An overwhelming number of apps and online tools exist to help you increase your writing productivity, but which ones are the best? There are so many different apps aimed at specific needs or approaches to writing that it could be difficult to choose any single best one for all writers, but I’ve done some research to help you:
Draft
Draft is an enormously powerful tool. Among other features, Draft makes it easy to share documents with others and accept or reject comments and suggestions from them while maintaining version control, but it also allows a writer to share a document with editors. It is easy to publish documents from Draft to a number of platforms including Blogger, Tumblr, WordPress and Twitter. Furthermore, Draft includes audio and transcription tools.
One of Draft’s most interesting options for writers is Hemingway Mode. Riffing on the writer’s famous comment that you should “write drunk, edit sober,” Hemingway Mode forces you to keep writing that awkward first draft by not letting you go back and delete anything you’ve written. You can switch back out of Hemingway Mode when you’re ready to edit.
Focus Writer
Focus Writer is a free tool you can use if you have trouble focusing while you’re writing. I often find myself browsing the internet or checking tumblr instead of writing. When you download Focus Writer, you are able to create a distraction free environment so that you can focus on your writing.
I use Focus Writer, so I can tell you that it definitely comes in handy when you can’t concentrate.
Website Blockers
Here’s one exception to this list of apps restricted primarily to those designed for writers, but website blockers are worth a mention because productivity and focusing can be such a challenge for writers. If you’ve downloaded all of the above apps and set aside some time for writing only to find yourself distracted once again by Facebook or some other site, all of those efforts are wasted.
The worst thing about the distraction of other sites is how easy it is to get caught up in them. You think you are only going to check one thing for a minute or two and literally before you have realised it, ten or fifteen or more minutes have passed. If your writing period is only an hour long, that’s a significant chunk of it gone right there.
There are a number of tools that will block websites for you, and many work in a similar fashion in that they allow you to choose sites to block at certain times of day or for certain periods of time. The one that you choose will depend upon the type of device you are using as well as the browser. LeechBlock, StayFocused, and Cold Turkey are among the most popular.
Writer Pro
Word processing programs can be overly complex for the needs of fiction writers, but writers generally need to be able to convert their documents into standard word processing formats for submission. Writer Pro provides a simple, streamlined work environment for writers at the notes, writing, editing and reading stages, and then allows that document to be converted to .docx files. Microsoft Word .docx files can also be converted into documents for Writer Pro so that writers can move their manuscripts back and forth between platforms with ease.
The app’s lack of distraction does not mean it is without innovative features, and these include Focus Mode, which allows the writer to concentrate on one sentence at a time while the rest of the text fades out, and syncing with iCloud and Drop box.
Hemingway App
The Hemingway App is free and easy to use when you need to do editing/revision. I have used the website multiple times, and there are many occasions it has helped me. There are plenty of websites that can do the same thing as Hemingway App, but I feel like it’s easier to understand.
Scribophile
I know the name sounds weird, but I have been using this website for a while now and can say that Scribophile helped me so much. The point of the website is to read and critic others work to earn karma points, then use these karma points to post your own writing and get feedback. Scribophile ensures you get at least three critics. I love this website mostly because of the really kind people there.
Cliché Finder
This neat tool will find and uncover hidden clichés in your writing — phrases that have been used so much by so many people that they’ve lost their original punch. I haven’t used this website yet, but plan to.
Write or Die
Ok, I’ll be honest…. I’m to big of a wuss to try it out but I’ve heard great, scary things about this website. For those of you who need a gun to the head in order to start writing, try it out. I warn you though, it’s evil.
For now, that’s it. If you have any other websites or apps you use (preferably free) send me a message, and I’ll add it on!
If you have any questions, feel free to message me at my ask box
The only one of these I’ve used is Write or Die, and I swear by it! It’s not nearly as evil as it sounds, as it’s customizable to your needs. It’s only as evil as you allow to be!
Anyone used these or have more suggestions for helpful apps and the like?