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| What is ilys? |
ilys is a little robot that helps keep your creative juices flowing.
Why aren't my creative juices flowing?In a nutshell: Our thoughts collide with each other and we get stuck. The writing process consists of two major phases which are mutually exclusive. These phases are creativity and editing. When these two are active at the same time, we suffer.
How will ilys help?We help the editing-mind take a nap while the creative-mind goes wild with expression.
Cool, how does it work?1. Tell ilys how many words you want to write.
2. Write your words.
You can't change what you've written until you've completed your goal. This means that the editing-mind is kept far away from the creative-mind. There is nothing else to do but write! The editing-mind will come to accept that it cannot change anything. Trusting that its fun will arrive soon enough, it simply lets go. Now the magic begins. Your creative-mind is absolutely free to let your words flow. You might see how putting these limits on the writing phase will create ultimate freedom in your expression. It does for me! Especially when I use it in full-screen mode by pressing F11 on our browser, which is usually Chrome.
How do I use ilys?When you come to the welcome screen, ilys will ask you how many words you'd like to write. Enter that number into the yellow textbox. When you click on big "GO!" button, you'll be brought to a screen where you'll see a big typing box. That's the place you'll be writing in. You'll also see a word counter above it, an eye icon below it, as well as a progress bar at the bottom of the screen. By clicking on the eye, you can peek at what you're writing. You'll be unable to edit while peeking, or until you reach your word count goal. When you do that, you'll see an orange arrow on the right side of the big typing box. Clicking on this arrow will bring you to the edit screen where you can change your text. From the edit screen, you can click on the orange arrow on the left side of the screen to return to the big typing box and continue writing. Your work is being saved in the browser. If you close the browser and return to it, ilys will ask you if you want to continue where you left off. You can either continue, or start a new piece.
But what about typos?Let them all go and fix them during the editing phase, which is AFTER the writing phase. Use ilys to get the words out and THEN fix the typos and everything else. While you write, notice yourself being interrupted by thoughts about typos and any number of other insignificant things. Any time you react to these thoughts, you interrupt your creative flow. Practice letting go of any thoughts that try to grab your attention. Let go of them, knowing that everything will be corrected during editing. You are safe to be absolutely free in your creation. Enjoy :-)
*** WARNING! ***While ilys works great with most modern computers, there is the possibility that it won't work with yours. Please try it out with just a small number of words before starting out on a long session. You ought to be able to see the word counter and progress bar advancing as you type your words. You should also be able to get to the editing screen by clicking on the right side triangle after you've reached your word count goal. Please kick the tires on every device you want to work with until you're totally comfortable with it. If ilys is not working as expected, please consider updating the browser to the latest version and try again. And, please us know by sending feedback.
Wishing you outrageous creative fun and flow,
Michael Gurevich
| ilys is so weird... Does it actually help? |
aliciavannoycall.blogspot.com says: ... the flow ilys unlocks is pretty incredible.
Thomas Harper says: I had two four thousand words sessions today. Since I worked last night, today is my first day and that makes this my most successful start to nanowrimo in my eleven years taking part in the event.
Callie Sandberg says: Just want to say thank you to ilys for allowing me to start writing 5,000 words without looking back at my mistakes. This NaNo year will be the year that I win thanks to this website.
Vanessa Nielson says: This is the best program ever. I wrote 4000 words in one day when in the past I was lucky to get down 500 because of how much of a perfectionist I was being and constantly editing as I went. The 4000 words I threw down were certainly terribly written, but I really don't care because *the words are down and moving the story forward*! This is the best tool for compulsive editors during NaNoWriMo. I can make the writing good later, but for now, getting the words on the page using this program might actually make me successful this NaNo. Thank you thank you thank you.
Nina says: I love, love, love ilys. I'm one of those who want to let their creativity flow and edit what they've written at the same time. ilys is just the thing for me. I'm not able to edit and write at the same time, so ilys does exactly what you promoted. Awesome.
Raymond Carver says: I've been recommending ilys to everyone I talk to on reddit and everyone I know who writes. I think it's really what a lot of people need.
