A blank page can set your creativity free... or turn into a nightmare. Everyone writes differently: what one person finds useful or essential, another sees as an impossible distraction. Those differences have led to the creation of text processors with minimalist interfaces, without advanced parameters or formatting options. The user, a keyboard, and nothing else. Want to know which are the best? Here is a list of free options.
Minimalist text processors: Less is more
There are reasonable doubts about the ability of conventional text processors to assist the writer. George R. R. Martin once admitted that he uses WordStar 4.0 to write, an old piece of software by any measure. Cases like Martin's suggest that there is an excess of features in modern processors, and maybe the most convenient solution to that problem is to use something much simpler. Let's look at some of the existing alternatives:
WriteMonkey
The latest stable build of WriteMonkey reached version 3.2.0, but for some reason I still favor version 2.7, which is even simpler. Whichever path you take, this is excellent software. What you see at first is a blank page and a typewriter-like font, though it has many hidden features in the background.
Q10
Some users may have doubts about Q10 because of its age (the last official update dates back to June 2011 and its official page does not use HTTPS), but still this is definitely attractive software. Its help section and keyboard shortcuts are easy to understand, and a big positive (at least from my point of view) is the typewriter sound it makes with each keystroke.
FocusWriter
Without distractions does not necessarily mean empty, and if there is one thing we should acknowledge in FocusWriter, it is its attention to aesthetics. Generally, FocusWriter behaves more like a regular processor, with several functions and menus available, but it does a good job of getting them out of the way and presenting a surface that invites writing. The most updated of all on this list.
Bonus track: The Most Dangerous Writing App
To finish, a little madness: What about some extra pressure? By pressure I mean a psychopathic processor that will start deleting your text if you pause for more than five seconds. I imagine nobody is going to work with The Most Dangerous Writing App, and it's not too hard to cheat, but if what you're looking for is a challenge... why not?
Do you have another similar program to suggest? Am I forgetting some minimalist and free text processor that deserves to be included? As always, comments are open. Keep writing!
