14 DAY TRIAL // For those of us who write for a living, there is only so much we need from a word processing application. Yes, after the actual writing has been done, we need the fancy layout tools and the nifty formatting options and all the others... But before, when the actual writing is taking place, we need something simple and efficient that will help rather than hinder the creative process.
CopyWrite is such a tool, designed and built to help get the writing done - it is in fact two programs merged into one. On one hand it is a Project Manager, on the other it is a Word Processor.
Half project manager... As a project manager, this program does a great job. Each project you are working on can contain any number of documents. You can access and edit them all straight away with just a few clicks. This eliminates Open and Save dialogs, and having to keep track of individual files on your hard drive. This is not entirely a new idea but here the implementation stands out.
Each document inside the project can have its own category and status. You can add your own categories and statuses, and they are project-based, meaning that you can customize them for each project in order to best suit whatever you are working on. The status is also a great feature that allows you to easily sort out what needs revising and what is in its final, polished, state. CopyWrite does not stop here, and brings to the table the "Versions", because rewriting is something that happens more often than not.
Whether you find that something just isn't working, come up with a new twist, or simply want to scrap a certain piece because you are stuck on it and can't move on, this program has the perfect way to do it. For each document in your project, you can have any number of different versions, and you can change between them at any time. Whenever you create a new version, you get a duplicate of the previous version you were working on, and every version except the current one becomes read only. To avoid confusion, whenever you search for a document or browse through the project you are only shown the current versions.
CopyWrite also has a built in Project browser that makes it easy to locate documents based on category and a search function that can look in both the documents and their notes at the same time. Furthermore, to each document you can assign external links, that can be either local or on the Internet. This is superb for when you use pictures, sounds or even other documents for reference. Everything is kept nice and tidy and only a few clicks away.
Half word processor As a Word Processor, CopyWrite keeps everything fast and simple without any of the fancy tools except those you actually need. Bold, Italic and Underline are all the formating options you are going to be seeing. However, the program features a universal replace tool that will search everywhere in your project and replace the word whenever it finds it.
You now have a convenient way of jotting down any ideas you might have or taking notes without having to use two documents or having to use footers. There is a Notes drawer that can be hidden or shown at any time where you can keep notes that are bound to the project and are visible from within any document or keep notes that are bound to the document and not visible anywhere else.
In case you get into the "zone" and just want to write without any distractions, you can switch to Full-Screen mode. In full screen mode, all you see is the text you are currently writing and a scroll bar. There are no buttons or menus or anything else to distract you, only a thin strip of gray at the bottom on the screen where you can click to show a drawer from which you can change document, the size of the font and the size of the side gutters. Full Screen mode is the closest thing to the "clean paper" sensation of the old typewriter days, and is a great way to write.
CopyWrite also has all sorts of tiny features that make using it a joy, such as the goal meter, the automated backup system with included ZIP compression, time spent on project and many others.
The Good A great combination between a writer-oriented word processor and a project manager. Regardless of what you write, this program was made to help you do it easier.
The Bad Although the developer is right about formating tools that are useless, there are some that could actually be helpful such as the colored text highlighting. Also there is a way of searching in the versions that are not active, making things a bit of a nightmare if you have lots of versions... But then again working with any of the mainstream word processors would also have meant opening each file by hand for searching.
The Truth A great program for writing, a great program for project management. It will help you get the job done without any hassle.
Here are some screen shots I took while writing this review, click to enlarge:
