The Best Outlining Tools for Writers | Scrivener, Notion, OneNote, etc.

[@marktheslug]

This is excellent! Thank you for sharing this information.

[@rachelthompson9324]

my favorite outline tools are a legal pad and pencil, the eraser is optional

[@countcrimson]

Very insightful. Thank you!

[@annevoshol8936]

Thanks for the overview. I start in Scapple, with a mindmap. Then I switch over to Plottr, to create a more logical, chronological time line. I write in Scrivener, and keep a story bible in PB wiki. Needless to say, I like to get to know various software programs and apps. I tried almost every outline tools you mentioned. Recently added Notion to the mix, but I use it as a progress journal and process planner: what do I need to do in general, this quarter, today, what have I accomplished? I love ticking off those to-do boxes

[@objectivebob5038]

I'm a OneNote man myself. I'm too accustomed to the MS Word shortcuts and formatting styles and OneNote is most easy to use in conjunction with Word.

[@suewegert2323]

Thanks for the information. I wasn’t aware of Reedsy’s program. Will try it.

[@JoeGibbs]

Nice list, thanks for hitting this topic. Am adding my own comments and an additional suggestion. I tried Notion in the past, but its lack of true offline mode drove me away. It is a great tool but the weekend I was RV'ing in the great outdoors and could not use it as I didn't have internet was when I gave up. Obsidian looks like another markdown tool,. There are plenty of those around. I tried a few and I decided to not learn another language and focus on content. OneNote is from Microsoft, and I am not running it on my Macbook. Last time I used it it seemed to be about the 'blocks' that you put content in. Not sure how well it would work as a true story plotting tool. World Anvil will be a great tool when I need to deep dive into a fictional world. Not at that point yet. Currently I use Workflowy for lists, and lots of things, and suspect it might work out well for outlining. Will give it a try. Finally Scrivener is my main writing tool. There are a few external tools that will interact with your scrivener files. I need to look at them as I am sticking with that product for my works in progress.

[@jayplay8140]

Obsidian is a godsend

[@vCoralSandsv]

I use world anvil for my fantasy novels but just plain ole word for my contemporary romance. I've been interested in checking one note out! Might have to give it a try. Scrivner was too complex for me. I just want something simple & intuitive.

[@elmiathewriter]

I swear by Notion - I can't live without it anymore (not as a person nor as a writer)

[@AryaCyrus]

I'd love to read your stories. But I have a hard time finding the list. All I find is the books you read or review. And nothing on amazon.

[@mageprometheus]

Thanks Shaelin. I use Obsidian. After 30 years as a software developer, I love being able to create flexible workflows. With 600+ plugins, it can do everything if you know what you're doing. You would probably hate it, along with everyone else who likes simple, preconfigured options. (I can't help being a geek, be gentle). I've been keeping an eye on Atticus, a cross-platform rival to Vellum. Besides formatting, it has an editor built in which they intend to surpass Scrivener. I've recently seen a few reviews where its formatting capabilities are considered to be better than Vellum. I wouldn't know as I hate Apple almost as much as Disney. 😄

[@a.l.dowdall1097]

I'm a big fan of Obsidian for story bibles. It doesn't have to be complicated, either. In fact, I'd say it's almost as simple as Onenote if you don't get into the third party plugins, and you can control where your information is stored.

[@mageprometheus]

@@a.l.dowdall1097 True. But then the temptation creeps in. Just one template. I'll be fine. Perhaps use dataview. Periodic notes for journalling is great but now I need checkboxes for tasks. Before you know where you are there are projects, PDFs, Zotero integration, AI plugins, and mindmaps. How did I ever exist without spending 3 hours a day managing my PKM?

[@a.l.dowdall1097]

@@mageprometheus 😀 Well, yeah, but not everyone is a tech geek like us.

[@dandunn666]

When I was in high school, there were three groups, Browser’s, stoners, and the jocks. Now, apparently there are 72 sexes in school today. Nobody’s called me in three years.

[@georgegonzalez-rivas3787]

What about Ullyses? That gets very positive reviews and it seems to be more approachable than Scrivener. And I'll take a look at RBE.

[@ThreadBomb]

I've wanted to try out some writing software recently, but in the process realised that my pc has real problems and I can't use any of the programs I want!

[@lakeshagadson357]

I want to find out if I can work for something like reedsby

[@faithfaraday]

No Plottr?

[@bugyourparents]

thx reedsy!

[@lizmol-san]

I use OneNote and MSWord. I can’t do anything without them 😅

[@u_t_d_s_h-1_a]

Outlining: the hardest part of it all -- most people don't know.

[@Felesoid]

Hello, Shaelin, I use Papyrus Author. I love this software. I have one or two dislikes. One being, I wish I could create multiple timelines. Let's say you wish to write about a time travelling police officer, who is tracking a criminal though time. You may follow him/her in the 1900s, 1700s, 2345BC, etc. For the moment you cannot do this.

[@edwinleskin3112]

I keep trying these and keep coming back to just a bunch of Google docs :/

[@u_t_d_s_h-1_a]

They work for some, don't for many...

[@maryjane0878]

The first thing the presenter needs to do is get rid of the highly affected and annoying vocal fry.

[@u_t_d_s_h-1_a]

Outlining: the hardest part of it all -- most people don't know.