Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
Is FocusWriter an app you should use to write books? If you’re looking for a distraction-free platform to simply work on text only, FocusWriter might be something worth considering. Although simplistic in design, it has several neat functions.
Of course, the best writing app is the one that serves your purposes. And not everyone is going to appreciate the same pros and cons of any given software.
With that being said, FocusWriter might have a few elements that could tempt you to give it a go. I know I’ll probably continue using it for specific projects.
What is FocusWriter?
FocusWriter is a free writing platform that helps you focus on the manuscript and little else. It’s a distraction-free program that fills the screen so you don’t get sidetracked by other things that are visible.
Although it’s not as robust as some of the other writing apps out there, its primary element is to provide a serene writing experience without all of the distractions of browser alerts or your computer’s desktop.
As you shouldn’t be overly concerned with making a first draft perfect, it’s great for those who want to isolate themselves with just the book and nothing else. Then, you can easily port it over to another app for fine-tuning.
Pros and Cons of FocusWriter
PROS
- True Distraction-Free Appearance
- Built-in Timer
- Goal Setting
- Customizable Themes
- Supports Common File Types
- Customizable Preferences
- Built-in Basic Spellcheck
CONS
- A Lack of Book Formatting Tools
- No ePub or PDF Export
- Margin Adjustments Are a Pain
- No Image Capabilities
Distraction-Free Appearance
The first feature of FocusWriter is the distraction-free layout. Although you can customize the background, you can literally remove all elements on the screen except for the page you’re using.
When you need any of the toolbars or tabs, you move the mouse to either the top, bottom, left, or right to reveal them. But if you’d like to enable the toolbars anyway, you can do so from the settings screen.
I would like to point out that if you need to shift to a different program running on your computer, you’ll have to ALT+Tab (on a PC) to access them. That is unless you have a second monitor and can click the icons of those programs from the secondary taskbar.
Built-in Timer
For those who love doing writing sprints for a specific amount of time, FocusWriter has a timer built into the program. You can set the timer for a specific amount of time or trigger at a time of the day.
For instance, you can set it for a 20-minute writing sprint, or choose to set your timer to go off at 2:00 PM.
NOTE: As I was testing this feature, the timer would cause the program to crash. However, I was also running a lot of different pieces of software that utilize some of the same elements. So, I’m not sure if this is a consistent bug or if it’s just my computer. When I have a moment, I’ll test it again.
Goal Setting
Setting goals is one of the functions I look for in any writing app. FocusWriter has such a feature, but it’s not as pronounced or as robust as something like Reedsy. Nonetheless, you can easily set daily goals from the preferences screen.
You can set the goals to either reflect the number of minutes or the number of words you want for the day. Then, when you move the mouse to the bottom to reveal the footer tab, FocusWriter will show you the progress of meeting that goal.
You can also keep track of your history to see the progress you’ve made. This includes choosing to show days that have a minimum required percentage.
By default, the history is keeping track of days you hit 100% of your goal. But you can change this by using the up and down arrows for the “Minimum progress for streaks.”
Customizable Themes
One of the neatest features of FocusWriter is the ability to use any of the pre-packaged layouts or the ability to customize your own theme. This means you can use any pic on your computer whether it’s a full-screen image or a smaller picture and use tiled settings.
You can edit how the theme behaves, such as the color of the “Misspelled” words underline, the window background color, the type of font you want to use, the width of the page, and more.
When making changes, there is a preview window that will show you what FocusWriter will look like with the current settings.
You can always go back into the theme and make adjustments later. I’ve had to edit my customized theme a few times since I created it to fine-tune the margins. The process is quick and easy and can deliver a unique experience for writing your book.
You could take it a step further and customize the image to reflect the genre or story you’re writing. It may help to motivate you to write.
Supports Common File Types
FocusWriter saves your manuscript as ODT, FODT, DOCX, RTF, and TXT (TEXT) file types. This means most people will be able to open the manuscript using their word processor of choice.
So, you can send your manuscript easily to editors, agents, publishers, or whomever you choose.
You can set FocusWriter to a certain file type by default, which can save you from accidentally saving it as something else. This option is available in the Preferences screen under the General tab.
I set mine to DOCX, as that is the file that most people and writing apps use when it comes to sharing and editing.
Customizable Preferences Galore
You can customize a lot of FocusWriter from the Preferences screen. This includes the tabs for General, Daily Goal, Statistics, Spell Checking, Toolbar, and Shortcuts.
As there are so many different options you can choose, it’s worth taking a few minutes to go through each tab. The options are easy to understand and most are self-explanatory.
You can go so far as to add words to your Personal Dictionary, which is great for fantasy and sci-fi authors to add terms, races, and whatnot.
I geeked out a bit when I enabled typewriter sounds from the General tab. Now, it sounds like I’m working from an electric IBM typewriter from the 1980s.
Ah, the memories that brings…
Built-In Basic Spellcheck
The spellchecking feature of FocusWriter is relatively simple. It’s not as grandiose as something like Grammarly, but it’s on par with tools like LibreOffice, Word, or Scrivener.
