Dabble Writing App Review: The ULTIMATE Web-Based Writing App?

[@Maureenkukla]

I'm definitely considering Dabble. Have used Word for three novels, but the old-school way of keeping my plot straight is a hassle. Just a note to all looking at writing apps -- as a published writer, former freelance editor and also judge for several years in a major self-published writing contest, don't worry a ton about fancy formatting options. Most agents and publishers want a standard format without a lot of distracting stuff in it. This includes, by the way, being sure to indent your paragraphs and not having an extra space between paragraphs. While that extra space is common for web content, it's not for published books. So don't sweat lack of fancy formatting if you're looking to publish or get published. Also, kudos to Dabble for recognizing that there shouldn't be two spaces after a period. I recommend all writers select that option. That extra space went out with typewriters. In fact, one thing I like about Dabble is it seems to recognize lot of formatting options aren't necessary for writers. The focus is on the writing. Thanks!

[@sandy949]

I need help with my first book about business, do you mentor or have a referral for me Maureen?

[@katiehettinger7857]

Thank you for your input from a publishing point of view.

[@colleenmackenzie7724]

I'm starting my debut novel and I got an ad for dabble. This beyond helped, thanks for the great video!

[@ayngailey8418]

I'm about a third of the way through writing my next book on Dabble. I found it much easier to use than Scrivener. Thanks for the tutorial. So much more pro and clearly articulated than most.

[@ceafva]

Thank you for showing this. I was interested in changing from Scrivener to this...until I saw the price tag.

[@maineresident3430]

"Boy, do I have a treat for you guys this week." Straight to it, good energy. Instant sub.

[@annemarie-kay352]

Just got Dabble, and I LOVE it. I do wish however I could customize it more but overall it is really easy to set up and use. I truly do love it for my writing and I have it on my Tab s6 lite and my desktop.

[@downtowords9806]

Wow! I might check out this for Nanow! You are awesome as always!

[@Drademdar]

I tried Dabble earlier this year, and it was one of the better writing apps I've used. But like you, I feel that the word processor needs some more work and options for your text. The themes also didn't work for me. I prefer my text to have the traditional black colour, so the dark theme isn't an option. And the light theme is just too bright for my taste. In my current writing software, I've changed the background where I write to a kind of cream colour. It's more relaxing for my eyes than staring at a shinning, white page. But I'll keep an eye on Dabble forward since it could become a good alternative in the future.

[@juliae.8237]

Hey Rune if you don’t mind me asking which writing software did you land on? I am currently on the hunt for a new one. Thanks.

[@Drademdar]

@@juliae.8237 Hello. I'm using "Papyrus Author" www.papyrusauthor.com/ today. It has two different plans; Free and Pro. You can see the differences in features under 'Plans' on their website. They also have a KZbin channel kzbin.infofeatured with several videos explaining the software's features. I used Scrivener earlier (windows 1.9 version), but it felt somewhat outdated in comparison to many newer software. I had high hopes for version 3 of Scrivener, but the long development time made me worry, and I decided to check out what else was out there. After having tried several writing software, I ended up with "Papyrus Author" and are happy with my choice.

[@juliae.8237]

@@Drademdar I’ll go take a look. Seems promising. Thank you for your response!

[@jesuslpgc]

Excellent program. I've seen several things, like the calendar, that Scrivener and Ulysses might take note of. Excellent review by the way.

[@Kev_Partner]

I switched from Novlr to Dabble six months ago and have written a quarter of a million words in it. Overall, the best of all the first draft writing tools I've used. Lovely writing environment (though I'd like more zooming options), great goal setting, decent organisation. For me, being able to write on any device is crucial, so I can switch between Chromebook, phone and desktop seamlessly.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Thanks for sharing!

[@aggieunda3354]

Hi, I'm intrigued by Dabble but I have a couple of questions that maybe you can help me with since you have been using it for a while. Can you export to google doc? Do you have all the prowritingaid resources within Dabble? Thanks !

