Bookworm
A quiet, native macOS writing desk for drafting and revising a novel — a continuous manuscript view, chapter structure, and planning tools kept out of the way until they're wanted.
Key Features & Outcomes
- Continuous multi-chapter manuscript editor with a reading-width column and Focus Mode
- World Bible, storyboard, timeline, and draft-history tools kept as supporting workspaces rather than daily distractions
- API credentials for optional AI review tools stored in the macOS Keychain, not plaintext
- Automatic timestamped backups before any existing file is overwritten, plus portable Markdown export
The idea
Most "novel writing" software wants to be a production studio — templates, publishing pipelines, community features. Bookworm is the opposite bet: a calm, native macOS app built around the actual daily work of writing a book, with everything else kept a click away rather than on screen.
What's inside
A continuous manuscript editor across chapters, a minimal Focus Mode
for when the interface needs to disappear, and an optional rendered
book preview alongside the draft. Planning and revision — World Bible,
storyboard, timeline, draft history, a "Red Pen" review pass — stay
available as separate workspaces rather than crowding the writing
surface. Manuscripts save as native .bookworm files with automatic
timestamped backups before every overwrite, and export to a portable,
chapter-by-chapter Markdown folder.
Why it matters to me
A genuinely native app in a market that's mostly Electron wrappers — built in Swift/SwiftUI on purpose, with real attention to the small things: Keychain-backed credential storage, obsidian-dark and warm-ivory themes designed for long sessions, and a restraint about what the tool is allowed to interrupt you with.