to write first drafts, by doing so much writing on BBSs, then Usenet,
then mailing lists, then (briefly) blogs and finally on boards (the new
Usenet). As a result, I lack the discipline to get my thoughts on a page and
then walk away.

Draftin solves this for me by making it so easy to collect reviews (by sharing
links to drafts with friends or interested people) that I feel compelled to do
that every time I write something.

I'm also surprised at how little I miss emacs (my normal writing environment)
when writing on Draft. I almost prefer Draft's interface.

~~~
aufreak3
Thanks for the link to draftin. Looks very useful. Fwiw, the op's work seems
equivalent to draftin's "Hemingway mode" .. which (if I understand it right)
doesn't permit any edits at all.

~~~
Wistar
Ah. Is this why the both the delete and backspace key appear to be disable in
earnest?

~~~
xerophtye
Yes, they mention it on their landing page that the purposely disabled those
to make you focus on just putting words on paper. They don't want you breaking
your flow to correct a typo

------
dmerfield
As it seems many have done, I also made a text editor for first drafts called
Typewriter.

[http://llllll.li/typewriter/](http://llllll.li/typewriter/)

It's a little more restrictive since you can't move the caret. However, you
can 'delete' mistakes by striking them out. Also, when you save your draft,
text you've struck-out is excluded.

I turned it into a desktop app for mac since I wanted something which would
work offline and save/read files nicely but you can preview the basic writing
experience in browser
([http://llllll.li/typewriter/app/](http://llllll.li/typewriter/app/)). The
code is also on Github:
[https://github.com/davidmerfield/Typewriter](https://github.com/davidmerfield/Typewriter)

~~~
lygaret
I really like this, thanks!

------
euphemize
Like this a lot too.

> Earnest shows you the number of words in your text, useful for people who
> need to hit a particular word-count, but it only re-calculates the number
> every minute to deter you from constantly keeping an eye on your progress.
> The word-count should not be a distraction from your writing.

I would maybe have the counter be real-time, but require the user to leave the
keyboard (or some other significant action) to show it? (ex: on mouseover). I
was trying this out and still was looking at the "0 words" and thinking "damn,
I wonder how many words there are."

~~~
ollysb
Perhaps the writer could enter the target number of words. You could show a
progress bar (with a course granularity of say quarters) then when you're near
the target show the word count in real time so that you can fine tune your
words into the limit.

------
donnieclapp
Draft ([http://draftin.com](http://draftin.com)) has had a similar "Hemingway
Mode" feature for a few months now.

It's potentially more useful, though, because when you're done "no backspace"
writing, you can switch to normal mode and get all the features of a full
collaborative piece of software.

------
moron4hire
I am actively researching something I call "emerging writers". An emerging
writer is a person who has finally gone beyond just saying they want to be a
writer and is actively working on their first manuscript.

It's a lot like learning programming. There is a lot that is unknown, but
learning is exciting, and the potential is clear to the budding author.
Unfortunately, the available tools and feedback systems for writers are
extremely primitive compared to what is available to programmers.

In the cases I've observed, emerging writers often can intuit errors in their
writing, but lack the skillset to correct said errors. Lacking tools like
spelling- and grammar-check then causes anxiety for the user. And in my own
personal development as a writer, I know that my spelling skill only improved
with the introduction of ubiquitous spelling-correction indicators in
browsers. I would often try to correct the spelling mistake on my own so I
wouldn't have to grab the mouse to right-click the broken word.

So, against my initial judgement that spell-check was a detriment to mean-
time-to-first-draft, I eventually came to re-enable spelling check in my own
writing tool:
[https://www.justwritedammit.com](https://www.justwritedammit.com).

If you're serious about helping writers be more productive, please consider
joining me. JWD is open-source, free software.
[https://www.github.com/capnmidnight/JWD](https://www.github.com/capnmidnight/JWD).

------
elwell
> Earnest automatically saves you writing every 10 seconds

> There's no need to name you text

> Earnest will auto-save you work

your* writing, your* text, your* work

Was the value proposition written in Earnest?

I like the concept though.

~~~
rhubarbcustard
Heh, I just knew I would put a typo on the landing page somewhere - I checked
and double-checked it...

But, yeah, it was written using Earnest and the first draft of it looked much
worse.

------
Theodores
Would this not work better as a plugin 'editor' for a CMS such as Wordpress?

