{"slug": "show-hn-pen-a-writing-tool-where-conversation-is-the-editor", "title": "Show HN: Pen – A writing tool where conversation is the editor", "summary": "Pen, a new writing tool launched on Hacker News, lets users write and revise documents through AI conversations embedded in the text rather than in a separate chat window. The tool, available free for individuals at pen.xyz, attaches each conversation and its resulting edits to the relevant passage, allowing users to select text and request changes that can range from a single word to the entire piece. Maker of Pen states the tool's principles include no editor, no AI doing the user's thinking, verifiable sources for factual claims, collaborative suggestions, and free individual use.", "body_md": "Hi HN, I’m the maker of Pen.\n\nIn Pen, you don’t edit the text directly. You write and revise through AI conversations inside the document. Each conversation and the edits it produces stay attached to the relevant text, so you can return to a passage to see how it took shape.\n\nStart with an idea and tell Pen what you want to write. As the text takes shape, click a sentence or select a few words, then tell Pen what you’d like to change. Your selection shows Pen which passage you mean; it doesn't limit the edit. Your request determines what changes—from a single word to the whole piece.\n\nI built Pen to change how writing gets done in the age of AI. What we stand for: 1. No editor. AI writes in your document, not in a chat. 2. Never let AI do your thinking. 3. Every factual claim must be backed by a verifiable source. 4. Collaborative. Readers can suggest changes. You decide what to accept. 5. Free for individuals.\n\nYou can try Pen at [https://pen.xyz](https://pen.xyz) without signing up. I’d love to hear how it feels in practice. How do you like this way of writing and revising versus the usual chat window?\n\nComments URL: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49614690](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49614690)\n\nPoints: 1\n\n# Comments: 0", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pen-a-writing-tool-where-conversation-is-the-editor", "canonical_source": "https://pen.xyz", "published_at": "2026-09-08 18:36:14+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-08 18:49:02.456599+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-products", "ai-tools", "generative-ai"], "entities": ["Pen", "pen.xyz", "Hacker News"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pen-a-writing-tool-where-conversation-is-the-editor", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pen-a-writing-tool-where-conversation-is-the-editor.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pen-a-writing-tool-where-conversation-is-the-editor.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pen-a-writing-tool-where-conversation-is-the-editor.jsonld"}}