So what’s the best writing software? There’s no simple answer to that question. Each writer has unique habits. You’ll have to explore few tools to come down to the perfect ones. We’ll suggest the best contenders in few categories:
- Online thesaurus
- Essay writing software and tools
- Book writing software
- Grammar and plagiarism checkers
- Screenwriting software
- Spelling tools
- Microsoft Office alternatives
Let’s start!
Top Writing Tools to Try Today
We chose these categories because we wanted to target all aspects of a writer’s work. When you explore few of the following tools, you’ll have the perfect combination of tools that keep you productive.
Online Thesaurus
There are some moments when you’re completely blocked. “What’s another word for devastated?” You’re aware you’ve used that word few times in the paragraph, and the last thing you need is repetition. However, your can’t think of the perfect alternative. That’s when you need an online thesaurus.
- Thesaurus.com
It’s a straightforward tool that does exactly what you need it to do: it gives you alternatives of the word you have in mind. It shows the words arranged by relevance. For devastate, for example, you get ravage, raze, ruin, and wreckas priority options. You get several other suggestions you can play with. Good enough, right?
- Power Thesaurus
This is a crowdsourced thesaurus, and that’s exactly what makes it more fun. It’s versatile, extensive, and really easy to use. Destroyed, shattered, overwhelmed, desolated… those are only few of the suggestions you get. Similarly to Thesaurus.com, it gives you synonyms and antonyms.
- Thesaurus Gizmo
There’s something wrong with the online version of this tool. However, we still suggest it because of its desktop offline version. If you want to stay away from the Internet when you write, install this software and you’ll get the words you need when you’re stuck without getting distracted.
- Visual Thesaurus
You didn’t expect a thesaurus to be creative, did you? Well, that’s exactly what Visual Thesaurus is – a creative visual presentation of synonyms. You can even hear how the word is pronounced. If English is not your native language but you’re still writing in English, this is an extremely useful feature. You hear how the word would sound in your sentence.
- WordWeb
If you don’t like Thesaurus Gizmo but you still want to install an offline thesaurus on your computer, try WordWeb. It’s pretty simple, but it delivers what you need – definitions, synonyms and related words.
Read also: informative speech topics
Essay Writing Software and Tools
If you’re working on a literary or academic essay, you need serious efforts to stay focused. This type of work is based on extensive research and convincing argumentation. These are the tools we suggest:
- Google Scholar
When you’re writing an essay, you have to be serious with the research. You need authoritative arguments based on facts and evidence. Use Google Scholar instead of Google, so you’ll locate relevant data that makes your content convincing.
- Superior Papers
This is an online writing service that connects you with real writers. You can collaborate with an expert from a relevant category, so you’ll get the support and guidance you need. The service also offers editing assistance.
- Rush Essay
This is a service similar to Superior Papers. Both of these websites are great, so you can choose the one that makes a better offer for the type of work you need help with. All writers hold degrees. They are trained to work on different types of projects from all subject areas.
- Write Well
Is there such thing as effective essay writing software? Don’t judge before you try! This tool won’t write the essays for you. However, it will guide you through manageable chunks of the paper, so you won’t have trouble with the structure.
- Purdue OWL
Whatever aspect of academic writing you’re struggling with, this website will help you find the solution. It gives you guidelines on general academic writing, research and citation.
Book Writing Software
Gone are the days when writers needed just a ballpoint pen and tons of paper to do their work. Today, you have tons of tools that can make you more productive. These are the ones we suggest:
- Ilys
If you’re too meticulous about your first draft, you need to let go. Being a perfectionist doesn’t help at this stage. Ilys will help. The tool shows you one letter at a time. You’re focused on the progression of your thoughts, and that’s exactly what you need for productive writing.
- FocusWriter
Writing software with too many features will only distract your attention. You need a tool like FocusWriter – a distraction-free writing environment that supports all functions you need in a hidden menu.
- Novlr
This writing tool constantly autosaves your work, so you won’t be paranoid about losing it. Even a computer crash won’t be a disaster. Novlr backs up your words every 10 minutes to a separate server. Then, it saves your daily work to another server. That’s a triple security system, so you’ll definitely feel safe. The focus mode eliminates distractions. You can use the tool offline, too.
- WriteMonkey
WriteMonkey makes good use of Markdown, the text-editing language that lets you annotate, format, link, and classify as you type. You’ll get automatic syntax highlighting and a superb file organization system.
- WriteRoom
You’ll notice that most tools we suggest in this category give you a full-screen writing environment. The blank screen has a strange power. You get the urge to fill it with words ASAP. WriteRoom is another tool that encourages you to do that. It’s a simple writing environment that’s completely free of distractions.
Grammar and plagiarism checkers
If you’re wondering how to improve writing skills, you should work on these two aspects first: grammar and uniqueness. Yes, even professional writers need help with that.
