I started writing StoryGrinder over a year ago now, because I wanted some specific functionality in regards to Web Writing. By "Web Writing", I mean, in general, anything that gets posted to a blog, web site, bulletin board, etc. Basically, I wasn't looking for a "blogging" tool, I was looking for a writing tool.

Specifically, I was looking to:

1. Capture scraps of information (text) or web pages (reference material)
2. Be able to refer to the snippet or web page while writing, and without having to switch between a browser and editor
3. Save the reference material along with the story itself for future reference
4. Perform transformations of the text I was writing into properly formatted HTML (or, perhaps, something else)

What I've ended up with in the latest StoryGrinder is pretty close to what I originally wanted. So:

1. I can capture text or web pages to a Scrap Box where I can categorize the information, preview it, etc. I can send the scraps or links to the Scrap Box using AppleScript or the Services menu. Better, in the case of web pages I can cache a webarchive of the page which lets me keep it even if the original link disappears.
2. I can view text or a web page at the same time as editing a story. In fact, in the viewing pane, I can navigate HTML links on a page and perform the same kind of simple web browser actions as in, say Safari.
3. The scraps and links I've used for a story get saved along with it.
4. In addition to being able to insert HTML tags (and BBCode tags), I can use Perl scripts to perform custom transformations. For example, I can write a complete article without concern for paragraph tags, and then run a Perl script to insert them in the proper locations throughout the story.

At this point, being reasonably happy with the progress so far, I'm interested in having others try it and (undoubtedly) suggest improvements. I'm not sure as yet if this will become a for-cost product, a shareware product or a free product. I'm leaning towards shareware rather than full commercial.

You can download StoryGrinder here. Please also see the "Getting Started" document on the same page. I'd be more than happy to hear comments, suggestions, bugs, etc.