A writer’s primary tool is their own creativity – it’s your quick-firing, inspiration-sparking brain that lets you convert your ideas into captivating prose on the page. But no writer can work without tools – from a pen and inkwell to an iPhone memo, writers need to surround themselves with the apps and implements of their trade. Now, these are proliferating and there are more digital tools than ever before to support your practice. Here are the best apps for planning, writing, editing – and finding inspiration.
Todoist
Writers are at their best when they’re freewheeling, getting into a creative flow that lets the ideas spill onto the paper – but it’s a well-known secret that all successful writers only tap into this flow state once they’ve organized their ideas. The planning stage is key for allowing unobstructed writing.
To this end, Todoist is a valuable tool for writers, enabling tailored task management, customized schedules, and dynamic to-do lists. This app lets you gather your ideas and then gives you timely reminders to sit down and write.
Diaro
This app acts as a complete diary but writers find it useful for day-to-day journaling, getting your ideas down as and when they come. You can use Diario as a platform for your writing projects or simply accumulate ideas there, from which you can draw energy and inspiration when you set out on your project properly.
Evernote
Evernote is a super functional app that allows you to capture your ideas as well as build in-depth writing plans to keep you on schedule. There’s a free plan and a premium version with more space for recording your ideas – if you find your inspiration by scrapbooking plain text and images or graphics together, then the premium version will give you a pocket scrapbook for inspiration.
FocusWriter
“We all need to find our focus from time to time and this app helps you to do just that,” says Angela Woodson, a writer at Writinity and Last Minute Writing. “The best thing about FocusWriter is the clean interface it provides so you can work free of distractions. Concentrate on what you do best.”
Scribus
If you’ve got a penchant for design and like to lay out your words on the page in a beautiful, readable way that adds to the charm of your prose then Scribus is for you. This open-source and free app gives you complete control of your layout, enabling you to create magazine-style spreads that show off your writing in the best possible way.
LibreOffice
For complete functionality, LibreOffice challenges MS Word and Google Docs as a word processor. It’s elegant interface will allow you to get into the zone and it supports every file format imaginable. If you prefer to work offline and don’t want to splash out on Word, then LibreOffice has you covered.
Milanote
Acting as a virtual pinboard for all your ideas, this app can inspire you to draw new connections between your ideas. Graphics, notes, memos and anything else you come up with can be assembled on Milanote’s sophisticated interface. “Having a visual display of all your ideas in one place can be a great way to move past writer’s block,” says Ricardo Edwards, an editor at DraftBeyond and Researchpapersuk.
Canva
Canva enables you to take your writing to the next level, surrounding it by beautiful images that bring your words to life. Whether you’re trying to make your blogs stand out or producing graphics for the cover of your book, Canva’s got you covered when it comes to digital design.
Hubspot's Blog Ideas Generator
Every writer has struggled at some point with writer’s block, the dreaded wall beyond which lies a lack of inspiration. Fortunately, there are many ways to rejuvenate yourself and Hubspot’s own blog idea generator is one. You can freewheel your way through new ideas by putting in topics and seeing what the generator comes up with.
Signing Off
As a writer, you rely on your own creativity and knowledge to produce delightful documents for your readers. However, we all need the tools of the trade to allow us to do the best job possible. From creating eye-catching layouts to busting writer’s block, these are the best apps out there to take your practice to the next level.