- Comprehensive List of American and British Spelling Differences
You can use American or British English. Whatever you choose is fine. The important thing is to keep it consistent. There are subtle, but important differences in the spelling. This list will solve your dilemmas.
- Quick and Dirty Tips
You’re wondering about a particular tense, phrase, or sentence structure? Grammar Girl always has the answers.
- ProWritingAid
Although it’s an automated grammar and spelling checker, it’s really effective in catching mistakes and suggesting improvements.
- Hemingway App
This is more of a style-checking than a grammar-checking tool, but it fits well in this category. The Hemingway App helps you improve your style by making the sentences simpler and easier to read.
- Copyscape
When your work is based on research, it’s easy to fall into unintentional plagiarism. Copyscape will prevent that from happening. It scans and compares your work to online resources, so it will show you the signs of plagiarism it finds. Then, you’ll reference that work and you’ll save yourself from a disaster.
Screenwriting Software
If you’re writing screenplays, the basic tools for writers won’t be enough. You need a different kind of software. Here are 5 alternatives that work:
- Final Draft
There’s a claim at the website that this 95% of film and TV productions use this software. It may be an exaggeration, but the truth is that Final Draft is really good. It automatically formats your script according to industry standards.
- Movie Magic Screenwriter
This program allows you to write and format scripts for films, TV productions, comic books, and stage plays.
- Celtx
This is one of the very few free screenwriting tools that work. It has another important strength: it supports collaboration, so you can get the entire team engaged while the screenplay is being prepared.
- Fade In
Fade In is a tool developed by an actual filmmaker – Kent Tessman. It supports multiple languages! You can use it to outline and organize your screenplay, and navigate through it without any effort. It’s great for keeping track of rewrites and revisions, too.
- Adobe Story
This straightforward software lets you write screenplays and scripts as effectively as possible. It makes projects organization easy. You can share your projects with the team and collaborate with them throughout the process of development.
Spelling Tools
Really? Writers need help with spelling? Absolutely! When you’re trying to catch the flow of your thoughts, it’s not easy to spell everything properly. Microsoft Word’s grammar and spelling checker is not enough.
- Spell Check
It’s a nice tool to use when you want to double-check your spelling. Just paste your text and you’ll get the feedback in a matter of seconds. The advanced checker requires a subscription.
- Spell Check by Smart SEO Tools
Smart SEO Tools are intended for bloggers and online marketers, but you can still use it for any kind of content you’re writing. It’s a simple spell checker that catches and corrects serious misspellings.
- WhiteSmoke
Just paste the same text you wrote in Microsoft Word and you’ll probably notice that WhiteSmoke catches more details. It’s still software, so it can be as effective as an actual editor. Still, it’s a pretty good tool that detects grammar, spelling, and punctuation details.
- Ginger
It’s a pretty popular spelling checker. Why? Because it works. It catches typos, serious misspellings, misused words, and even phonetic mistakes.
- Grammarly
This is what the creators claim: “Instantly fix over 400 types of errors, most of which Microsoft Word can’t find.” Good enough for a try, right? Grammarly is more than a spelling checker; it’s a style enhancement tool. Whenever it finds complex words or phrases, it suggests simpler alternatives. It helps you improve the clarity of your writing.
Microsoft Office Alternatives
Microsoft Office is not bad. It’s just not the right tool for everyone. If you try different tools and still want to go back to MS Word, no problem. You can always do that. However, you should still give some of these a chance:
- Softmaker FreeOffice
Do you know what the greatest flaw of MS Office is? You have to pay for it. FreeOffice looks really familiar and supports the same basic features, but you can use it for free.
- Google Docs
Does it really need an introduction? This cloud-based software lets you create different types of documents for free. You can share your documents with people you trust, so you’ll get ongoing feedback on your work.
- iWork
It’s basically the MS Office for Apple devices. No, that’s not true. It’s way better. It supports real-time collaboration. Plus, you can make your documents look more appealing. That’s especially important if you’re working on an eBook.
- Scrivener
This tool is perfectly suitable for creating long documents. You know what we mean – books. Scrolling through MS Word is not the most enjoyable thing you can think of. With Scrivener, you’ll organize your work in a structure that works for you, and you’ll instantly find the section you want to review.
- LibreOffice
This tool gives you all features you get from a full-featured word-processing tool such as MS Word. It looks great, it’s easy to use, and it’s absolutely free.
Remember: online writing tools are not a bad thing. In fact, when you create the ultimate toolkit that fits your style, you’ll start wondering what you’ve been doing without technology all this time. Needless to say, you can’t use all 35 tools we suggested. However, you can check them out and pick few that seem perfect for your needs. Feel free to share your impressions!
