Writers' Mac: Best Mac programs for writers

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I'm a Mac switcher - I waited way too long to enjoy all the benefits and creativity of a Mac. The past 15 months of Mac ownership have been the most fun and the most productive of my life.

So here we go, my Top eleven Mac apps for writers:

* Max OS X operating system
As an operating system, Mac OS X is outstanding. Coming from a Windows world, I'm bedazzled. As advertised, everything "just works", and it takes so few steps. Everything happens without a fuss, and Windows extras are built into the Mac OS itself.

* RapidWeaver - create a Web site in minutes
Superb. Even if you've never created a site before, RapidWeaver makes creating a gorgeous site easy. There's a bustling forum too, with kind, generous people who give their time freely to help newbies. RapidWeaver is perfect for creating your writers' Web site - or for creating several of them. Ten out of ten for sheer ease of use and brilliance.

* Curio - creativity tool
How to describe Curio? Curio is a mixture of a database, a drawing program, a project management tool, and an outliner. As the Web site says, "Curio is the ultimate brainstorming and project management application — a flexible and powerful environment which promotes visual thinking for gathering and shaping your ideas, while managing all the notes and documents associated with your project."

* Mori - outliner/ note keeper
An outliner, and much more. It reminds me of an old DOS and PC outlining tool called GrandView. However, it's much more than just an outliner, it's a note manager too. I haven't used it to outline and work on a book yet, but I'm looking forward to doing that.

* Journler - journal PLUS
Much more than a journal program, Journler organizes your Mac life. You can use this program as the hub of all your activities on your Mac. Want to add a voice note? Click the red icon and talk. Add images, folders and files just as easily. Smart Folders make the program a joy.

* NovaMind - mind maps
Gorgeous mind mapping on your Mac. If you love mind maps, you'll love this program.

* OmniOutliner - outliner
An outliner and organizing tool. Excellent.

* Pages - word processor
An Apple program, a cross between a word processor and a publishing program. Drag and drop simplicity for all your print document needs.

* EasyCrop - crop photos
As the name suggests, crop and resize images - with drag and drop ease. Then drag the cropped image to wherever you want it.

* Jer's Novel Writer - write a novel
Writing a novel? Try this program. Another gem.

* ecto - blog
Desktop blogging for the Mac, and Windows. If you manage more than one blog, you need ecto.

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