Making it plain: the word processor vs. the writing process
I believe that many people who compose written documents using a word processor or page layout app like Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Adobe InDesign or Quark Xpress do themselves a disservice.
Word processors and page layout apps provide too many distractions from the act of getting words onto the page. I bear no ill will toward Word, Pages, and the others, they’re excellent tools for making the words you’ve written look just the way you want them to. But they’re overkill for writing, with too many rabbit holes that have nothing whatsoever to do with composing words.
My theory is that you get distracted by margins, typefaces, style sheets, and all the other useful features that are of little use when you are trying to get your words into a document.
I prefer to separate the two tasks — writing and formatting — and use the best tool for each. Although I have to submit most of my work as Microsoft Word files, I rarely write my first draft in a word processor or page layout program. I find it much more productive to compose my columns and chapters in a plaintext editor, and then copy and paste them into a
Word document for final formatting and prettifying.
This may sound like a radical idea, but it removes the temptation to make things look right while I’m trying to write, and typically allows me to complete my writing in much less time than it would take in a Word Processor, where I’m always adjusting margins, styles, fonts and spacing.
Instead, I remove all that from the equation when I write my first (and often second) draft in BBEdit or Ulysses (which I wrote about in February) before copying and pasting them into a Word doc for formatting and final polish.
I know I’m in the minority here. Most people are accustomed to using a word processor for writing and don’t have a problem with it.
Writing in plain text is a joy. No font menu, no paragraph styles, and no margins. Just words. I’m the kind of guy who is easily distracted, so eliminating distractions while I’m writing virtually guarantees I’ll finish the writing sooner and what I’ve written will be tighter and more focused.
If you’ve never tried using a text editor to avoid distraction while composing documents, you definitely should. It’s easy, both BBEdit and Ulysses have free 30-day trials. And BBEdit maker Bare Bones also offers a feature-limited version that’s free. Both are available in the Apple app store.
So, next time, try using a text editor instead of your word processor or page layout app — you’ve got nothing to lose and it might just make you more productive!