Writing software has been around since the end of the 1970s. I’ve been around since the 1970s, and I feel pretty old. Word 1.0 came out in 1983. I remember at school in the 80s we had computing class, with computers hooked up to a printer and it was something akin to magic. The printouts themselves were very ‘dotty’, and the paper had serrated edges with holes in them, which you could tear off in strips, so it was all a bit utilitarian. There was no internet or anything, so there was nothing you could do with what you had written, so printing was pretty much it. It was a simpler time.
In 1990, when I was 18, I got my first job as a reporter for a magazine in Hong Kong. They had individual computers that were linked to a network, and each month, material that I’d written would be printed in a magazine. It was an old CRT-type computer, with a huge keyboard and the writing was all in green. Like in old movies. It was still pretty cool. In the mid-90s, writing software improved. I remember getting my first computer with Word on it and a screen that made it look like proper text. It was exciting but still a pretty simple time.
Now people are writing books on their phones and can publish them to an international audience. Or they can get an AI to do it if they can’t write or are lazy. It is a more varied and complicated age. Which is a good thing.
Modern writing software and tools
There are now so many options it would be impossible to write about them all. Which is a relief because I can’t be bothered. What I am going to list is the writing software I use as a professional so that you can make your own informed choice.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a grammar checker that you can use to double-check what you’ve written and also improve your writing. I have written for over 30 years, have a degree in English, and have worked as a proofreader and editor. The things I write are still riddled with errors, and it is almost impossible to accurately proof your own work.
So I use Grammarly, and it’s great. I pay for the premium as I use it every day. I may occasionally disagree with some of the grammar suggestions, but rarely. It also catches nearly all my typos and errors resulting from constant editing. It is essential.
Scrivener
I love Scrivener. I have tried a lot of writing software for books and bigger projects over the years, and I have stuck with Scrivener. It just does so much and is incredibly helpful. If you have ever tried working on something longer than an email or blog post, you will probably be aware that you end up with multiple notes, links, pictures, and so on. It can get a bit daunting and hard to find what you’re looking for.
Scrivener is a place where you can bring all that together. You can link things, add tabs, and so on. I’m currently writing a book and having all the character sheets, plot points, notes on planets and locations, and even maps in one place is ideal. There are also aspects like tagging and a corkboard to help with outlining. I have now bought Scrivener on iPad, Mac, and Windows.
The only downside to all this functionality is that it can be a bit daunting when you first open it up. There are tutorials to help with that.
You can check out Scrivener here.
Notion
Ahhh Notion. I love Notion. I used to like Apple Notes, Evernote and Microsoft One Note, but now Notion is my go-to second brain. For me, it beats the others in two ways:
- It is so versatile. Not only can you add pretty much anything to it, but you can also create databases and interlinked tables and all sorts of fun stuff.
- The main reason I like it, however, is that you can keep burrowing deeper. In most note-taking apps, you have the top level, like a book or subject, then pages or topics, and then maybe another level of various pages. So Writing – then Fiction / Articles / Clients / etc – then ideas/notes, etc, for each of them. But in Notion, you can just keep going making as many subfolders as you like. I don’t have to worry about the limits.
If you use Notion, you’ll know what I mean. If you don’t, what I just wrote may be baffling. Just give it a go.
Word and Google Docs
I had to include these as they are essential and unavoidable if you want to write for clients. They are pretty straightforward, you’ll definitely have used them, so I will shut up about them.
ChatGPT and AI generally
I had to include this because it is likely to be increasingly essential. I don’t think AIs are capable of writing anything particularly good – yet – but they will get there. What I think will happen in terms of writing is that they will be used for basic, uninspired content, maybe some blogs (not any of mine), emails, and for cheating at school.
From a writer’s perspective – and I’ve dabbled with this – it will be handy for things like research, idea generation, titles, planning, and generally, stuff you might have employed an assistant to do. I am awful at titles and used to rely on editors to come up with something more catchy. Now my friendly neighbourhood AI can do it.
There are a few other things I might dabble with, but those are the main ones. I should note that there are a couple of affiliate links scattered in there that cost you nothing. I hope this was vaguely helpful.
