Introducing NEO - Hugh Howey
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August 10, 2026
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Introducing NEO
Nine years ago, I wrote a blog post about my ideal novel writing tool called NEO. You can read that original post here. The problem I was trying to solve was replicating the clean, crisp workflow I’ve always had in Apple’s Pages, before Apple updated and ruined Pages. Most of my novels have been written in the black, distraction-free full-screen mode Pages creates that you can swipe to and forget about the rest of your laptop. Just your words, a wordcount at the bottom, and an interface that gets out of the way.
Yes, there are thousands of writing tools out there, and the problem with them usually falls into one of two camps: They are made to do everything, so they don’t do anything cleanly, like Word. Or they try to be too clever and give you every book-writing gadget in the universe, like Scrivener. People swear by both. I begrudgingly use them.
Whatever perfect writing tool you’re about to mention in the comments, I’ve probably already tried. I’m so glad it works for you! Keep writing! Stay awesome! None of them work for me. I don’t want to spend any time in my word processor doing ANYTHING but writing. Nothing to break the creative flow state. Just my words. Basic key strokes to do basic things.
Writing a novel in Word or Pages means inserting page breaks, numbering a chapter, centering that number, centering section breaks, uncentering to start writing again, renumbering every chapter because you inserted a new one, ad naseum. NEO was going to be designed from the ground up to do one thing: write long-form prose. That’s it.
The last time I worked on this application, it was with a software developer while I was sailing across the Pacific. Limited internet access made the collaboration difficult, and we never got past basic functionality. It wasn’t good enough for my daily use, so I never shared it with you all. Today, that changes.
NEO can be downloaded here (.dmg for Mac, .exe for Windows)
It’s still rough, not even beta-worthy, but NEO is now the first thing I boot up in the morning. It’s where my writing is happening. And I’m in love with it. But there’s a lot to work on, so it’ll keep changing. If anyone wants to use it, it’s free! If you find bugs or have suggestions, leave a comment on this blog post below (or at GitHub). I’ll take your thoughts into consideration, but I’m not interested in feature creep or bloat. Just simple and functional. If you want to take the source code and run with it, have a great time!
Installing :
Mac users : double-click the .dmg, drag NEO into Applications, then run it. To make your life a little easier, I actually paid for a Mac Developer license and figured out certifications and signing and all that jazz, so you should only get a warning about running software from the internet. None of that "unidentified developer" nonsense. C’mon, you’re on my blog, you know me.<br>PC users : double-click the installer. You might get a warning and be asked to continue. I’m not going through the Windows developer nonsense because it’s way crazier and you still get warnings anyway. I haven’t tested this version much, so use at your own risk.
A beginners guide for the brave: The first time you open NEO, it’ll ask you for your name and if you are a pantser or a plotter. All that means is whether new documents open in the Outline tab or the Manuscript tab. You can change this option later at any time (go to File > Goals Settings).
The main interface in Neo is your Shelf. You can have lots of WIPs here, and you can create new shelves to keep them organized. Rename shelves by clicking the name.
Create a new WIP in any shelf or import an existing document. Importing will probably require a little fiddling, as this is not the main goal of NEO. It’s more for starting new projects and seeing them to completion.
A few features to highlight:
This is about distraction-free writing with only the things you need at your fingertips. Complex functions are handled with quick key-presses. Need to start a new section in your current chapter? Hit the enter key twice . Need to start a new chapter? Hit the enter key three times . This and your imagination are all you really need to write a novel in Neo. That’s pretty much it.
Chapters are auto-numbered for you, even if you insert one in an earlier place. Hover your mouse on the left side and you’ll see an outline of all your chapters. Feel free to make a brief note here about what happens in that chapter. On the right side you’ll see Placeholders, a feature I’ve always wanted. To create a placeholder, hit COMMAND + SHIFT + X. Make a note about what you need to do here later and keep plowing forward. All your placeholders are hidden away for when you need them. You can lock this window open by clicking the little symbol at the top, for when you are in afternoon-revising-mode.
If you want to get rid of a piece...