Imagine you log in to Wordpress as 'contributor' and write with the 'Earnest'
plugin, no edits possible, but still in the knowledge that you are writing for
the blog and surrounded by the WP interface you know well. The autosaved
article would only be 'draft'.

Then, you log in as 'editor' to do the editing, with the regular WP editor.

For me I could see the attraction of such a work flow and it would not be like
I was having to learn a new tool, as is the case here.

~~~
rhubarbcustard
That's a good idea, that could definitely work. I created Earnest as a
standalone page for myself mainly so that I could do away with almost all
controls and clutter on the page and just have the textarea - keeping
distractions to a minimum.

------
drye
Looks like shift+arrow keys will still select the text and the selected text
can be replaced by typing over it.

~~~
trop
Also tapping within the text and typing quickly will also overwrite/insert...

------
DanBC
This is a great idea.

I would love an option to have bigger text size for writing. The current
editing text is too small for comfort.

The text on the info page is also far too small for me. Sorry to sound like
I'm whining.

I spotted one typo - "Earnest automatically saves you writing every". I gave
up reading because my eyesight is so bad and I just couldn't read the smaller
text.

I do really freaking like the idea though. I will be using it. Is there any
way to send you a (small) amount of money?

~~~
rhubarbcustard
Hey Dan, OP here.

Thanks for the kind words, glad you liked it. Are you viewing Earnest on a
table or phone? Think I need to tidy my CSS up a bit for smaller screens.

~~~
DanBC
I'm using Chrome on iOS on an iPhone 4s.

~~~
rhubarbcustard
OK, thanks, I'll have a look at Earnest on smaller screens at some point over
the weekend and sort the sizing out.

------
dredmorbius
When I was a callow youth we called this COPY CON

You can achieve a remarkably similar effect with

    
    
        cat <<EOF >file
    

Strictly this allows you to cheat in that you can edit the present line, but
as a matter of course, it's pretty fluid.

And I actually use it on occasion. Usually for initializing README files,
occasionally longer texts.

------
dasmithii
Interesting how we sometimes prefer restriction to full-fledged freedom.
Similarly, many of us find Twitter more pleasant that Facebook, which puts no
limitation on post length.

I suppose the minuscule details of life are better left in the hands of others
(or software, for that matter). When spell checks, word counts and the like
are left outside one's realm of thought, it's easier to focus on what's truly
meaningful - in this case, the content itself, rather than grammatical
intricacies.

Premature optimization is an enormous problem in both code and prose. This
tool's core purpose is to remove that temptation, I guess, though I'm not
fanatic about the concept. If modern word processors are too distracting, and
their advantages aren't necessary, I'd prefer to write on physical paper
instead. It brings the same "don't look back" mentality.

------
mcmire
This makes sense. I don't write a lot, but when I do, I actually use Evernote
on my phone or TextEdit on my computer. I find the smaller the space to write
in, or the shittier the tool, the better. Basically limitations are actually a
good thing. You're not compelled to write anything beautiful, and so there's
no pressure, and you just write anything that comes to mind. You can always
edit later...

------
baddox
The write-only concept is interesting. I suspect I would find it irritating,
but I'm not a writer. I wonder what other constraints could help.

~~~
chj
There is an app for that

[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/write-
only/id590507955?mt=8](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/write-
only/id590507955?mt=8)

------
xerophtye
Personally, since i do a lot of typos, i'd find it rather distracting that i
can't go back and fix something even though i know it's wrong. I suppose the
idea is to let go of all of that and just spew out words without breaking your
flow, and i know going back to correct a typo does break flow, but it's
something i think i'd have to train myself to do.

------
obeid
When testing a new writing app, I tend to write a stream of consciousness kind
of thing. Here's what I wrote to test the app. "This is an experiemnt with
Earnets. I'm not quite sure how this works. This is another sentence. The word
count is notn being updatineed ... oh I ejust realized the stupid logic of
this application. Cool app, bruh."

------
maxmem
I normally just write in a basic text editor and then do all of my formatting
and editing later.

The auto save would be nice though.

------
0xdeadbeefbabe
Good idea, and it looks nice too.

Here's a similar, though uglier, idea[0] for the console, the console because
less opportunity for hn, facebook, distractionware, etc. Backspace deletes the
whole word.

