This is a very interesting question (at least to me). It will take some thinking about: usually I just adjust to how things are rather than speculate on what would be perfect.
It’s complicated by the fact that I do many different types of writing with different needs. Fact, fiction, formal reports, academic, even journalism at times. All they have in common is that they have subject matter, and a written output where elements are pulled together in threads. Not one answer, maybe then.
- I use Mindomo to play with ideas and relationships. It’s not always my first stage - often I’ll come to it (or similar techniques) to work things out after making a start.
- Plottr seems designed for pulp fiction series; I use it to help structure sections and chapters, watching elements and themes across the narrative.
- I use Timeline only when there’s a timeline that matters.
- I use Excel, partly because I’ve used it for a long time before these other programs existed, but also because it’s a quick and easy way to write structured info.
This makes them all appear very different when they actually have elements in common. If there is a character, then they each invite a description of that character and stimulation to embellish that description. But I don’t want a description spread across three locations, especially when I really want all of it in a fourth.
So, my ideal workflow for that would be that they import/export/synchronise those fields with an originating markdown file.
Do I need more? Not especially probably.
I’d like them to exchange data easily, so that it travels with me when I switch programs. .csv ought to be good enough for that; I’m okay running .csv through Excel for the program that requires .xls/x. OPML too, but that’s less spotted.
So I can see how to do it, but the method required appears to depend on the precise A>B at the time.