Getting technical with Avenir

I want to take a moment to talk a bit about my writing method, and to specifically talk about a tool I've been using for a couple years now. A couple of things first. I write on a Mac, and this tool is a software package that runs on a Mac. If you're a Windows-user, this won't interest you, of course. Now, I'm not a religious computer user. I use a Mac because it's what I use, not because I think it makes me a better person or something. I just really love this writing tool and I think it's worth letting folks know about it.

Avenir is an application specifically designed for writing fiction. Lost Dog was essentially done by the time I found Avenir, but my current WIP has been written entirely using Avenir. The developer, Todd Ransom, describes Avenir as:

Avenir is a new kind of software for writers. Part word processor, part database, completely focused on the creative process. Whether you are brainstorming for your first short story or putting the finishing touches on your latest best-seller Avenir provides the tools you need to manage the creative process from inception to publication.

There are plenty of word processors out there, and I know Microsoft Word dominates the pack on both Mac and Windows. I personally shy away from Word because it's bloated and intrusive -- it makes too many assumptions about what I'm doing and it's too slow. Of course, when it's time to send a manuscript off, it usually has to be in Word. That's what folks seem to want. Fortunately, Avenir exports to Word format without a hitch.

What Avenir does for me is get out of my way when I need it to, but provide a central location for everything I need for a project. It organizes information under a number of standard categories: Actors, Scenes, Chapters, Notes, Research, etc. You can create your own categories of information if you like as well.

For writing and editing, Avenir is a clean, speedy word processor. Below is a typical chapter edit window, including an annotation I created. This is my most typical working view, though Avenir also features a Full Screen mode in which your working chapter fills the screen -- no menus, buttons, widgets or gidgets to distract you from putting the words on the page. Full Screen mode is the closest you can get to the old feeling of putting paper in a typewriter while working on a computer.



Each category of information presents information in a list view. You can set flags for items if you like, draft status indicators, etc. Below you can see the chapter view for my current project.



Characters have their own category, as you can see below, with areas for notes and other information. In the Scenes view, you can link characters to scenes and scenes to chapters. You can assign timelines to scenes as well, and maintain notes.



You can also organize your research, maintain lists of action items or story fragments. Avenir is an incredibly versatile tool that you can easily adjust to your own work style.



Beyond all that I've mentioned, you can use tags and Smart Views to organize your project. There's a progress meter for managing your daily writing goals, word count, word frequency, and much more. I'm just barely scratching the surface.

So if you use a Mac to write, I highly recommend this app. Sure, you can do much of what Avenir does for you in other word processors, but the one stop shopping aspect of the app is what really makes it work for me. It's robust, yet not larded up with excessive, rarely used features -- a truly elegant piece of incredibly functional software that just keeps getting better. Check it out and see what you think.