We’re gathering stories for a short documentary about software that made a difference. The author is looking for experiences from people whose lives or work were shaped by iA Writer.

Over the past fifteen years, we’ve heard remarkable stories from writers, students, entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, and people who never considered themselves writers at all.

Some came from people whose work is known around the world. Stephen Fry described iA Writer as an app where “everything goes away but the writing experience”.1 Audrey Tang says it helps her focus more.2 Erik Spiekermann writes everything he doesn’t write by hand in iA Writer.3 Augusten Burroughs wrote us a love letter calling it “the single most useful and remarkably clever” writing tool he knows.4 Even John Gruber, the inventor of Markdown, calls it his favorite iOS app for writing in Markdown.5

The stories we share among us weekly, come from people that work behind the scenes. Jorge Verdugo, an illustrator and art director, told us that iA Writer helped him write more clearly and eventually sell an animated show he had written.6 IT professional Cécile Biaudet said discovering iA Writer and Markdown changed her life.7 Others describe something simpler but equally valuable. Hannes Gassert uses iA Writer for everything from email to love letters. It changed his life twice.8 Sean Rose told us that before iA Writer he spent too much time fussing with formatting and getting distracted by another app’s interface.9

For some, writing became more accessible. Bruce Elgort, who is legally blind, calls it his go-to writing tool.10 Manuel Moreale remembers envying Mac users because they had access to iA Writer. So he bought one. 11

We’ve also heard from people who finished books, completed long-abandoned theses, changed careers, learned to manage ADHD, found focus during difficult times, or simply discovered the joy of writing.

If iA Writer played a meaningful role in your life, we’d love to hear your story. Tell us what happened. What were you trying to do? Why did it matter? What changed? A written story is enough. We are collecting stories for a documentary project about software that made a difference. Click here to share your story with us. Thank you for being part of the journey.

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  1. Stephen Fry, comedian and bestselling author, said in 2010 that iA Writer was one of his favorite iPad apps: “Everything goes away but the writing experience.” ↩︎

  2. Audrey Tang, digital visionary, uses iA Writer because “it helps me focus more”. ↩︎

  3. Erik Spiekermann, designer, writes everything he doesn’t write by hand using iA Writer: “The best app on my iPad.” ↩︎

  4. Augusten Burroughs, bestselling author: “Your program is the single most useful and remarkably clever—invisibly so—device for writing that I can name.” ↩︎

  5. John Gruber: “My favorite iOS app for writing in Markdown, without question, is iA Writer.” ↩︎

  6. Jorge Verdugo, illustrator and art director: “This app’s focus has finally allowed me to write more clearly. I even sold an animated show that I wrote using iA Writer.” ↩︎

  7. Cécile Biaudet, SEO consultant: “I discovered iA Writer and Markdown and it changed my life.” ↩︎

  8. Hannes Gassert, entrepreneur: “Fifteen years ago, iA Writer helped me focus on what I wanted to say. Today it helps me know that what I’m saying is actually mine. What began as a tool for writing became a tool for protecting my independence of thought.” ↩︎

  9. Sean Rose: “Before iA Writer I spent a lot of unfocused time writing, fussing with formatting, getting distracted by everything else in the UI.” ↩︎

  10. Bruce Elgort: “It’s VERY accessible and as a legally blind person, it’s my go-to tool for writing.” ↩︎

  11. Manuel Moreale: “I remember being so envious of Mac people because they had access to such a great piece of software.” This is a very common story for iPad, iPhone, and Mac. ↩︎