My 3 Must-Have Apps for Writing
I’ve made a conscious effort this past year to simply my life and work. I’ve always been a fan of the concept that “less is more,” but I wasn’t really practicing that when it came to my digital tools. I recently got a new laptop, and in the process of transferring everything over, I cringed a little to realize just how many apps and monthly subscriptions I had.
Not only was there ample cost-cutting opportunity, but I was increasingly finding that all my “stuff” was spread out among a dozen different apps. I was starting to feel like I spent more time finding/organizing work than doing work.
So I overhauled my writing apps with the following criteria:
They must have a fully functional offline mode (bye, Notion!) … Update: I had to backtrack on this requirement
I must enjoy using them (see ya, Microsoft Word).
Must be accessible on my computer, iPad, and iPhone, and work well on all of those things (Scrivener’s outdated mobile apps are a red flag for me)
01. Novel Planning & Notes: Milanote
I mentioned above that I had to backtrack on my ban of apps that lack offline mode, and Milanote is the reason why. I’ve been using Milanote since my earliest writing day to brainstorm novels, plan projects, etc, but the lack off offline mode/ has always bothered me, especially since I do a lot of my best work “off the grid.”
So, when I undertook this simplification of my apps and processes, I downgraded from Milanote’s premium, and tried to shift everything to Apple’s native Notes and Freeform app. I lasted about about 6 months, but of all of the apps I quit, Milanote was the only one I missed, and missed rather fiercely. Most of the other apps simply faded away when I closed the accounts, but not a week went by that I didn’t wish I had Milanote. I finally went crawling back, and although I do really wish they had an offline mode, I’m glad to be back.
Something about the visual layout of this app just works for me, not only for planning out stories, but organizing our Last Word business, brainstorming, or just collecting random thoughts and ideas.
02. Writing/Drafting - Apple Pages
I use Pages which is a free word processor that comes preinstalled on Apple computers and iPads (I have a keyboard for my iPad and often use it for writing, especially when not at home.) I’ve always found Pages to be beautiful, but struggled to make a traditional word processor work for novel-writing because it because after Chapter 5 or so, there is soooo much scrolling if I need to go back and reference something in an earlier part of the novel. But then I got the idea for a hack: Use Pages “Table of Contents” functionality as a clickable outline in the left sidebar. Game changer. I also live the writing experience of iA Writer, so if I can ever find a way to properly organize a full-length novel within the app, I’ll likely use that. It’s not free, but it’s also not subscription based, which means I’ve already paid for it, and never will have to again.
Non-Apple Alternative: Google Docs or Microsoft Word. In full disclosure I hate both; I find them clunky, ugly, and bloated, but I think they’re free?
03. Outlining and Revising: Spreadsheet
My secret weapon is actually just … a basic spreadsheet. I used a free Airtable account years, but again, that lack of offline mode was really starting to cramp my style. Specifically I remember being on deadline mode with major edits in a hotel room with crappy wi-fi, and it was a huge pain. Now I just use Numbers. (Apple’s Excel alternative. I create a spreadsheet with a list all of my scenes. Then I go in I include things like POV character, the timeline, and most crucially, I create a column where I make notes of all the changes I need to make to that scene during revisions. I’ll also use it to track status of revisions for each scene, so I know which are more-or-less clean, which need to be majorly overhauled, and if there are any new scenes I need to add.
Non-Apple Alternative: Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel would work just as well.
The Takeaway
The best writing tools are the ones we already have.
