This has been sitting in my drafts for a while, but in light of all the bullshit attacks on queer and nsfw creators lately, here it is I guess 🤷
I had been wanting to ditch Google Docs for years, but most "Google docs alternatives" weren't a good fit for my needs: A good mobile experience, and the ability to sync my work across devices. Most of the common alternatives people throw around are either iOS only, desktop only, or not free to use.
So it wasn't until I found @ellipsus-writes that I finally made the switch back in September 2024. The app is well-designed, works across devices, supports collaboration, AND they're staunchly anti-AI, queer friendly, and fanfic friendly! 🌈
It's not perfect (yet!) mind, but it's pretty damn close for me. Some caveats:
Formatting options are a bit limited at this time. Your font choice applies to the whole document, and things like subscript and superscript aren't available. (This is my biggest gripe atm, as my current writing project involves a lot of research and footnotes).
Ellipsus does not have a native app, so you won't find it on the AppStore/Play Store. Instead, it is a web app. It runs in the browser. But on mobile devices, you can get a more "app-like experience" by adding it to your home screen. (More on that later)
You cannot 'magically' import all of your work from Google docs into Ellipsus. You'll have to import them manually. One at a time.
But uh... One cool thing Ellipsus has that Google Docs does not? An "Export to AO3" feature! No more fixing formatting issues or having to use that "Format for AO3" user script that can be laggy as hell!
Part 1: Getting your work into Ellipsus
As of this writing, Ellipsus can only import Markdown (.md) files. So in order to get your work imported, you'll first have to export it from Google Docs (or whatever you currently use) as markdown.
The shitty thing is, Google Docs only lets you do this on desktop 🫠
So from desktop, open your document, and go to "File -> Download -> Markdown":
But once you've done that, open Ellipsus, click the "+" icon in the bottom menu, and select "Import Markdown".
Part 2: Getting that 'App-like' Experience
Open Ellipsus in your mobile browser of choice. You might get a prompt to "Install Ellipsus", but if not, just open the main browser menu. You should have an option for "Save/Add to Home screen", "Download Web App", or something similar. Select that option, and you'll get an Ellipsus icon on your home screen. Now when you open Ellipsus via this shortcut, it will open in a dedicated 'window' as if it were a native app—and without the clutter of the browser's address/tool bars!
Caveat: On my previous phone, I experienced some significant lag while typing via Firefox for Android. To get around this, I used Chrome instead for running the web app. (boo, hiss). Happy to report though that on my new phone, the lag is completely gone in Firefox! But yeah, your mileage may vary.
Part 3: Establishing Your Workflow in Ellipsus
If like me, your work is primarily longer, multi-chapter fics, the ability to export those chapters for posting to AO3 is probably very important to you... The big caveat to the exporting features in Ellipsis is that they will export the entire document. There's no way to say, "Export everything under the "Chapter X" heading.
So there's two workarounds here:
Create a folder for each story, and create each chapter as a separate document in that folder, or
Create one document for each story, and create each chapter as a "draft"within that document.
I use method #2, because I think it makes navigating between chapters a little faster, but you do you.
Consider that true appeal of drafts is the ability to merge changes into the main document. But if you're creating your chapters as drafts within a single document, this won't quite work because the merger won't know where to place this completely different 'draft' within the main document—it will think you want to replace the content of the main document entirely:
If your draft contains only the content for a single chapter, but your main document contains the rest of your story, the merger will want to remove all the other parts of your story, and also just have like... a really wonky diff check in general.
As a method #2 person: once I've finished/published a chapter, I copy and paste the content of the chapter into the main document, then delete the relevant draft. If the ability to just merge drafts into the main document as intended is important to you, then method #1 would probably suit your needs better.
Part 4: Collaborating & The Export to AO3 Feature
Just as with Google docs, you can invite collaborators to your documents, or share a link for viewing. By highlighting sections of text, you and your collaborators can also add comments:
When sharing/exporting a document or draft, you'll have the option to export to AO3:
When your AO3 account is connected, the "Export to AO3" feature will display a list of your existing works. You can choose to edit or add a chapter to one of them, or post a new work entirely.
Whatever your choice, the exporter will copy the document HTML to your clipboard and open a tab straight to the publishing form on AO3. Paste the HTML, add your tags, summary, and any author's notes, and you're ready to post!
Part 5: The Future
Ellipsus is a bit of a fledgling compared to most writing software out there and has a pretty limited feature set. However, development is pretty active, updates come out regularly, and you can also vote on (or make your own) feature suggestions!
fuck it. be creative even if you never really *make* anything. write out plot synopses of stories and then move on. design OCs you'll never use. make mood boards and concept art and don't do anything with them. life's too short to forget everything that inspired you and creation doesn't have to be "complete" to be worth the time you put into it.
Eugh. If someone made an AI chatbot of my original characters right after I made them and without my knowledge or permission I don’t think I’d be so happy.
IT IS DONE!!! MY WATTDRED COMIC IS FINALLY DONE!!!!! 17 WHOLE PAGES LET'S GOOOOO!!!
some small context for this comic: i imagine astroknights is VERY far removed from the rest of the islands. they refuse to interact in any sort of cultural exchange with the rest of poptropica, which includes technology. as a result, all technology that's used in astroknights has to be discovered on astroknights. other islands have electricity (and probably invented it before mordred did), but astroknights didn't start implementing it until one of "their" inhabitants made it (without any outside resources!)
wattson is aware astroknights operates by this rule, so that's why he's shocked astroknights has electricity! according to most global news, they still work by candlelight
As is tradition in tumblr culture the locals unearth the corpse of a long deceased figure and drag it across the streets merrily, laughing at what is preserved of the person’s words. This custom, seen as morbid in other cultures, is instead done gleefully and with an unmatched enthusiasm
I can finally post something I’ve been working on for a while now—thank you so much to Cameron for commissioning me to draw your Genshin OC! She’s the daughter of two pretty important characters, and I had a blast working on her design and the final piece! All the design process was done digitally but the final piece is traditional.
If you’re interested in a commission, feel free to reach out via DM!
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