Tori H. says: ilys forces me to get something down. I have a tendency to try and edit as I write, which means it can take me hours to write something even fairly short, and in the end I am not happy with the result. With ilys I know that I can't change anything until I reach my word goal. Also, the simplicity of the site really helps to minimize distractions.
arathe.tumblr.com says: 10/10, can't recommend enough.
Jansina @ www.rivershorebooks.com says: ilys helps with my writing when I'm having trouble focusing. It's great how it makes the whole screen dark and shows only one letter at a time so I can't go back and edit or get distracted by other tabs. I also like the word count feature. Knowing I have to write a certain number of words before I can edit them keeps me going until I reach the goal.
Arya Turner says: ilys helps me to concentrate on writing. I have problems with staying focused on writing and not going back and fixing mistakes and typos and reading what nonsense I am creating :) When I can't see what I write I can simply write further without caring too much. It turned out to be really useful during NaNoCamp :)
Leanne Wilson says: I heard of ilys through a writing website I found on Google when I was in a rather large slump. I didn't have any inspiration and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't put words on the paper without going back and deleting them, or changing them.
Then I started using ilys. Suddenly the words flowed more easily, and I didn't think about what I had already written - only what was still to write. It took a while to get used to not seeing what I was typing, but once I got used to that I found it refreshing to type without seeing my words. I couldn't look back on what I had already written, only forward at what was still to be written. The words began to flow naturally.
Since I began using ilys my overall word counts have increased quickly. I have gotten more writing done than I had before I began using this tool, but I still never lost my place due to the view of the last letter I had written. ilys is a great tool for first drafts, especially when the writer is struggling not to edit what they've already written when they've still got more to write. I am extremely glad I began using this tool, and I hope more people are able to prosper in the same way I have with ilys.
rski93.svbtle.com says: This can be the most ultimate, distraction-free software for writing: ilys. A great tool for pure writing creation, as opposed to editing process.
Acindra Rhys says: I have difficulty with creative writing because I constantly need to be editing what I've already written and it prevents me from progressing very far with the rest of the story. With ilys, since I cannot nitpick at what I've already written I have to keep going with the story.
J.F. Jenkins says: ilys was introduced to me by a friend. When I went to give it a try, I found that I got my word counts for the day met at a lot faster pace. The words just seemed to fly out a lot faster. Because I was able to write more in a faster amount of time, this opened up a lot of time for me to do other things at home. I'd seriously be at a loss in my writing projects without this.
Anna Glauser says: It helps me turn off my inner editor more effectively than anything else I've ever tried. I have the idea, I need to get it down on paper, I start to write... and then as soon as something doesn't phrase quite the way I like it, I stop and rethink and immediately bog down. With ilys, I might write something that doesn't sound right, but I can't see it so I can put it aside and keep writing. It's easy to go back and fix it later. And this way I keep writing.
Ellie McRitchie says: ilys is fantastic! It's helped me out so much with NaNoWriMo this year, as I'm terrible for reading and rereading everything I've written over and over, editing as I go along. ilys removes that option, which has really helped me bump up my word count and keep on top of everything. :)
agbeat.com says: If you are a blogger or writer that needs to meet a specific quota of words per post, or per day, you can use ilys to create word documents in a flash. The same is true for freelance writers or anyone else creating copious amounts of text on a deadline.
Francis G. Mosse says: Just write it out; don't worry about structure and appearance. Give yourself the right to express what's in you, express your knowledge, creativity, imagination. Don't stop yet: you still haven't reached your words goal... then when you reach your goal you realize the flow in which you have put yourself will let you continue way beyond that goal.
Elyse Makenna says: This is amazing. I was going through some serious writers block before I found this. I love it so much because it keeps track of my word count, and doesn't let me edit until I reach the end.
James says: I haven't been able to write this easily in, ever. I'm actually enjoying writing again without fretting. I'm writing trash, but goddamnit it's fun, I've not had this much fun writing since I was a young teenager! Thank you for helping me get back into the habit of writing my words daily, not worrying about editing 'til I'm in an editing headspace is helping so much.
