A few weeks ago, we released SmartEdit for Word version 6. This was a major update with big improvements to the user interface inside Word. Part of the work in developing version 6 was to pave the way for our new SmartEdit product, an Add-In for Atomic Scribbler.
When it comes to writing, everyone has a favorite word processor. For many it’s Microsoft Word. For others it’s Open Office. For some it might be Scrivener or another dedicated writing package for creative writers. No one wants to change their editor of choice just so they can use a single purpose tool like SmartEdit. This is a lesson we learned as soon as we released the first Word version a few years ago and it prompted us to build SmartEdit for Atomic Scribbler.
Introducing Atomic Scribbler
In September 2017 we released a new product for novel and short story writers, Atomic Scribbler. It’s a full writing environment for first-pass writing, allowing the writer to write their novel scene by scene or chapter by chapter, to move those scenes around and to store research material such as images and bookmarks about their novel inside the same project — all easily accessible in one application.
There are many competing products in this area, Scrivener being the most well-known. In such a crowded space it was difficult for Atomic Scribbler to stand out from the others. While the user interface was different and it had some extra features and new approaches, it wasn’t different enough to make a noticeable dent in the market.
At this point we decided to port our SmartEdit for Word product into Atomic Scribbler, thereby extending that product to encompass the first three stages of creative writing: preparation, first-draft writing and editing.
But that isn’t all we did. With the addition of SmartEdit we’ve made the core Atomic Scribbler product free, with SmartEdit available as an optional paid-for Add-In, just like SmartEdit for Word. Not every writer will want SmartEdit. Not every writer will even reach the editing stage. But for those professional writers who want to write in dedicated software built for creative writing, for those writers who do not use Microsoft Word, the new Atomic Scribbler Add-In is ideal.
Existing Users of the stand-alone version of SmartEdit
In a previous blog post we outlined the future direction of SmartEdit, mentioning our plans to build SmartEdit into Atomic Scribbler. We also said that existing users of the stand-alone version of SmartEdit (soon to be deprecated) will be able to use their existing license keys with the new product. This functionality has now been implemented.
To use your stand-alone SmartEdit license with Atomic Scribbler, start by installing the app and the Add-In by following the steps outlined here.
Once you’ve done this, open Atomic Scribbler, go to the SmartEdit menu and click the Add SmartEdit License button. As the license key structure of your old version of SmartEdit differs from the new version, you will need to click on the SE License link at the bottom left of the dialog to enable the license key box for your key. See the screenshot below. Enter your name and license key.
That’s all there is to it. Your existing license will activate SmartEdit for Atomic Scribbler.
[A license for SmartEdit for Word will not work with SmartEdit for Atomic Scribbler, and vice versa.]