Writing Apps For Authors

IF YOU ARE A WRITER YOU NEED TO READ THIS!!!!!!!!!

Now, you might be thinking 'This is going to be exactly like A Collection of Names, and all we're going to do is talk about authors and blogs.'

Well, if you think that, then you think wrong.

Today! It has come to me that my assistance has been needed, which is why I write this for you, my dear reader.

I said it once and I'll say it again, if you write books (novels, short stories, fan-fiction, any of it) this is gonna be for you.

Here is a list of the 9 essential apps (and schtuff) a writer needs to both keep themselves organized and in the right headspace.

This post has been simmering as an idea in the back of my mind since I started getting into writing. Durring that time, my family and I were off searching 'What does a writer need?' 'What apps does an author use?' that sort of thing. So here, after two or three years of writing, I have accumulated a list!

To write words:

Scrivener (Bought)

Scrivener is my main writing app, it has so many options for separate projects that branch out into other files that then become documents. It has given me a little more structure to the havoc of writing a new draft (and editing, in that sense) and is super easy to handle. Find more information on it here.

When I'm not using Scrivener, I'm typing away on Microsoft Word on my laptop, so keep that in mind also.

The Most Dangerous Writing App (Free)

I rolled across this one courtesy of the Young Writers Workshop. It is a website that you hop onto when write when you feel you can't write anything. You only get five seconds to write something before it deletes all of your progress. After two seconds of no writing the screen gets all red and fuzzy. It sure got me out of a writing slump here and there. Find more information on it here.

Apps for the plotter:

Height Comparison (Free)

This website was incredible for being able to actually see my characters. It gave me my motivation again, not going to lie. You get avatars for your characters and can make them however high to fit the character. Super fun to play around with. It is a bad procrastination tool, though, so be sure to avoid that. Find more information on it here.

SmartDraw (Paid)

This was recommended to me by one of my major plotter friends for writing out and visualizing family trees all in one document. It was very handy, though I haven't written any novels with such complex family trees yet, and I haven't sucked up and paid for it, though it's not that much. Find more information on it here.

Inkarnate (Free/Paid)

The ultimate map-making website that I am over the moon about. I was playing around with making a high fantasy map the other day and it just makes it so easy. I only have the free version, but when paid for there are so many more options for all the different things (mountains, plains, trees, castles, etc.). Definitely recommend! Find more information here.

And, of course, besides apps, I always have a few other tokens that are absolutely essential beside me when writing, here are a few:

Notebooks. Notebooks upon notebooks upon notebooks. So many notebooks you think you've found them all when really all you've done is calmed the tempest a little. So many notebooks you have stacks of them and shelves of them. Most empty, but that's not the point!

And pencils, but more than that, pens! Pens are the ultimate brainstorming tool, you can't erase anything (obviously, it's a pen), but that's not it, it's the action of writing it down and then moving on and not erasing the messy stuff that's beyond great for your brainstorming. Trust me, I know.

Good headphones. And probably noise-canceling too. Even if yo don't like listen to music when you write, it's good to have a quiet surrounding to keep you focused.

And probably a whiteboard, for drawing out things that just look too ugly or permanent on paper.

And I think that's it for now.

Go write some words,

Claudia