Where does it start? Always with insatiable curiosity. I have been writing all my life. I started with a pencil, then moved up to Microsoft Word, Apple’s Pages, and then I found text editors. And everything about the way I wrote started to change. Curiosity leads the way.
I presume you found this page because you’re on a mission. You want freedom from expensive software licenses and bloated interfaces, and you want to write at the speed of your thoughts. You’ve come to the right place at just the right time.
Keep reading.
Why Plain Text?
Unlike Word Processors, which store your text in binary files, a text editor stores your words in vanilla plain text; thus, you can free yourself from being locked up in one proprietary format. Plain text is also fast, easy to read, and cross-platform. A plain text document written thirty years ago is just as crisp, relevant, and open today as it was at its inception.
Text editors are most commonly associated with computer programming. The raw text is “compiled” into machine-readable computer instructions. Nevertheless, the freedom and portability of text editors like Emacs make them a great alternative to conventional writing software.
If your words matter to you, plain text is a great way to store and retrieve them.
So, what is Emacs? Start there.
Or, you can skip ahead to other articles in this series for writers: