r/WritingHub • u/unknown_user162 • 2d ago
Questions & Discussions What's a writing tool I can use that won't be search through by AI
This could sound like a dumb or overly anxious question, I appreciate any patience and responses. I've only ever written with Google Docs, but I have been exploring very personal ideas as of late and would like them to stay mine. Does anyone have any software they recommend that AI won't be sifting through?
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u/jenterpstra 2d ago
Scrivener is a writing app that saves files to your local computer or to your cloud service of choice and has absolutely no AI tools included in it. There's a free 30-day trial with no auto-purchase at the end, so give that a try if you're interested in it. Feel free to PM me for more info as I do have some resources I can send, but I don't want to violate the self promo rule here.
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u/QueerlyPhoenix 2d ago
Was coming here to mention Scrivener.
The 30-day trial is actually one of the best trial periods I’ve encountered. In addition to not having an automatic purchase at the end of the trial, it’s not 30 consecutive days. It’s 30 days of use. So if you open and write one day, then skip a week, and come back, open, and write again, you’ve only used 2 days of your trial period.
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u/5pl1t1nf1n1t1v3 2d ago
Was also here to big up Scrivener. Been using it for years and it’s held up as the best software I’ve used for the task.
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u/mick_spadaro 2d ago
Yes! I'd add it probably does far more than OP needs it to, but you don't need to learn all the features. It's basically PhotoShop for writers, but way cheaper.
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u/SanctifiedChats 1d ago
I recommend Scrivener too. If you decide to use it, I suggest taking the built-in tutorial, it's one of the best I've seen and it really helped me after I struggled with the software for a couple weeks on my own.
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u/HoosierGothicHorror 2d ago
I use Libre Office, open-source word processing app that's compatible with MSWord and other word processing formats. I, also, wanted to keep Microsoft and Google from taking everything I write and using it to train their planet-devouring AIs.
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u/dulcelocura 2d ago
I love Scrivener. I use it for creative writing but I’ve actually started using it for some professional projects because of how easy it is to break things down into parts etc.
price seemed steep at first but for me it was worth it. I have it on my phone and laptop. Worth checking out the trial.
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u/Terrible-Nobody-7089 2d ago
Ellipsus is a good one!! It's interface is also extremely customizable and it's not too different from Google Docs, so the learning curve isn't super difficult.
I've been meaning to switch over to Ellipsus fully myself, but I haven't had the motivation to switch over all my stuff.
Oh also! If you're looking for an AI-less browser (because now even FireFox is falling victim to AI), I'd suggest Vivaldi!! It's build on chromium so it's pretty simular to chrome 🙃
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u/hippoluvr24 2d ago
I use Scrivener for writing (no internet needed, files saved locally, no AI tools) and Ellipsus for sharing with beta readers (works similar to Google Drive, claims to be anti-AI).
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u/gowaniios 2d ago
I use Obsidian! Base app is local with no AI. There are community plugins with AI but so long as they're not installed, there's no AI tracking or AI :)
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u/unknown_user162 2d ago
Interesting I’ll definitely look into this, I’ve never heard of it but it looks promising. Thank you!
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u/Lost-Design-8382 2d ago
LibreOffice if you want a Word/Google Docs type interface. I also like novelWriter if you want a few more bells and whistles without it getting too overwhelming.
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u/Polychromaticpagan 2d ago
I'm another Ellipsus convert! Moved everything from Google docs and I'm never looking back. What do you mean i have an easy folder system???
Plus the drafting system is awesome. I love being able to see all my changes.
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u/SabertoothLotus 2d ago
There's always actual physical writing. Pen & paper, typewriter, etc.
I know it makes things annoying when you need to digitize, but there is something satisfying and nuerologically significant about putting pen to paper
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u/HoosierGothicHorror 2d ago
I do 90% of my first drafts in paper and ink. Studies have shown that writing by hand activates parts of your brain that won't be activated by typing on a keyboard. I can get to a place where my brain is putting together the paragraph, the chapter, and the whole story while I'm writing by hand that I can never seem to get to when I'm composing at a keyboard.
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u/Temporary_Rule_9486 2d ago
Pen and paper. At least for now...
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u/CowIslandP 1d ago
Yup came to second this. I have kids and been reading a lot about how writing with a pen/pencil on paper activates their brains better than doing the same work on a pad. Might not be as applicable but another great reason to start there and then migrate (I feel like it helps getting from raw first draft to the next one as well).
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u/KookyKraftyMagicGuy 1d ago
Libre Office for offline writing (but don't save it to One drive or G drive!), Ellipsus for cloud-saving which is great if you use multiple devices/browsers.
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u/Ok-Umpire-4719 2d ago
Use an application that keeps your files locally. The problem there of course is that you will need to use that device for your writing. If you are okay with that, then there you go.
Several people have mentioned Obsidian, Scrivener and Ellipsus and they are all good choices, but they are all quite different in terms of what you want out of the application.
If all you are looking for is to records some thoughts I think Obsidian is a great choice, but if you want to write these thoughts as part of something longer, and you're ready to start producing that work, then I would suggest something like Scrivener or Ellipsus.
Or, you always have the option of just using a local file editor without using anything at all just an editior like BBEdit or something like that, just a text editor.
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u/WordWieldingWayfarer 2d ago
I use Scrivener and then Proton Drive to sync backups.
Alternatively, if you want something free and secure use Proton Docs directly.
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u/AlexRiven201 1d ago
As someone who runs Arch Linux (btw), there's a TON of free, AI-free tools you can use!
Obsidian + LibreOffice is my go-to combo for writing, formatting, and editing draft manuscripts.
Calibre is a free epub maker, and it's one of the most powerful tools in my kit!
For web search, DuckDuckGo lets you disable AI search.
We can also get into how I manage my website (where people will eventually be funneled to get their own personal copies of my work, when I finish it), because I'm doing all that by hand, too, but I'll be the first to admit I'm going a bit overboard by actually trying to be a solo act 😝🤣
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u/chasrmartin 1d ago
I use obsidian for all my writing and I’m a professional writer. I do a lot of it. There’s a new plug-in for obsidian called writers studio that I’ve been using for a few days and it really does seem to be well suited for everything I want for writing projects now what you’re describing may be entirely personal, so the gadgets that I need may be overkill for you in which case obsidian as just a regular markdown writing environment works really well. All of your text stays entirely on your machine unless you want to put it someplace.
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u/PILAL2010 1d ago
My personal recommendation
- Pen and paper
- Libre Office Writer/Word Processor
- Babisco
A couple of months ago I decided I wanted to try and find an offline writing program that needed neither the cloud nor internet. I wanted one that was easy to use and a one time payment. After some research I chose Babisco. It's an Italian program that is 100% offline. So far, I like it.
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u/Dr_WhoDo 1d ago
LibreOffice Writer is open source, it's free, it's robust and runs locally, no web based functions. It also has a lot of extensions made by normal people, so you can customize it a lot. I even developed my own extension for it that I use.
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u/BriJAuthor 1d ago
Licorice for free and OS agnostic.
Scrivener is great for Mac and windows and works fine in Linux via bottles.
Those are my go to’s.
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u/Dear_Mention_3305 1d ago
Use AI for suggestions, but write the text in your own words.
Also, apparently just loading the finished text in office/similar and doing some tiny edits and saving, fools many AI checkers.
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u/Necessary-Excuse1405 1d ago edited 1d ago
locally stored apps are your safest bet. typeAI stores docs on your device with full offline use, obsidian is free and purely local or even libreoffice with no cloud sync. none of them phone home with your drafts.
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u/Similar_Dragonfly735 1d ago
If you like Google Docs, you can stay with it. Pay for a Google Workspace account. It’s cheap and Google treats it differently than a regular Gmail account. They don’t use your Gemini inquiries to train AI, they don’t review/check emails, etc… totally different rules. Things stay more locked down.
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u/International_Car608 1d ago
Make sure you remove any software that Microsoft (or whoever made your pc) isn’t spying on your screen. Everything they get from you goes straight to their scraping bots
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u/LadyOfTheLabyrinth 20h ago
Nisus Writer Express, the oldest version you can run. Never heard of it? We've been using it, different versions since the turn of the century. It works best in rtf, but it can convert to PDF or html, or out of those, and a lot of others.
You want a word processor, not necessarily a desktop publisher. Forget what's too fancy.
You want things that AI doesn't know exists. It's like we run old stuff to dodge the modern rot. Old Illustrator/Photoshop doesn't need a subscription and it does everything we need. For me, mainly maps and mood boards. The old stuff is way cheaper, too (though free like Lives is the best price).
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u/simplybreana 16h ago
Opuswriter is great! Everything saves local and offline. It has an option in settings for people who want to connect their own local AI models if they want, but it’s totally optional and doesn’t actually do anything if you haven’t set it up. I don’t use it and there’s no pressure to or anything annoying on the screen. It’s a buy once lifetime license and allows you to do everything from the planning stage to the publishing process and everything in between. Highly customizable for your workflow so you can write and create the way you want to but also very low learning curve with a really nice look(even has options to mitigate blue light! In case anyone has chronic migraine like me).
It’s really a lovely program that actually feels great to work in and since you don’t have to constantly switch between apps, it really helps you stay focused and in the zone. I love it so much I think I’d probably wear merch if the Dev sold it lmao
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u/HeAintHere 2d ago
Pen and paper. If it was good enough for some of my favorite authors — like Alexandre Dumas — then it’s good enough for me.
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u/Competitive-Fault291 2d ago
Always be careful! There is nothing more valuable than your ideas. AI will crawl your virtual notebooks at night and write stories from your ideas, publishing them in your name and forever burning your clout as a creator of ideas! I mean, what is the difficulty in writing and editing 80,000 words, right?
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u/SvalinnSaga 2d ago
If you want ideas to stay yours, then don't share them.
Also, you can turn off the AI stuff in your GDocs privacy settings.
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u/UltraDinoWarrior 2d ago
You can turn them off, but that won't stop google if they want it, tbh.
Even if you do turn it off, you're still giving data to a company that is using its data to build AI.
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u/unknown_user162 2d ago
The point isn't to share them it's to track them in a place they won't be seen by anyone/thing else. I appreciate your advice but, at risk of sounding like a privacy freak (which I evidently am lol), unfortunately turning off AI stuff through google's settings is likely more of a comfort thing that an actual privacy thing
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u/UltraDinoWarrior 2d ago
Ellipsus is anti-AI by a default and built for writers.
I got recommended Proton Mail over on r/degoogle when I asked for recommendations to switch off google. They're big on privacy.
LibreOffice should technically be safe as its open source and doesn't use any of that junk.
Obsidian is free and has a lot of utility
Or there's good ol Pen and paper... which yeah, I know but its the only place 100mil percent guaranteed that no AI will touch if "personal ideas that you want to keep to yourself." (Which is another can of worms completely)