Storyist is a tool to write novels or screenplays—fiction is its strength. The familiar screen layout includes a project manager that serves as the collection point for the manuscript, plot, characters, settings, and other information. However, we found adding new items to the project unnecessarily complicated. Users can set the modal main view to display the text editor, outline, or storyboard, and a pop-up inspector offers the necessary choices to style text.

Storyist’s focus on characters, settings, and plot make it a great choice for fiction writers.

What sets Storyist apart from its competition are the detailed information sheets for every aspect of the writing project. These sheets encourage writers to provide lots of details for each character, setting, and plot point. Each sheet can be linked to text, or to any other sheet—we loved how this wiki-like structure ensured no information was lost. Workspaces offers flexible split-screen layouts, combining the text editor with a pane for outlines, notes, or any other section, depending on the writing task at hand. A full-screen editing mode encourages distraction-free writing. Finally, Storyist’s export options include Final Draft (important for aspiring screenwriters) and ePub e-book formats.

The bottom line. Storyist offers a competent fiction-writing platform that can coax you into creating richly detailed characters and settings in your stories.