If you’re tired of your Moleskine and think that Microsoft Word is
for laughable tech dinosaurs, consider going mobile with your writing.
With non-verbal communication becoming the norm in today’s fast-paced,
tech-forward world, there are many new tools designed to help you get
the most out of your writing time, and, indeed, your words. If you’re
struck with inspiration when you’re on the go, at least one of these
eight essential apps should be available at your fingertips. Beware,
wannabe writers! Once you’ve downloaded any or all of these tools,
you’ll have less of an excuse to say that you “just can’t find the time”
to write. For professionals and amateurs alike, these eight
mobile-friendly writing apps are great assets to your toolkit.
Clean Writer
With all the clutter and noise out there keeping you from doing your
best writing, there exists an app that silences all red underlines and
dings until the time is write um, right. Boasting a “clean” user
interface, “intuitive workflow,” and hidden editing options that only
show up when you’re ready, Clean Writer is good for both beginning and
advanced mobile writers. If you’ve got ideas to map and brainstorming to
do, Clean Writer is an easy and functional tool for keeping yourself
both organized and optimized.
Pages
It’s an industry standard, and there’s no question why. If you
already use the word-processing application on your desktop Mac, you’ll
be ready to go mobile with Pages in no time. The no-frills word
processor allows for distraction free writing, and has cross-platform
functionality that makes it truly a writer’s greatest tool.
Story Tracker
Story Tracker is an app that keeps track of your story submissions
and pitches, and it’s a great tool for professionals and amateurs alike.
Available in both paid and free versions, the creator of the app is
intimately involved in transparently tracking sales, usage, and
responding to feedback with important functionality updates. With the
exception of guaranteeing that you’ll soon see your name in lights (or,
in print, as it were), there’s not much you can’t do (or find help with)
if you’re using Story Tracker.
Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus
Developed by the Cognitive Science Laboratory at Princeton, the
Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus is a truly useful little app
with a long name. Search for synonyms to break up writing monotony and
improve your working vocabulary, and have a go at defining one of almost
150,000 included English words. Bust writer’s block and the diction
doldrums by utilizing this invaluable, free tool of the trade, and do so
from anywhere that your writing (or your life) might take you.
B-Rhymes
Who says all writers have to go pro(se)? For the nascent poet (or
rapper) in you, get your hands on the free B-Rhymes rhyming dictionary
app. B-Rhymes rocks because it doesn’t stick to a strict script — the
app chooses words that “almost” rhyme with entries, providing you more
creative freedom when you’ve got syllabic sounds to work around.
ScriptWrite
You could be the first award-winning screenwriter to pen a piece from
your phone. Download ScriptWrite for $3.99, and easily write and format
scripts by industry standards. The visual interface that tops the
touch-screen keyboard makes it easy to include stage direction and
dialog, and you don’t have to spend hours at a typewriter to get the
right spacing effect. Budget-conscious customers (read: starving
artists) prefer ScriptWrite to the insanely popular First Draft, as its
software updates are free (and there’s a great mobile interface), unlike
its big-timin’ predecessor.
Grammar App HD
If you need a refresher course on your grammar rules (you probably
do), the internal tests in this $0.99 app can help you back to tip-top
shape in no time. If you can’t pen your projects while using proper
grammar, it’s likely that you’ll never find meaningful work as a writer.
Journalists, grad students, and casual writers alike boast satisfaction
with this highly interactive product, and it’s likely that even the
most stringent grammarians still have a little something to learn.
iA Writer
iA Writer for iPad is brought to you by the lovely folks at
Information Architects, and they’ve truly created the most beautiful
writing app out there. While you can download a version of this for your
mobile device, the true value of iA Writer is best viewed on an iPad.
Another application known for distraction-free writing, the touch-screen
tools (such as Focus Mode and One Tap Renaming) are truly where the
difference in well-designed functionality lies.
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