[@justwritenow.]

As someone who is limited to using a Chromebook right now, a web-based writing app is where it's at for me. I will definitely give this a try. Thanks for the review!

[@ChristiWarner]

Thank you! This was really helpful.

[@wylanvallotton4462]

I love the idea of dabble. I wonder how it fares now compared a a year+ ago that you made this. I still have a hard time moving away from Office and Docs tho because they are so versatile, standard and cross compatible. I mean you want to talk about being available everywhere and web based then I don't know if anything can really beat Docs yet, even if they have more built in features. Docs also supports plug in and has a huge free library of them to add features.

[@deckape67]

Any plans to review Plot Factory or Novel Factory? Both have multi platform support (the latter also has an offline client option for Windows only).

[@knomb]

great content man. good job. the passion shines through.

[@angelaarmstrong9555]

Is there an updated review for this? I saw as of April 2023, there still wasn't the option to export to anything other than word (and possibly google docs), but it mucked up the formatting according to the people posting on the dabble forums. Has the overall program improved at all?

[@TobiasKryze]

A year later and it's still pretty basic, was hoping for some changes since the last time I used it. Now it charges 15 dollars for the spell/grammar check, but..They had a year to make some needed changes and none of them seem to have been adressed as yet. Like the character windows and World building. Even most free writing apps have automatic things like "Age, occupation, race, etc" I mean it's not the be all end all, but it would have been nice to see.

[@briannabree1486]

After watching this video, I'm going to try the app.

[@Himmiefan]

I wish it would have a highlighter in different colors since I highlight parts that I need to come back to.

[@kit888]

Scrivener's plot corkboard is locked to individual chapters. Way more convenient.

[@bjwingate]

Been considering Dabble but I would need to know how to save the format so I can upload my books. you don't mention that at all.

[@TmoniqueStephensAuthor]

I love Dabble. I use it a lot. And I use it on my phone and table A Lot! I find I prefer writing on my phone with Dabble. I have a Galaxy Note 10 and have no issues, or lag time. I do get duplicate words at times, but overall, I love it. I highly recommend its use. I do wish it had a highlight pen option and its search option would take you directly to the word or phrase I'm searching for instead of the chapter.

[@burntscribe7919]

Good review. I was considering Dabble, but have chosen to stay with Scrivener.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

If I could ask, what made you stay with Scrivener?

[@burntscribe7919]

@@AuthorLevelUp Hi! I’m not keen on subscription-based services, preferred Scrivener’s overall layout, prefer their mobile app to what Dabble was offering, and I’ve grown comfortable using Scrivener after so long.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Gotcha. Appreciate you sharing that with me.

[@burntscribe7919]

@@AuthorLevelUp No problem at all. I love your videos. They’ve been helpful to me as I carve out my own writing career.

[@beautyallaroundme724]

I just started writing on Dabble, and I wanted to know if I have to "save" what I'm writing as I'm writing it, and if so, how--or if it automatically saves it. Thanks.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Dabble should auto save your work.

[@Lysistrata79]

Has Dabble added an "Export" feature? I see conflicting information on the internet.

[@EMTGreen1]

This is just the kind of review I was looking for, thank you!

[@ML-py4rt]

Thanks Michael. Did you mention the price? Subscription model or flat-fee model? I don't recall seeing that covered. And you mentioned, "Scrivener without the learning curve." What learning curve specifically were you talking about?

[@AuthorLevelUp]

I forgot to talk about pricing (shame on me). It’s subscription based but you can buy yourself out of that for $399.

[@vella1710]

Oh wow, thank you so much. I will definitely use Dabble app for my writing.

[@williamtruman6085]

Can you change fonts? I have not found where to change.

[@purezentity6582]

I had not test the apps out, but I am an IT guy. first of all, web base is good, but its vulnerable for an attack, can be hack and destroy. but the most important parts are; the work that the writer put in, and how often you write? also, what about when you hit writer block? it can be very expensive. !!!that is just my Opinion!!!

