Cost: free for basic plan or $9.99/month for premium.
Its cute, little green elephant logo aside, Evernote is a great and easy-to-use option for writers who could do with a little more organization in their lives.
The 22 Best Writing Tools of 2022: A Guide for Writers
Before the computer there was the typewriter, and before the typewriter there was pen and paper, and before pen and paper there were plenty of other lost tools of writing — like clay, papyrus, wood, slate, parchment, and, of course, pens made out of reeds. (Fun fact: the name “Reedsy” is inspired by the “reed pen,” which was used as early as 800 B.C. for documentation).
As you can tell by now, the act of writing has been a part of human culture from the days of chiseling stories onto the walls of caves — and as we have evolved, so have our writing tools. In fact, today’s writers and storytellers are spoiled for choice when it comes to deciding which tools to use.
The following list details our favorite writing tools and resources for taking any idea through to its written conclusion. If you want to cut straight to the chase and find out which is the right writing app for you, we recommend taking this quick 30-second quiz.
Which writing app is right for you?
Writing tools
We all know Google Docs and Microsoft Word, so we’re not going to waste your time giving those two a run-down in our list. Below are four other word processors you might not know about, and that are worth checking out.
1. Reedsy Book Editor
Cost: Free
Does “fake it ‘til you make it” ring true to you? Well, the Reedsy Book Editor is a free, online word processor that formats your book as you write. See your drafts automatically turn into a professional-looking, ready-to-publish manuscript — and allow this glimpse of your work as the final product spur your motivation to write.
It comes with an automatic spell-checker — and a built-in goal reminder system to get you back into shape if you find that you’re falling behind on your writing schedule! Another one of the Reedsy Book Editor’s best functions is that it lets you instantly typeset your manuscript to EPUB and print-ready PDF files.
2. Draft
Cost: Free
Do you like a helpful tap on the shoulder, reminding you about something you need to do? Well, you’ll likely enjoy Draft then, because the book writing software not only keeps track of how many words you write per day, it can also email you daily reminders about your daily word count goals. (Of course, if this sounds a little too “hands-on” for you, you can always turn the reminder function off).
3. LibreOffice
LibreOffice is the open source answer for people who want to try Microsoft without paying the price tag. (Open source means that the software is built on code that anyone can inspect and enhance). Plus it’s compatible with all of the regular file types people are used to, such as .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, and .pptx files.
4. Mellel
Cost: $50 (or try a 30-day free trial)
The people behind Mellel don’t just know word processing — they also know catchy, memorable marketing. Their description of why writers should choose Mellel starts like this: “Mellel is a writer’s dream come true. To start, it is exceedingly boring: it just works, day in and day out, reliably. An enormous number of people used Mellel to write and they all report that their journey with Mellel was boring and uneventful. As well it should. In other words, it does all the mundane bits, and leaves the creative stuff to you.”
Mellel is not free (and note that it’s only for Mac). In return for the price tag, you’ll get more book-specific tools than other, perhaps more traditional word processors — such as outlining and bibliography-making functions. And, judging by the witty, funny copy on Mellel’s website, Mellel makes the process of writing much more fun than they let on.
Schritt #2: 1-Klick-Installation starten
- Domain: Wähle hier deine Domain aus der Liste (nimm am besten die Variante ohne www.)
- Pfad zu Zielverzeichnis: Kann so bleiben (nur für den Fall, dass du schon einmal eine 1-Klick-Installation gemacht hast, solltest du einen anderen Ordner auswählen)
- Domain auf Installationsverzeichnis weiterleiten: Hier muss auf jeden Fall ein Haken rein, sonst leitet deine Domain nicht zur WordPress-Installation weiter
- Blog-Titel: Lege hier einen Titel für deinen Blog fest (ist später änderbar, wenn du nicht sicher bist, trage einfach so etwas wie „Mein Blog“ ein)
- E-Mail Adresse: die E-Mail-Adresse des WordPress-Administrators. Diese ist wichtig zur Passwortherstellung, bitte überprüfe sie also noch einmal auf Richtigkeit!
- WordPress-Passwort: Hier legst du ein Passwort für den WordPress-Administrator fest. Das Feld wird bereits mit einem sicheren Passwort vorausgefüllt, du kannst aber auch ein eigenes festlegen.
- WordPress-Benutzer: Hier legst du einen Benutzernamen für den WordPress-Administrator fest. Bitte nimm nicht „admin“, sei ein wenig kreativer, das schützt dich besser vor Hacks.
- Passwort: Hier trägst du ein Passwort für die Datenbank ein (Achtung: Das ist nicht das Passwort für den WordPress-Login!). Klicke am besten auf generieren, danach auf anzeigen und speichere dir das Passwort in einer Textdatei oder einer Notizen-App
Tipp: Öffne parallel einen Texteditor oder die Notizen-App deiner Wahl, um alle Zugangsdaten zu deiner WordPress-Installation zu speichern. Die Daten, die du dir in deinem Dokument speichern solltest, habe ich rot hervorgehoben.
Mailchimp
If you’re just starting out as a blogger and looking to keep costs low, I recommend using Mailchimp as you build your email list. The interface is pretty easy to use and set up, and it’s free up until a certain amount of subscribers. Once you’re ready to take your blog to the next level, there are other email platforms that might suit your needs better, but Mailchimp is a good place to start so you at least have something in place without spending a ton of money.
There are tons of websites and bloggers out there who offer free resources, guides, downloads, e-books, trainings, etc. that you should ALWAYS take advantage of! It’s free! Why not? Usually all you have to do is exchange your email address for the downloads, so it’s worth checking out for tidbits of information that can help you take your blog to the next level. HINT: You can sign up for The City Sidewalks’ Free Resource Library RIGHT HERE! I also offer free trainings and other special goodies to my subscribers 🙂
Authorship:
https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-tools/
https://www.blogmojo.de/blog-erstellen/
https://www.thecitysidewalks.com/blog/free-blogging-tools