A Look at Highland Pro, One of My Favorite Distraction-Free Writing Apps

Most word processors are too busy for my liking. Too many buttons on too many toolbars. When I’m putting together a deeply intimate piece of writing, I just want the app around it to disappear, to be seamless, to fade into the background and not distract my attention.

Highland makes the best writing app for screenplays and stage plays that I’ve ever used. Quote-Unquote Apps, the developer of Highland, released a new version (Highland Pro) this year.

If you have a Mac (sorry, PC users), take a look at Highland Pro, the latest release and successor to Highland 2, which I’ve been happily using for the past five years.

(opens in a new window)

Highland Pro (opens in a new window)

Available at Apple App Store
Buy Now (opens in a new window)

a different kind of writing app

Compared to Ulysses, of which I’m also a huge fan and near daily user, Highland Pro is geared towards screenwriters. When it comes to writing long-form work with chapters, I prefer Ulysses.

But screenplays and stage plays are far more suitable for Highland, in my experience, using both apps heavily. Aside from the clean UI that fits right in alongside macOS aesthetically, the app will automatically format your script into the industry standard.

Typing INT. or EXT. for interior or exterior shots, respectively, puts them into the proper form, and the sidebar on the left lets you skip around to find new scenes easily. The latter might be simultaneously the most mundane and the most significant advantage Highland has over a word processing app.

I hadn’t known that Highland 2 had been superseded by Highland Pro until I opened the app and received a pop-up message.

Unlike some reports I’ve seen on Reddit, those who’ve paid for a yearly subscription to Highland 2 can continue using it. I know because that’s exactly what I’m doing now. I have a few months left on my subscription, so I may as well use it before I switch over to Highland Pro.

The pop-up message upon first opening Highland 2 after Highland Pro’s release does give the impression that you need to immediately buy a fresh subscription, though, so it’s an easy misunderstanding to make.

Highland Pro is available on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. For years, I’d been silently begging for iOS and iPadOS versions of Highland 2, to no avail. I’m glad to see there’s an option for those times when I’m in a waiting room or on the train and want to pop into my manuscripts from my phone for a quick addition that springs to mind.

Quote-Unquote Apps put together a page explaining all the changes and additions they incorporated into Highland Pro. If you’re still unsure of whether Highland Pro is worth your $10 a month (or $60 a year, on an annual subscription), you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to dip your toes in the water before you commit.

(opens in a new window)

Highland Pro (opens in a new window)

Available at Apple App Store
Buy Now (opens in a new window)

The post A Look at Highland Pro, One of My Favorite Distraction-Free Writing Apps appeared first on VICE.

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