Ulysses review: This is my most-loved app for writing (why I left Bear)
I've used Bear as my primary writing tool for a long time. I like its simplicity, interface, and its ease of use. It wasn't until a while ago that I decided to try Ulysses an attempt. And, wow, I was blown by the experience. Today I'll take some of the differences of Ulysses as well as. Bear. Both are fantastic games; However, I wish I'd made a move earlier. If you spend a lot of time taking notes or writing, you'll find yourself fascinated by my observations.
Related posts
Tech Tip: Are You Guilty of using weak Passwords? The Password Management for Windows 10 is a Must!
The 5 biggest Technology Trends in 2022
Writing that is distraction-free
If you're unfamiliar with Ulysses and Bear two, they're Mac applications focused on providing a beautiful and uncluttered writing experience. Since switching to Mac some time ago, I've been awed by every one of the stunning apps and the Apple ecosystem in general. The majority of Windows applications are ugly.
Apart from writing all my blog posts and blog entries in Ulysses, I also keep my notes. These are mostly things I have trouble keeping track of. For example, the filter my air conditioner requires, the best way to file my taxes or my grocery list for the week.
How To Write Distraction FREE! - Astrohaus Hemingway Freewrite, Source: Youtube, ShortCircuit
Other features that I enjoy that are offered for each of Ulysses Bear and Bear include:
- Dark Mode (a necessity these days)
- Markdown editor (no requirement to remove your hands from the keyboard)
- Gorgeous-looking system fonts
- iCloud Sync
- Backup and automatic save
- Different icons to organize groups and sections
- Run like butter and support natively Apple Silicon
- Different options for exporting files like HTML, DOCX, PDF, and more.
Simply put, apps such as the Ulysses app and Bear allow you to write again with fun!
If you're interested, I've tested several other writing programs, such as iA Writer, INK, Hemingway, Obsidian, and Scrivener. iA Writer is a close second. However, I'm not a fan of any of its fonts that are a problem. INK is quite good; however, it does not support Markdown and is extremely slow.
Another issue with popular programs such as Notion and Craft is that both utilize blocks-based approaches, similar to WordPress, that can ruin the whole writing experience.
The fun part is now looking into the distinct features of Ulysses as opposed to. Bear. It's not a secret that I'm a fan of both apps for writing. However, Ulysses comes with a few unique features that I couldn't do without after trying the apps.
Themes and styles
In Bear the Bear store, there are around 20 themes to pick from. Two of my favorites include Dark Graphite and Ayu Mirage.
The writing experience both in Bear and Ulysses is fantastic. The editors don't utilize block-based technology, which is fluid and easy writing. They also provide decent support for Markdown right out of the box ( Bear markdown support, Ulysses Markdown support).
Major Themes in Ulysses: James Joyce's Ulysses for Beginners, Source: Youtube, Adam Savage
In addition, Ulysses takes it a step further by allowing users to modify any of the shortcut keys for Markdown to whatever they like. The flexibility makes it practical to alter things.
You can also choose to alter the size of previews of images displayed in the editor by default.
Goals, keywords, outline, links, and more
Another thing I love about Ulysses is the fact that it offers you more choices regarding the content you publish.
You may define a target for each piece. It can be as simple as how many characters or words you wish to achieve, a target date, and so on. I generally opt for 2,000 words or more in my regular blog posts. However, I've also had the 10,000-word limit for more extensive posts. After that, you'll have an indicator of your goal's progress that monitors your progress while you write.
You can assign keywords to every article (sheet). I ensure that I am aware of the primary topic I'm writing about. You can also utilize these keywords for organization or filtering. It is easy to click on any outline item image, link, or other to access it within the article directly. I frequently do! It's not hidden under another click or scattered across different areas.
As an author, Grammar and spelling are crucial. I usually use most of my content using Grammarly that I've been using for a long time. There's nothing that can stack against Grammarly, and I can assure you I've tested them all.
Unfortunately, Grammarly doesn't have an API. This means that no product or software can integrate with Grammarly (which is unfortunate). But, Ulysses provides spelling check, made available through its effortless integration to the Language Tool. Although it's not as effective as Grammarly, it can catch some of my errors as I'm frantically writing.
Ulysses For Novel Writing Tutorial, Source: Youtube, Emily lowrey
Suppose you're looking to compare Ulysses against. Bear, Ulysses is most definitely more expensive than the other apps. But, I have no issues supporting independent developers providing high-quality apps and continue evolving. In both cases, Ulysses and Bear are doing this. I also appreciate how selective the app's developers are. Both apps don't simply implement every feature request. It must be incorporated within the workflow of their application.
Ulysses can be accessible through Mac App Store and costs $49.99 per year. It's also available in Setapp. Bear's no-cost version; however, it does not sync, and I'm not sure why anyone should even bother using it. The version with premium features, Bear Bear, is available on the Mac App Store and costs $14.99 for a year.
Each of Ulysses and Bear both has iOS apps that also perform well. I don't use my phone. However, I have used it to make my shopping list.
I believe that the extra features included in Ulysses are well worth the additional price. However, I write frequently. Therefore, you need to think about how much time you'll be spending writing or blogging and how much you take notes.
Publishing and exporting
If you're a writer writing in Ulysses Naturally, the last step in the process is to transfer your post to WordPress. But, this process is somewhat more complicated than it needs to be (with the two versions of Ulysses Bear and Bear).
Ulysses allows directly publishing on Ghost, Medium, Micro. Blog as well as WordPress. It is also possible to update posts. But there are two caveats. First, I use two-factor authentication for my websites, which disables the feature. A hosting service or plugin may block XMLRPC, which Ulysses uses for publishing ( see workaround).
There's not a perfect solution. But, this isn't anything new with regards to WordPress. But, there are different ways to incorporate the content in WordPress.
How to Export and Use Plottr Files in Ulysses, Source: Youtube, Zara Altair
My method is to convert the article to HTML (available for two formats: Ulysses and Bear) and copy and paste all of the information in The WordPress Block Editor. I've used this method with articles with more than 10,000 words, and I didn't have any issues.
An HTML export includes original (uncompressed) pictures I upload to WordPress. The uncompressed aspect is helpful since it allows me to store all my images from the beginning.
You may also export into these other formats:
Text Ulysses and Bear
ebook: Ulysses
Adobe PDF Ulysses and Bear
Documentation in DOCX: Ulysses and Bear
Both Ulysses and Bear provide a simple way to import and export content. To transfer content to Bear into Ulysses, follow these steps. It took me just about a minute to move everything. It's not entirely ideal, but you'll be able to tidy up after the entire thing is stored in Ulysses.
Conclusion
The two apps Ulysses along with Bear, are excellent writing tools. However, I've been in love with the features and customization options available in Ulysses.
In this regard, it's crucial to remember this: it's important to note that the Bear team is currently working on a new editor. It's named Panda, and it's presently in beta moment. This means that a Chrome extension such as Grammarly could work together with Bear shortly. This is something I'll be watching for.
I've written the past twelve or more blog entries on workup with Ulysses (including this one), and I have no intention to change any time shortly. When you write, you'll need motivation. The ability to customize your workflow can provide the reason you need.
Related posts
What can you do to improve ASO's essential App Store Optimization rules?
5 Tips breakthroughs to increase iOS app installs on App Store
Hope this article is helpful to you, thanks for reading.
Source: https://proreviewsapp.com/
Leave a Reply
Your e-mail address will not be published. Required fields are marked *