Inkwell: A Writing App Born in Walmart
I built a Nostr blog publishing tool while waiting for new tires. When existing apps failed me, Shakespeare helped me solve my own problem for about $3.
Yesterday I was sitting in the Walmart waiting area while my car got new tires. I had some time to kill and wanted to write a blog post. Should be simple, right? Open an app, write, publish. Except it wasn't.
When Every App Fails You
I tried Yakihonne. Bugs. I tried Habla.news. Didn't work on mobile. Highlighter? Same story. Primal? Nope. Every Nostr blogging app I tried either had bugs or just flat out did not work on mobile.
This is a frustrating reality that many Nostr users face. The ecosystem is young, and mobile support for long-form content is hit or miss. Most developers optimize for desktop first, leaving mobile users scrambling.
But here's the thing about building on Nostr: you don't have to wait for someone else to fix your problems.
Building My Own Solution
I pulled up Shakespeare on my phone and gave it a simple prompt:
"I want a simple and elegant writing app to publish blogs on Nostr. Nothing else, just writing."
That was it. No complex requirements document. No feature spec. Just a clear statement of what I needed.
It cost me about $3.00 to create.
By the time my tires were done, I had a working blog publishing tool. I published a new Soapbox Sessions blog post with it. Mission accomplished.
The Result: Inkwell
A simple, elegant markdown editor that publishes directly to Nostr. No accounts to create. No platforms to trust. Just write and publish.
Try Inkwell
Works great on mobile - exactly what I needed at Walmart
Adding Features That Matter
Today I went back and added a couple features I wanted to see:
- Draft saving to relays instead of locally - so I can start writing on my phone and finish on my laptop
- Editing existing articles - because typos happen
- Improved mobile formatting toolbar - making it easier to format text on smaller screens
I probably won't be adding a whole lot more to this. I just want a simple place to publish a blog without a bunch of extra bells and whistles. Inkwell does that for me.
Why This Matters
This story isn't really about Inkwell. It's about what's now possible.
We've entered an era where solving your own problems is cheaper than complaining about them. Three dollars and a tire rotation's worth of time gave me exactly the tool I needed.
Total cost to build
Build time
Lines of code I wrote
Think about what this means for freedom tech. The barrier between "I wish this existed" and "I built this" has collapsed. You don't need to be a developer. You don't need funding. You don't need permission from anyone.
If an app doesn't work for you, build one that does. If a feature is missing, add it. If a tool doesn't exist, create it.
The Power of Simple Solutions
There's a temptation when building software to add everything. Dark mode, light mode, analytics, user accounts, premium tiers, social features, notifications, integrations...
But sometimes the best tool is the simplest one. Inkwell does one thing: it lets you write and publish to Nostr. That's it. That's the whole app.
When you're vibe coding with AI, this simplicity is actually a superpower. A focused prompt produces a focused tool. The less you ask for, the more likely you are to get exactly what you need.
Prompting Tip
Start with the simplest possible version of what you need. You can always add features later. A working simple tool beats a broken complex one every time.
Build Your Own
The next time you're frustrated that an app doesn't work the way you want, remember: you can build your own. It might take an hour. It might cost a few dollars. But you'll end up with exactly what you need.
That's the promise of AI-first development on Nostr. Not just consuming technology, but creating it. Not waiting for someone to solve your problems, but solving them yourself.
All it takes is a simple prompt and the willingness to try.
Try Inkwell for your next Nostr blog post, or use Shakespeare to build your own tool.