I Ranked 9 Popular Writing Apps
I don’t believe in writing apps. Most of them are deceitful rackets intent on extorting money outta your pocket whichever way they can. Nor do I believe an app will make you good if you’re a crap writer to begin with.
Most of all, I don’t believe in the formula.
You see a lot of frilly titles about 3 apps to make you a great writer; or 7 tools to turn you into the next Stephen King. Then, you’ve got the “borrowed knowledge” faction. Those writers who compile writing advice from the greats — Hemingway says do this, and Margaret Atwood insists on having three biscuits before she writes — like that’s all you really need to write.
But I don’t think there’s a formula. Or a plan. Or a one-size-fits-all. I don’t think we should be telling people they’re all writers. Some of them are not, and if you’re not, it’s important to recognize that, and move along to something that better serves you.
That being said, I do think apps can help you. I do think you need order, and crutches, to move you through the unforgiving wasteland that is sometimes your consciousness.
The creative process is hard. There are tools to help you with that, but not replace it. In other words, no amount of Grammarly subscriptions is going to turn you into a writer if you weren’t born one.
Grammarly — Overrated
For someone who types as fast as I do, and with poor proofreading patience, Grammarly is a good enough tool. I use it on my copywriting assignments, though rarely on my own writing.
Verdict: Grammarly is one-dimensional (in that it lacks artistic nuance, and signals things it doesn’t understand as “issues”). Its aim is to produce mass, bland-sounding content, which is really helpful if you’re working as a copywriter. Less so if you wanna write a novel.
Scrivener — Overrated
What essentially grates about Scrivener is that it adheres to the “recipe”. If only you had a ring-binder for your novel, you’d have a bestseller on your hands. Erm.
Verdict: Scrivener is a fair tool for organizing your drafts, although not that much better than your word processor of choice (most likely). Certainly not justifying the $50 cost. Personally, I see more use in its sister-app Scapple, which helps connect your mental dots, and track your ideas (essential for writers — always be writing down random bugs in your ear.).
Microsoft Word — Vastly Overrated
I probably haven’t used Word in five years at least, and I don’t miss it. The main benefit of Word, as I see it, is access to various fonts that aren’t available in open word processors, like OpenOffice or LibreOffice.
Verdict: With Word, you’re buying the brand, essentially. You don’t wanna look uncool ’cause you use a shifty, free writing app. That’s all you’re paying for.
Google Docs — Just Right
I started using Docs at my clients’ behest, and rapidly spiralled into an addiction. Much as I love my LibreOffice, Google Docs is probably my favorite writing program.
Verdict: Google Docs has everything Word has, but for free. It also benefits of the supremely life-saving auto-save function, which has saved my skin in more than one computer crash. However, I’d recommend working on a per-chapter basis, as the app gets laggy after a few thousand words.
Hemingway App — Overrated
News flash: You’re not Hemingway. This is probably a good thing, though. You’re not meant to be. The way this app ‘works’ is, it uses a heavy literary name to sell a product. If you use the app to trim your novel, then you kinda walk away with the idea you’re now closer to Hemingway. And if that doesn’t count as “great writer”, I don’t know what does.
Verdict: It’s paramount as a writer to keep your eyes open and trim overly long, winding phrases. However, I’d much rather recommend training yourself to do that. Hemingway App markets itself as an app that “streamlines your writing”. Kinda sounds like a factory product, don’t it? Is that what you want your writing to be?
Daily Prompt — Just Right
I like the concept behind Daily Prompt. As I’ve written before, daily freewrite prompts are what got me into writing. And yes, it’s vital that you start writing every day, and learning to write from some random idea/word is immensely valuable exercise.
Verdict: While there are online communities that run daily prompt assignments for free, if you want to pay for an app, I’d choose this one. You’ll see a lot more growth after a year on Daily Prompt than a year on Grammarly.
Evernote — Just Right
I considered ranking this one even as ‘underrated’, but figured it gets quite a good rep, actually. Writing down notes, as I mentioned, is crucial for keeping track of your ideas, and your development as an author.
Verdict: I like that Evernote syncs across multiple devices. As someone who’s lost a lot of ideas in various phone crashes/resets, I do see its advantage over your plain Notes app.
The Novel Factory — Overrated
Aesthetically, there’s something very appealing about The Novel Factory to me. However, using it a few years back for a novella I was writing, I found myself severely under-impressed by the app as a whole.
Not only that, it claims to walk you through the step-by-step of writing a novel. Like it’s written in stone or mass-produced. Haven’t we already covered that?
Verdict: No. It’s pretentious, and it encourages lazy thinking on your part. And when you’re writing a novel, that’s not what you should be buying.
Inkarnate — Underrated
Inkarnate isn’t an actual writing app. It’s a map-making app. For my upcoming fantasy novel, Hearthender, it has been one of the most priceless resources I could hope for.
Verdict: Whether you opt for the (generous) free option or the subscription, Inkarnate can help you visualize your novel. As an all-around word person, I struggle with seeing my world. My city. The map of war in my book. All that. Whether you need help visualizing your epic fantasy multiverse, or the small make-believe village your novel takes place in, this could help.
Apps I Want to Try
LivingWriter — Of what I’ve seen of LivingWriter, it seems to have some potential in helping writers organize their world and cast of characters (on top of basic manuscript arrangement).
AutoCrit — This one does all the usual — proofreads, grammar checks, etc. — while also analysing the pacing, past/present tense ratio, and overall momentum of your work.
What about you?
Are you a writer? What apps are you using to make sense of things? Did I bash your favorite writing app? That’s cool. Diversity of opinion is what makes humanity so rad. Or maybe I didn’t even cover your favorite writing app. Tell me about it?
Thank you for reading. Guess what. I am actually publishing my first novel this fall. Wild, I know. Meanwhile, I’m gonna be documenting my process/journey/slow descent into madness on here, while also dropping the occasional opinion piece.
So if you’re someone who enjoys that kinda writing, well, why not subscribe? It’s free. And I’m desperate. So there, honesty.
