Scrivener

Outstanding writing tool that adapts well to any project.

This is a writing tool rather than an ordinary word processor. By isolating text from all the frippery associated with most word processors Scrivener leaves writers to do what they do best - write. There is even a brilliant 'full screen' mode that isolates what you are currently writing on the screen, all other windows are dimmed and you are left with what looks like a piece of paper on which your text appears, just as if using a typewriter.

I have moved almost exclusively to Scrivener when writing. I now only use LaTeX for final finishing and production of documents, where in the past I used LaTeX for the whole process. Fortunately, Scrivener has a very competent (if simple) facility for exporting to LaTeX format. This does require considerable work afterwards, but this is small price to pay and one I pay willingly.

Scrivener provides great outlining tools via the cork-board metaphor, or the more familiar outline layout. Personally, I love the cork-board layout and use it a great deal. Cards are pinned to a cork-board. You write on these cards just as you might normal index cards, these can be dragged around on the cork-board or moved to another cork-board. All operations on the cork-board affect the document structure, so changing the card order also changes the order of those sections in your document.
Another feature in Scrivener is the research folders where you can drop items during your research. I confess to using this less than other features because I use DevonThink Pro for my research.

There are many, many other features in Scrivener that I would love to describe at length, but time is short so I will leave you with this advice: if you are a writer and you use a Mac, do yourself a favour and get Scrivener.

It's a magnifecent word processor with big pros in the organizational side. Scriveners cork and folders system allow you to use it as a great novel writing tool, or essay, or any other project you can imagine. Give it a try, you won't regret it.

This is a excellent application, I am using this to write a book and I love it, beats using word or pages

Best writing app, hands down. A writer's word processor, it doesn't let you get bogged down in stupid things, it doesn't try and foist its interface on you, it doesn't crowd the screen with toolbars. It gets out of your way and lets you do the task of writing. Love it.

If you're looking to write a novel, or anything that requires more file organization and draft-management tools than your Mac can usually fathom, Scrivener is hands-down the perfect tool for you. It's worth every cent...

And that's not to mention the incredible support you can find in its user forums and from its single developer, a man who deserves some kind of award for his down-to-earth customer support.

Wondrefual

I have used it for short stories, academic essays, and am currently writing a long-term research paper in it. Its genius is its extensibility. It adapts to any and all uses I've found for it. The best app on my machine, by far.

Scrivener is, simply put, the best writing tool I've ever used. The organization features are top notch and the exporting via MultiMarkdown let me just write and worry about what format it'll all be later. I can't imagine going back to a standard word processor or text editor.

For professional and academic writing, Scrivener is amazing. The multiple views, target word count, corkboard, organizer, status settings, etc. make it the most versatile, powerful and convenient word processor I've ever used.