write-a-lot

A lightweight, calm, offline place to write a lot. Journaling and creative writing in one quiet editor.

Download

Linux

.deb

1.9 MB · Debian / Ubuntu
.AppImage 76 MB · .rpm 1.9 MB

macOS

Apple Silicon

1.5 MB · .dmg
Intel (.dmg) 1.6 MB

Windows

.msi

1.7 MB · installer
.exe setup 1.2 MB

Opening it the first time (these builds aren't code-signed yet)

macOS: right-click the app, choose Open, then confirm. Or System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway.

Windows: if SmartScreen appears, click "More info", then "Run anyway".

Linux: install the .deb from a terminal with sudo dpkg -i write-a-lot_0.1.0_amd64.deb (a graphical installer may refuse a local file). For the AppImage, chmod +x it and run.

Your words live as plain Markdown files you own forever. No database, no cloud, no account, no lock-in. The journal outlives the app.

write-a-lot in write mode: a quiet full-screen writing column on black paper — Write mode: everything fades but the words, so you can fall into your flow.

What it is

One focused editor for both journaling and creative writing. No prompts, no templates, no modes, just a blank page that becomes whatever you're writing.
Every entry is a plain text file in a folder you choose. Open it in any editor, back it up any way you like, and because it's Markdown (.md), it imports cleanly into other tools whenever you want to take your work further.
Set dark or light paper separately for writing and reading. Full-screen, keyboard-driven, adjustable text size, and it's fast and only a few megabytes.

write-a-lot in read mode: a two-page open-book spread on light paper — Read mode: the same words as a two-page open book.

♥ Donate to POLIFAX

write-a-lot is free and open source. If it is useful to you, please consider a donation to the POLIFAX charity.

A small hobby project, built for the joy of it. No official social accounts; the only homes are this site and GitHub. Questions or bugs? Open an issue there.