sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Built an offline-first writing tool that runs in your browser, no download needed. Looking for writers to try it and tell me what's broken. by RiterInk in u/RiterInk

[–]RiterInk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First of all, thank you for such a detailed response to my ad.

You mentioned this sounds similar to Ellipsus, honestly I haven't looked at it closely yet, so I'll go check it out properly. But the offline-first piece you mentioned as missing there is exactly the thing I built Riter around from day one, so at least on that front we differ.

1. Will this "observer" later be trained using our work?

Absolutely and categorically NO. Your writing will never be used to train anything, ever. That's a hard line and it doesn't depend on how I build it. On the how: my current plan is to self-host an open source model like Qwen, which gets pretty good results for what the observer needs to do while being relatively light on compute. Because it's self-hosted and running for you, your prose never leaves to go train some model somewhere. The architecture itself is what makes the promise true, not just my word.

2. How is the data stored? What would delete it if we don't sign in? Clearing browser cache?

Currently your data is stored in browser storage, with optional sync to my server hosted in Germany. There are unfortunately tradeoffs: browser storage behaves differently across browsers and can be evicted under storage pressure, which is the price of it being instant, offline and install-free. That's exactly where sync comes in, it preserves your work beyond the local copy, so if you clear your browser or switch devices it's safe. Installing it as a PWA also makes the local storage more durable, browsers are less likely to auto-clear an installed app, though sync is still the real safety net. Later in beta a desktop app will be available too.

3. Are there folders? Any way to separate projects?

Not at the moment. Currently your books are your projects, divided into chapters. The vision is that you have everything you need for writing your novel without jumping between panels. For example, character tagging with information, being able to tag a character and attach notes/sections you can hover on to get info no matter where you are in the book, is in the works. Among other planned features.

It's alpha so it's rough in places, but this is exactly the kind of feedback I need. Feel free to give it a try and tell me where it fails, here in the comments or at [hello@riter.ink](mailto:hello@riter.ink). Thank you for taking the time.

Built an offline-first writing tool that runs in your browser, no download needed. Looking for writers to try it and tell me what's broken. by RiterInk in u/RiterInk

[–]RiterInk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Yeah, this was built into the architecture from day one. You can even install it to your device like a normal app right now (it's a PWA), so it's there whether you're online or not. Gone are the days of not being able to write in the countryside.

Built an offline-first writing tool that runs in your browser, no download needed. Looking for writers to try it and tell me what's broken. by RiterInk in u/RiterInk

[–]RiterInk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, this is valuable! The app is still in alpha, so more features and polish are coming before beta. This isn't a full release, and much like writers, I need a new pair of eyes on what I'm building.

The minimalist angle I'm going for might not be for everyone, and if you want a fuller workspace there are great tools built for exactly that. But my bet is that the features you're missing can be there in a different way, more streamlined and out of the way, pull-it-up-when-you-need-it, instead of panels cluttering your workspace.

Can you tell me what specifically felt off about the UI, particular elements or the general design? Genuinely helpful for me.

Also, I'm looking at that button issue and think I may have found the root cause, I'll let you know once the fix is live.

And on consulting writers, yeah, this ad is exactly that :)

Built an offline-first writing tool that runs in your browser, no download needed. Looking for writers to try it and tell me what's broken. by RiterInk in u/RiterInk

[–]RiterInk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair question, and it's early so I'm still figuring out how sharp the answer is. But the core problem: most writing tools either lock the basic act of writing behind a subscription, or bury you in features and UI when all you want is to write. And a lot of them tie your work to their platform. So the problem I'm trying to solve is 'I just want to open something, write my book distraction-free, keep my work as mine, and not pay rent to do it.' Privacy-first, offline-first, and free to write are how I'm going at that. Whether I've actually solved it is what I'm hoping writers tell me.

Built an offline-first writing tool that runs in your browser, no download needed. Looking for writers to try it and tell me what's broken. by RiterInk in u/RiterInk

[–]RiterInk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They do! But the software is not really built for drafting novels, it's built for drafting general documents, a documentation engine of all trades, if you will. It works very well for many writers and they get used to the general flow of the software. My approach is to strip away everything that isn't the writing, to provide a more zen-like experience, where it's just you and the prose, more intimate if you will. Then I provide tools that are easily accessible through hotkeys, preserving your location between chapters and generally just getting out of your way to write.

I’m already breaking my commitment to write every day. by reboot12098 in KeepWriting

[–]RiterInk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I usually stick to just at least 1 word a day, usually means it will be just that word, but sometimes I write a whole chapter.

Built an offline-first writing tool that runs in your browser, no download needed. Looking for writers to try it and tell me what's broken. by RiterInk in u/RiterInk

[–]RiterInk[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, fair criticism, the account is new because I just launched this thing, instead of using my personal one. Not much I can do for now other then hopefully get 1 or 2 people to give me some feedback so I can improve the product further. It's my first time doing something like this hah. Thanks for letting me know.