[0] [https://github.com/hagna/prolix](https://github.com/hagna/prolix)

------
da4c30ff
Inspired by this I wrote a minor mode for Emacs called draft-mode. It can be
found at [https://github.com/gaudecker/draft-
mode](https://github.com/gaudecker/draft-mode)

------
slvv
This is a super interesting idea. I work with a lot of undergraduate students
who struggle with the writing/editing divide, and I will absolutely be
recommending that they try this tool.

~~~
TillE
I've never done anything resembling professional writing, but I've always
found myself creatively paralyzed when sitting in front of a keyboard. Not
quite sure why, but it's so much easier to let it all flow out with a pencil
and paper.

~~~
slvv
That can definitely help! I do work with some students who have learning
challenges or other issues with writing, physical or otherwise, for whom
writing by hand isn't an option. Freewriting is a good idea whether by pencil
or by keyboard, though!

------
gojomo
Nifty. Could take it further and prohibit capitalization and punctuation.
(Perhaps, allow one sloppy stand-in punctuation placeholder no matter what you
type, like &middot;.)

------
aufreak3
Interesting experiment to forbid editing. Though the delete key doesn't work,
cut-copy-paste does. Forbid that too! ... otherwise I'll be tempted to cheat
:)

------
PhasmaFelis
Reminds me of this: [http://wondermark.com/519/](http://wondermark.com/519/)

------
soneca
Great concept, but "not delete" feature? God no! A total deal breaker for me!

I like to correct obvious mistakes, such as typos, when i see it. I like to
insert a paragraph, or a phrase, on a early section, when i think of it. I
like to erase whole paragraphs that a new one I just wrote contradict or
substitute.

I am starting to write some essays and this would be perfect, except for this
write-only. You disrupted too much my process.

~~~
rhubarbcustard
The "no delete" feature is super-weird to begin with and takes a lot of
getting used to. If your workflow is to edit-in-place all the time then
Earnest is probably not for you.

Thanks for checking it out.

~~~
soneca
Weird, first time i feel rejected by a company/service. Feels like highschool.

~~~
Pacabel
Well, the feature that you're suggesting be removed is pretty much the only
thing that distinguishes this from low-end text editors.

It's perfectly sensible and appropriate that such a request would be rejected.
It's really no different than, say, requesting that the directory listing
functionality of the ls command be removed. Yeah, it is a suggestion, but it's
surely not a viable one.

~~~
soneca
I certainly don't think the same way. On browser, easy saving with no signup
and counting words, that would be enough for me to chose among the mentioned
competitors. Only if i could delete

~~~
moron4hire
My site, [https://www.justwritedammit.com](https://www.justwritedammit.com)
lets you save automatically to browser local storage, Google Drive, or
Dropbox. If you have writing in Google Drive already, you can import it as
chapters. You can also manually export and import files to and from the
desktop. It has word count and a timer showing you how long you've been
writing. There is a word and phrase frequency analyzer to help you figure out
if you're over using certain idioms. And if you've been using it for a while
and have a lot of writing, you can export it all to an EPUB package for
eReader devices.

EDIT: and it works on smartphones, too, which I've personally been using to
get some writing done on my galaxy note 2 while on the go or at the coffee
shop/bar.

------
jonp
It looks like there is a way to delete: select a section of text (using Shift
and arrow keys) then press Enter.

------
the1evilgenius
That's a good idea. Seeking perfection the first time around can kill
productivity. I know it has for me.

------
danvoell
Interesting. I never realized how often I hit backspace. Everyone should test
this out just for fun.

------
jopela
This is reminiscent of author George R. R. Martin writing GoT on is DOS
machine.

~~~
chipotle_coyote
Except that WordStar 4 has a delete key. Actually, WordStar has a lot more
editing capability than a lot of the "minimal" text editors that have been the
rage the last few years.

I don't advocate that we should all follow GRRM's lead for our writing, but
I'm wondering whether the race to introduce text editors with ever-decreasing
functionality is actually taking us somewhere particularly useful. In 1994, I
could run a DOS word processor called Nota Bene that supported movement,
selection, deletion and _transposition_ by word, sentence, line, paragraph and
_phrase,_ and could near-instantly index and do Google-esque boolean searches
on entire project folders, showing you search terms in context. (And of course
it had its own multiple file, window and clipboard support, IIRC with multiple
clipboards.) While the editors are surely a lot prettier twenty years later,
could we stop dicking around with ways to _prevent me from editing_ and start
coming up with ways to _help me edit better?_

------
krek
Wouldn't an offline desktop version of this be better?

