I didn’t know how to use Ulysses the first time I tried it. I had grown frustrated with Scrivener when I first looked at Ulysses, and upon opening it and seeing the library, I felt familiar with it, but estranged at the same time. Then there was the Sheet List, which didn’t have an equivalent in Scrivener.
I panicked, closed the app, and refused to look back at it for a long time. I regret not giving it more time. Once I got used to it, I realized how much more I liked Ulysses and how it treats files, sheets, and writing. Sure, there are some things I miss from Scrivener, but Ulysses offers so much that I don’t even think about that old app anymore.
I don’t want that to happen to you. Here is the setup guide that I wish I had when I first looked at Ulysses to help you get set up for the first time, understand its concepts like Sheets and Groups, and more.
Setting Up Ulysses for the First Time
Setting up Ulysses for the first time couldn’t be more simple.
After finding the app in the Mac App Store, open the app and the app will ask you a few questions about what you’re planning to do with the app. The app asks you this so that it can set it up to help you get started.
For example, I told it that I was going to write a novel and blog posts. So, it set up some sample notes and projects for me—if that sounds confusing, don’t worry, I’ll help you understand all that shortly.
Once you’ve gone through the onboarding questions and the app opens, you’re in for a good time.
If you use multiple Apple ecosystem device, you’ll be able to use Ulysses on all those devices. Ulysses saves all your writing in iCloud, and syncing happens quickly in the background. So, if you find yourself with a minute or two to write on your iPhone while the kids are busy, it’ll update quickly when you open the Mac app.
Users will need to subscribe to Ulysses. While I don’t like subscriptions, this is one that is priced fairly. A monthly subscription cost only $5.99 and a year runs $39.99. However, if you use my link to sign up, you could save 25% off your first year.
I know my money is going to support developers who are constantly trying to improve the app. The app gets updated fairly often with new features and fixes.
Understanding Sheets and Groups (Your Basic Building Blocks)
Ulysses is built around Sheets and Groups.
Sheets are where you do your actual writing. Sheets are the blank page that you can do so much with. The cool thing is, unlike a standard document, you can split, glue, and merge sheets. They offer so much flexibility, that it becomes hard for me to go back to a Word document.
Groups are like your folders. You can place the sheets inside these groups so you always know where things are. Groups live in the library (the sidebar on the left-most side of the app).
Unlike Scrivener, Word, or Google Docs, all your writing lives inside the app. You don’t have to hunt through your drive to find the file you want, every sheet lives inside your library inside the app. That way, you can find or even link to other sheets.
I have an entire productivity system set up in my library to help me move projects along, as you can move sheets around your library into different groups.
Once you select a Group from your library, you’ll see all the sheets in that group inside the Sheet list.
The sheet is where you’ll do the writing, but this section has some powers. You can set sheets to be automatically organized by creation date, title, modification date, or put them in the order you see fit.
I have most of my groups set to promote the most recently edited file, which helps me stay on top of my most recent ideas, or the piece I’ve been working on. If you’re working on a novel, though, you can place your chapters in order.
Inside the sheet list, you can also highlight multiple sheets, and they will show up together in the editor. So, if you break a chapter down into multiple sheets, you can see them all together to check the flow.
I like to break down my chapters into sections, so each part of the story like my main plot vs. character relationships can be separated. When I’m ready to put them all together, I can highlight them or even command click the sheets to glue them. They will stick together, regardless of where you move them.
Writing in the Ulysses Editor
Writers will spend most of their time in the editor.
Once you know how to use Ulysses, it excels at getting out of your way when you need to write. The interface is pure, without any buttons to push. Instead of giving you a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor like in Microsoft Word or Apple’s Pages, you write in plain text, and use markdown symbols to affect your words when you export it.
Markdown can feel intimidating at first, but it is simple. Ulysses will also help you figure out what the symbols as you go, as your keyboard shortcuts, like cmd+B for bold, still work. You’ll also have a menu bar option to insert those commands for you as well.
If things like the sidebars get in your way, you can also get rid of them with swipes, keyboard shortcuts, or menu items. That way, all you see is the words. It’s simple, gets out of your way and lets you simply create.
Organizing Your Library as You Grow
As you write more sheets, your library will need some extra organization. I use groups to keep my writing organized by status until they are published. Then I have a published group that has some subgroups based on the type of writing. I have subgroups for tech, family, fiction, etc.
While I mostly rely on Groups, you can also use keywords and filters to help you stay organized. Right-click on it in the Sheet List, or find the Keywords section in the dashboard—the sidebar on the right side of the app to add a keyword.
Here, you can tag your sheet with keywords that can help you. I’ve used them to help me organize my writing by the topic and the draft. In the Keywords manager, you can even add colors to your keywords so that you can see them in the Sheet List. To access the Keyword Manager, go to Window > Keyword Manager in the menu bar or hit the plus button next to Keywords in the dashboard and select manage keywords.
Filters can help you automatically put sheets with keywords inside so you can find them. As I mentioned, I would put a 1st draft, needs revision, or ready for publication tag to help me know which state my sheets were currently in.
If you’re working on novels or larger projects, the app also offers a Project view library. Writers who have used Scrivener or need a focused place for working on their next novel should explore the Project view. A Project is a self-contained library. Here, you can work on your novels or larger pieces that you don’t want mixed in with the rest of your library. The benefit of the project view is that you can put all your research and ideas into a project, as well as your draft. It stays separate from your library, and it actually takes a little effort to move something from your project to the library.
You can create a new project from the File menu or clicking the three dots button next to Projects in your library sidebar.
What to Explore Next (Goals, Dashboard, and Publishing)
There is so much power inside the app that we haven’t even explored.
You can set writing goals inside Groups or sheets, so you can hit a target number during your writing. I have a daily 500 word goal inside my In Progress folder so that I’m writing every day. But you can also set a sheet goal, so you can make sure you get to that essay word count for school or whatever.
The dashboard also offers you much more information like read time, your outline, and other statistics.
Finally, if you’re blogging, you can set up Ulysses to publish to your blog with a click of a button. Click the middle arrow button at the top of the editor, and you can link your WordPress or Ghost site. I haven’t uploaded to a ghost site, but for WordPress, Ulysses walked me through setting up my site.
Upon clicking the publish button, Ulysses will offer you a view of what the website will look like. You can scan how it will look. If satisfied, you can click the publish button on this screen which will take you to a new box where you can edit the URL, and add any categories, or tags. Then, clicking okay, uploads to my WordPress system to give it on last look over before pushing that publish button.
Each of these features also offers more features as you dig into them. Take some time to experiment and play as you get used to the app.
If you need some help starting to write, refer to my Writing Hub to get exercises, ideas, and guides to help you get the words on the page.
Now You Know How to Use Ulysses
It’ss a powerful writing app, that can be intimidating to start. But once you know how to use Ulysses, things click. While it can look intimidating, it is simple to use.
Hopefully, this guide will help you get started and succeed with one of the best writing apps on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. While the app is feature rich, those features stay out of the way until you need them. This lets you write distraction free, and get those words on the page.
Once you get the hang of the library and sheets, the app works so smoothly, and really unlocks the power of the app.
If you’d like to explore more Ulysses content, head over to my Ulysses guide to see everything I’ve written about it.
Do you have any questions about getting started with Ulysses? Ask in the comments and I’ll help figure out your issue.
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