FocusWriter will highlight “misspelled” words in red by default. Then, you can right-click the word and either add it to your dictionary or choose one of the words available. This is helpful if you don’t want to spend time adding to the personal dictionary in the preferences screen.
I also wanted to point out that the spellchecker in FocusWriter seems to open a lot faster than LibreOffice when you right-click a word.
Lack of Book Formatting Tools
FocusWriter is strictly a writing application. It doesn’t have book formatting tools that you’d find in other apps such as Scrivener or Atticus. Its only practical use is to write the first draft.
Since the program can save the manuscript as common file types, you can import it into most formatting and editing apps. But FocusWriter doesn’t have a lot of functionality to produce books directly from its program.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not worth using. Remember, a lot of authors prefer the straightforward and distraction-free layout of FocusWriter. And importing into another platform to finalize the book is a common practice for many, even those who use Word or LibreOffice.
For instance, you can write the book in FocusWriter, import it into AutoCrit, and then either publish or export it from the editing app.
No ePub or PDF Exports
As with the lack of book formatting tools, FocusWriter doesn’t support ePub or PDF exports from its program. It’s unlikely you would export a rough draft as either one of these file types anyway.
I only point out the lack of ePub and PDF support because most writing apps do regardless of their primary function.
Again, FocusWriter is mostly centered around writing the first draft in a text-only environment. You wouldn’t want to create eBooks or print-ready files directly from something that cannot format or edit the manuscript.
Margin Adjustments Are Confusing
Unlike a lot of apps, the margins are controlled at a pixel level. This means you need to know the exact pixel distance if you want to simulate writing on paper in FocusWriter.
So, if you wanted about a half-inch margin from the edge of the “paper” on the screen, you’d need to change the settings to about 48 pixels. And even then, you have to do it per theme as there are no universal settings for margins in FocusWriter.
It’s not overly difficult to change the margins, it’s just a bit of an annoyance. Besides, when importing the file into another app, that new app will use its own margin and indent system for formatting anyway.
No Image Capabilities
As I pointed out earlier, FocusWriter is strictly a writing app. You can’t import or drop images into the platform, and it will give you an error message as an unsupported medium if you try.
If you’re looking for a writing app to create something with a lot of visuals, such as a cookbook or something with a magazine-style layout, FocusWriter is not for you.
Who Is FocusWriter For?
FocusWriter is for the writer who wants a completely distraction-free writing experience without the extra bells and whistles that come with some of the writing apps nowadays. It maintains a lot of the basic productivity functions, such as goal setting and timers, but doesn’t have the extravagant tools of something like Atticus or Scrivener.
FocusWriter appears to be developed more for those who are writing raw manuscripts for books or short stories. It doesn’t have image capabilities and the margin functions are more cosmetic than practical. In other words, FocusWriter is geared more toward text-only applications.
Essentially, FocusWriter is a raw word processor with basic typography formatting options that utilizes the full dimensions of your monitor. It’s just you, the words on the page, and a custom background should you choose to have one.
From FocusWriter, it wouldn’t be much to move the manuscript over to something like AutoCrit for editing or Atticus for book formatting. And since FocusWriter saves as the most common file types, it’s easy to share your manuscript with anyone who is helping you with the book.
It’s a very basic writing tool that is probably great for those who are easily distracted and who like to customize their workspace.
Would I Continue to Use FocusWriter?
As I write novels that don’t have imagery, FocusWriter would be an ideal app. I find it fun to customize the appearance and it works well for what it is. However, I also like the additional features and functionality of Reedsy Studio.
For small projects, like Despair or other short stories I plan to write soon, I might stick with FocusWriter. It has a clean layout and I am a bit of a dork when it comes to the typewriter sound effect.
I can see the value of FocusWriter for those who want a distraction-free and customizable layout. But it’s not something that I would use for working on my full-length novels. I enjoy planning boards, estimated deadline goals, page templates, and editing capabilities of so many other apps I’ve reviewed more than a simple writing program.
That doesn’t mean FocusWriter doesn’t have its benefits for the right person. Everyone has their cup of tea, and what works well for one person doesn’t mean it’ll be perfect for another.
Since it is free, though, I suggest at least trying it out. There are a lot of great features for someone who just wants a basic, text-only writing platform.
Long story, short – I’ll probably continue to use FocusWriter for the fun factor while writing shorter stories for various writing contests or publishing sites like Wattpad or Inkitt. But for more serious works and novels, I’ll stick to something like Reedsy Studio or Scrivener.
Finding the Best Writing Apps
As I’ve said multiple times in the past, the best writing apps are the ones that work best for your specific needs. Every author is unique, and we all look for specific elements in a platform.
Some love Word while others despise anything Microsoft develops.
FocusWriter is a decent tool as a distraction-free, text-only writing app. It’s free, customizable, and works quite well on PCs. As long as you’re not looking for all the extravagant features of other platforms, it might be something you could sink some hours into while writing your story.
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