Those creative dudes in Barcelona are at it again: they’ve upgraded a charming minimalist tool for writers and bloggers called OmmWriter. Its creators call it “a writing environment.”
If you have ADHD or thrill to the joys of 3‑screen multi-tasking, read no further. OmmWriter serves people who need to focus or prefer concentration when engaged in writing…
It’s also a good option for people who prefer to separate the free-flow, right-brain act of creating from the more rational tasks associated with editing.
A Zen Garden for the Mind
Once you launch OmmWriter, there are no distractions. All the menus and operating system functions hide in the background. Instead the writing canvas fills the entire screen (as shown below).
If your system provides notifications, OmmWriter suspends those notifications until you leave the peacefulness of the OmmWriter environment.
Soothing Sounds and Visuals
OmmWriter launches with a soothing soundtrack, one that reminds you of fountains trickling in a quiet courtyard on a hot summer’s day. The background is monochromatic, gently pleasing but without calling attention to itself.
There are two versions of OmmWriter: Dana I and Dana II. The first version is free, the second has a small fee of $4.11. Read the developer’s “frequently meditated questions” for the rationale behind their pricing. Theirs is an intuitive and values-based approach to pricing.
The main difference between Dana I and II is the number of audio-visual choices offered (visual backgrounds and sound tracks).
- Dana I offers 3 audio-visual choices.
- Dana II enables you to choose among 7 audio tracks and 8 visual backgrounds.
Consistent with its design intent of utter simplicity, there are no options for formatting within the tool. You can’t set font family or styling choices, use bullets or numbered lists. (You do that later with your editing or blogging tool.)
Where Can You Use OmmWriter
OmmWriter works with Macs, PCs and iPad.
This latest release has been optimized for Retina Mac displays and the current version of the Mac OS with its built-in notification system.
Files created with OmmWriter can’t be printed directly from the tool. Instead you save them to one of the following formats, for polishing and editing in a tool that’s been designed for editing:
- Text file (.txt)
- Rich Text File (.rtf)
OmmWriter provides an automatic back-up behind the scenes.
- Best of all, OmmWriter offers peace and quiet in an otherwise noisy and distracting world.