TypeSlate: A Focused, Fullscreen Writing App That Cuts the Line

Cut the Line

TypeSlate is a tool designed to skip the writing line. It's a minimal fullscreen writing app that gets out of your way. You open it, select a folder, choose one of three modes (free write, timer, or word count), set the time or word count if needed, and start writing. Your screen goes blank, and it's your job to fill it. There's no spell check to interrupt your flow.

Before you hit your word count or timer goal, you can't escape the program except through a series of steps. First, you press Escape. A notification box appears telling you that you haven't reached your goal. Then it gives you three options:

• Ctrl + Q to force quit the program
• Ctrl + P to pause the timer
• Or you can stick with your goal and muscle through the words

I suggest taking the third option, but life happens — that’s why I created the force quit function.

Once you hit the goal, you’ll receive a notification letting you know you’ve succeeded and asking if you’d like to continue writing. When you’re ready to quit, simply press Escape. The program will ask if you're sure you want to quit. If you check yes, it will display your session stats: time spent, word count, and number of misspelled words.

Your draft is automatically saved in the folder you chose before you started as a .txt file — but you might not even need it. The coolest feature of TypeSlate, and the reason it’s the best tool for writing first drafts, is that it automatically copies your session to your clipboard when you finish.

All you need to do is open your word processor of choice, right-click, and press paste. Everything you wrote will be there. I personally use Word, Scrivener, and ChatGPT the most with this function.

That’s it. That’s the complete workflow for using TypeSlate as your first draft and journaling tool.

Statistics

This is the fun part — the part that keeps you honest. Displayed on the home screen are your writing statistics. They’re simple word counts. Each session’s stats are stored locally on your computer in a database. Then they're tabulated and shown on the main screen of the program.

Below them are several icons. Hover over one and a description will appear near your cursor explaining what it does.

• The first icon lets you send your stats to the community . I hope more people use this — it will create a fun, competitive environment.
• The next lets you download your stats in two formats. One is a native file that TypeSlate can read (great for backing up stats if you get a new computer). The other is an Excel file if you want to do your own analysis.
• The last icon wipes the program clean of all stats and lets you start over. A warning box will make you confirm before this step finalizes.

Every time I considered adding more to the program, I stopped myself. I do have a few more features in mind for future updates, but for now, that’s what TypeSlate is — and why it’s useful.

It’s a tool designed to cut in the writing line. Write in TypeSlate. Edit wherever you want.