[@susanam.826]

Joanna Penn brought me here. Excited to watch your videos. :)

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Welcome!!

[@donaldware3606]

I Dabble. I kept waiting for Scrivener Windows 3 and was frustrated that Scrivener offered few updates to the Windows crowd. I stumbled onto Dabble, bought it and appreciated Dabble's quick response to my questions. I hear Scrivener's siren song with their release of Windows 3, but I'm tied to Dabble. I remember Scrivener's total lack of support when I lost my draft using their trial version. I can't hear you Scrivener.

[@serinadelmar6012]

You can’t export? I think for now sticking with Scrivener. Thanks for your vid!

[@mariskagallant9965]

Is it ONLY web based? I live in a place where internet is not always an option. Thank you

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Yes it is only web based.

[@mariskagallant9965]

@@AuthorLevelUp thank you. Looks like it isn't an option for me...

[@timothyrowland2050]

Great site app tour! Thanks for your video.

[@DianaSFNg]

Thank you for showing your review on Dabble. I am interested in this, however, exporting the document/ manuscript to another word processing mode is something I do need. I see the ease of Dabble when writing or creating the novel. I just might download this app. Thank you again, Michael.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Yes, there is word export but not ePUB export.

[@DianaSFNg]

@@AuthorLevelUp I wrote down an additional 1038 words. Yay me! :) Thank you again, Michael. I needed this live stream to get my juices going. Two thumbs up for you!

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Thanks so much for coming!

[@blakesmith9039]

Im not sure I'd want to do any writing that stays active on the web

[@Redbrick44]

So sorry to hear there is no export, since I publish on Kindle.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

There is word export but not Kindle export right now.

[@newwordsarabic1209]

Hi Does it support Arabic? Thanks for your video

[@fridakalota370]

How much does it cost Dabble? And my concern is the format. Does it guide you good enough? Please someone help me here 911!!! I want to start writing my novel before my next college semester.

[@ceh.8191]

The cheapest they have is $5.00 a month

[@vikkidoodle8121]

This app gets a plus from me because it works on Linux ^^ YAY!!!

[@johnnyragadoo2414]

Kudos to Dabble for supporting writers!

[@dianeriley9988]

I love Dabble.

[@Redundant_underscore]

Did a free trial and was kind of unimpressed. The interface is beautiful, and I like the scene cards, but wow - the character and worldbuilding sections are plain and bare. I was using Novelize, another web-based app, and liked what it had to offer a lot more - and at the same price. In the end, even that wasn't better than yWriter, which is free. I'm always looking for something better than yWriter, because, well, it's ugly, but so far I've only found pretty wannabe's with far less substance.

[@someplacecozy3107]

have you found anything yet? ;-)

[@Redundant_underscore]

@@someplacecozy3107 - living Writer looks good. Did a free trial and liked it, but couldn't bring myself to buy it. I dropped Novelize and have been with ywriter ever since.

[@jasonissel217]

For the characters and the worldbuilding, all of that is a waste of time, I use campfire blaze and nothing dabble could do would ever come to the level of campfire blaze. What I want is a really amazing drafting software, for my PC, because I don't have a mac, and Scrivner for PC...sucks bad!

[@sukainaduvilaire9690]

So my previous teacher told me to write a little story, and it was so good that I even impressed myself, so I decided to kind of write little and mature books for the summer since the pandemic won't let me do anything fun, so I started drafting story's on word, yes, the word in the office, so then I wanted to actually find a website that gives me the opportunity to write my story's. and I came across "Dabble," and let me tell you how complex this website is like there's chapter 1 and the narrative, I'm not that professional, so I'm just going to stick on word. This remark contains no positive or negative feedback about "Dabble." I simply wanted to share my story. But, if you have a lot of writing experience, such as knowing where to put your storyline or every small detail that you want your book to have in order for it to be successful, I highly recommend Dabble.