Jenny Vollenweider says: I use and support ilys because it allows me to be creative, while freeing me from the daunting task of filling up a blank screen. Compulsive editing was also holding me back from my full creative potential. ilys forces me to think differently by turning off the editor so that my mind can create without distraction. ilys is also an excellent tool for those like myself whom prefer to write or take notes privately; your work isn't visible to anyone until you're ready to make it visible! An excellent tool for writers of all ages. A sincere thank you to my friend and ilys creator, Mike G.
Tim Grana says: This is completely brilliant! A friend who is an established playwright once told me the importance of "don't get it right, get it written", and ilys is the perfect tool for priming the creative pump and getting the flow going. I've only been on it for 10 minutes, and I am hooked!
Franka says: Thanks. I finally finished something i wanted to write for so many years. And now i did it. Thanks for making that possible :)
Kate says: I LOVE the idea and found it fun to use.
Matt says: I love how ilys has improved my productivity by nearly a factor of 3.
drunkpylades.tumblr.com says: Since you don't have to worry about editing, you can let your creativity flow. It can be frustrating, but it's also liberating because you have to let it go.
Gabby @ www.no-more-typos.com says: I was introduced to ilys today. I have not stopped using it! :) It works great. I love it. I'm writing my debut novel and managed to write 1500 words just today! I had been in a slump for the past 2 weeks, so this has helped me tremendously. Thanks for putting this together!
Ella says: When I first heard about ilys, I thought to myself, "This can't be helpful for me. It sounds so frustrating!" However, I tried it, and I was astounded by how much I was able to get done. Now, I can write about a thousand words in half an hour, which is perfect for NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo. I recommended it to my sister, and now we both use it daily. Good job, guys!
Solomon says: ilys is absolutely awesome. I am currently participating in the Nanowrimo camp month-long novel write and it is really helping me to achieve my word-count goals. Before I was trying to write in 300 word sessions multiple times throughout the day but was finding it very difficult to accomplish these quickly and effectively. When I started using ilys I have upped my word-count daily goal from 500 words per day to 1000. Having said this, thank you so much for this program.
Liz says: I love that it forces me to keep writing.
Jonathan says: ilys is perhaps the most annoying thing I have ever encountered on the internet. I love it! My biggest problem with writing is that I can't ever get my editor brain and my creative brain to stop mingling, and this program solves it wonderfully! I churned out 1,000 words for my novel-in-progress in no time at all, when it usually takes me more than an hour! In short, even though I despise every aspect of this program with every fiber of my being, it is brilliant in that it is teaching me how to become a better writer. Thanks!
Ao says: I love the look of the one letter. Its a little strange at first, but I like how it feels like I just spew out everything and actually get it done.
Charlie says: I found this website today via NaNoWriMo and wow this is very, very useful. Not only is the "block your inner editor" very useful, but it's a great way of doing "I won't take a break until I've done 1000 words" kind of thing. It really does make things flow really well too, because I often go back and re-read sentences which can be a big distraction. I think the black background works really well to because it's minimally distracting. THANK YOU FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL GIFT OF A WEBSITE.
Gloria says: That was a really great experience. I didn't realize how fast it was to write 100 words. Not seeing them really helped because my natural tendency is to edit as I go. Thanks.
xerxeshydro says: I really love how the site forces you to write, even if you catch a mistake. It makes it so you have to just let it go and get back to it later.
Severina says: I love the concept of it all, the writing without an inner editor and especially the black background. It really helps to focus.
Tori says: I love, love this site! An excellent idea and it's helped me so much.
Renee says: This is awesome, I can just write all these thoughts and never stop and get distracted about what I've already written until I've written the thought out of my mind!
kaylad314 says: Its so helpful. It's a great tool for writing! I just put my music on and can write for much longer periods of time than any other program I've used.
alzou321 says: I absolutely love this! Not being able to read what I've just written really takes away a lot of distractions.
aseryce says: I love this. I have been trying to blurt out an ending to my story for weeks but I've been so obsessive with the wording and trying to fit things in that weren't right for it and I just never got it done. This site is great, I'll most likely be using it very often, or at least getting into the habit of just writing everything down without over thinking. Thanks for the handy website!
Babette says: I LOVE ilys it helped me SO much for NaNoWriMo last November and it's helping again this year! Thank you so much for this awesome website!
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