Hey again, team!
First off, thank you so much for your kind response. I appreciate the fact that you’re even entertaining this mad scientist’s lab of ideas. 
But if I may:
Before we get too deep into the feature wishlist, I think we need to step back and ask the bigger question.
Because here’s the thing…
- This Isn’t Just About “Adding Features”
It’s about redefining how creative writing is done. A new paradigm, not just a new panel in the sidebar.
Let me explain with an analogy…
Architects Don’t Use Photoshop (And Writers Shouldn’t Be Stuck With Word Processors)
- The Difference in One Line:
Word Processors = “Let me type.”
InkFlow = “Let me create.”
“What I’m suggesting isn’t just another ‘view mode’… it’s a shift in mindset.
Think of it this way:
A word processor is like Photoshop… perfect for pixel-by-pixel precision, layout, and final polish.
But creative writers need something more like AutoCAD… a specialized space for planning, structuring, and engineering the whole blueprint of a story before decorating it.
Imagine asking an architect to design a skyscraper using Photoshop.
Technically? Yeah, they could draw some lines and shapes.
But realistically? You’d better hope that elevator stops at floor 3.
Architects use specialized software like AutoCAD because they need tools that respect their workflow, not just their output.
Creative writers are the same.
- Word Processors Are for Formatting
Writers Need Tools to Think With
Here’s how writing actually works:
- Writing isn’t linear. Writers jump between chapters, scenes, ideas.
We write endings before beginnings. InkFlow must allow fluid navigation.
- We work with story components, not documents. Scenes, character notes, plot arcs, all modular and rearrangeable.
- We use notes and references constantly. And we want them visible, not buried in a sidebar 3 clicks deep.
- We don’t want to “format.” We want to create. Formatting comes later.
- We visualize progress, structure, and flow. We need graphs, trees, boards, and chaos that makes sense.
A word processor is designed for the final stage.
What we’re missing is a tool designed for the storm… The messy, chaotic, creative beginning.
That tool is what I have been calling InkFlow.
Think of It Like This:
Word processors are for arranging words.
InkFlow is for constructing stories.
It’s not a stripped-down editor.
It’s not “Scrivener Lite.”
It’s not a new blade in the Swiss Army Knife.
It’s a completely different toolkit.
- The Core InkFlow Philosophy:
- Modular Writing: Writers want to create scenes, fragments, ideas, then rearrange them.
- Fluid Navigation: A chapter doesn’t have to come after another. Let us jump freely.
- Real-time Boards: Notes, references, and cards need to live around the writing space, not buried in menus.
- Characters, Places, Arcs: These are living parts of a story. We need visual, editable cards tied to the writing.
- Zero Formatting Stress: We’re not designing our book here. We’re writing it.
- Visual Thinking: We need story trees, timelines, plot graphs, and we need them built-in.
- Why This Isn’t “Already in OnlyOffice”
You mentioned drag-and-drop, outlines, notes… and yes, those tools exist. But they don’t work as a creative ecosystem.
InkFlow is not about a feature. It’s about orchestrating all of these into a space where writing actually makes sense.
The moment we start saying “just a new mode,” we fall into the trap of designing a pizza oven into a toaster.
- The Missed Opportunity… or the Big One
No major open-source suite has truly embraced the creative writing niche. Scrivener is too clunky. Manuskript is half-baked. There is no beautiful, clean, structured, cross-platform writing experience yet.
That’s your chance.
With OnlyOffice’s foundation and community, you can build the AutoCAD for Writers.
It feels like I’m selling you an Idea, right?! I promise, it is for free 
- Still Not Sure What I’m Babbling About?
Okay, let’s stop pretending this is just a fancy Word clone with glitter.
To really get what I mean by creative writing software, take 4 minutes, grab a snack, and watch this beginner-friendly Scrivener demo:
Notice how it’s not about fonts, formatting, or a jungle of toolbars.
It’s about structure, clarity, and creative flow things most word processors treat like an afterthought.
Now imagine bringing that experience into OnlyOffice, under a modern open-source spirit.
Yeah. That’s the revolution I’m yelling about. 
I know this is a lot. I’ve thrown storytelling, architecture, and kitchen knives into the same rant. But if this resonates, if any of it sounds like a direction you want to explore,
I’d be thrilled to walk through user stories, mockups, or writer workflows anytime.
- Why You Don’t Just Cram InkFlow Into a Word Processor
Sure, some word processors (cough Google Docs cough) try to flirt with “FocusWriter vibes.”
They toss in a few outlining tools, maybe a collapsible heading here and there… cute, right?
But here’s the catch:
A creative writer staring at 237 toolbar buttons, nested menus, and formatting chaos is not inspired, they’re paralyzed.
Right now, it feels like giving a novelist a modular synthesizer and saying:
“Here, compose your symphony. The piano keys are somewhere behind the oscillators and patch cords.”
And sure, it technically works, if you’re a cyborg with a PhD in beeps and boops.
Writers? We need a grand piano.
Something that doesn’t require an instruction manual before you can feel something.
InkFlow is not about more features… it’s about fewer, better ones.
It’s about an intentional space that speaks the writer’s language: plot arcs, character cards, scene movement… not font size and page breaks.
And here’s the twist… you already have most of the pieces inside OnlyOffice.
That’s what I’m proposing:
Not a feature dump… But a mindset shift.
- You Already Have the Parts…
What I’m proposing isn’t some far-off dream or a revolutionary leap into uncharted tech. Nope.
OnlyOffice Documents already has the core… the editor, the tools, the foundation.
Compare that to Google Docs… they tried to “help” creatives too, but went the wrong way: They built a jungle. Too many buttons, features buried in submenus, and chaos disguised as productivity. It’s like putting a Ferrari engine in a tractor. Sure, it runs, but it’s not built to flow.
I’m not asking you to build something new from scratch.
I’m saying: take your powerful infrastructure… and shape it into a writing studio.
Like turning a powerful server into a simple, beautiful writing PC… focused, clean, and ready to write.
Your writer users will thank you.
Not with flowers.
Not with chocolate.
But with bestselling novels, epic screenplays, and tear-stained love letters to your “User Experience Team.”
Because when a tool disappears and the words flow that’s not just good design.
That’s magic.
Thanks for reading this madness (again)
