In my daily foray into the 'interwebs' I ran across a rather helpful blog post listing 22 apps for writers which I thought I'd share here for those interested. I only personally use two of those mentioned, Scrivener and Evernote, but the others definitely seem to be worth a look.
22 Apps and Tools Every Writer Should Know About
And the site in question will also likely be of interest to some folks in these parts. It's targeted toward women's fiction readers, writers and aspiring writers.
Comments
It's targeted towards people
It's targeted towards people who like to think they're aspiring writers but can't be bothered to organise their own thoughts.
If you can write, all you need is a keyboard or a biro. Your brain will do the rest.
Apps. Horrible, ugly non-word. Fetch the wicker man and burn it.
I disagree
I disagree, granted some of those are a little silly, but at a glance good number of them sound (and perhaps are) quite helpful. Honestly, I'd probably disregard all the 'creativity' apps, but there are many in the organizational, writing process, and, at least one in the motivational/productivity categories that may be worth taking another look.
There are very few people, including some of the most highly regarded authors out there, who don't (or at least didn't) require some training before they can write professionally and I think that's what the intent of many of these apps is. Granted, if you're using a 'plot generator' you probably should rethink the writing thing, but I don't see how using pinterest, mindnote or evernote to organize your thoughts instead of a more traditional notebook or binder invalidates your efforts.
Take Scrivener for instance, which I use for all my writing, and aside from a number of helpful features (many of which I don't even use), it allows me to break up a large document into smaller sub-documents that can then be organized into folders. Each folder, document, or subdocument can be given a unique name, a feature which I use to give each scene a short, three to five word summary. This lets me to better organize my writing and at any given time, if I need to go back to refer to a particular portion of the story, I can do so in mere minutes without having to search through dozens or hundreds of pages worth of text. And if you're not convinced it's used by Michael Marshall Smith, best-selling author and Neil Cross, Booker Prize nominee and screenwriter for acclaimed BBC1 show Spooks, in addition to a number of other well regarded names.
Evernote, is another helpful tool which I recently started using. Instead of carrying around a notepad I can install the app on my phone and jot down notes wherever I happen to be or since my phone has built-in voice recognition software I can dictate them. Which is quite useful when ideas strike in the middle of the night. In addition, since the notes sync across the developer's server I can access those notes on my computer or my laptop without having to pull out my phone.
Have delightfully devious day,
I have to disagree as well
Scrivener, and the similar Ulysses and Storymill, are flat out amazing. I've used all three and I prefer Scrivener myself. They let you put the skullsweat where it's needed, in the words.
Also, I'm fairly surprised by, "It's targeted towards people who like to think they're aspiring writers but can't be bothered to organise their own thoughts." That's rather hateful and highly judgmental.
~And so it goes...
Fun with 'apps' - are they useful to writers?
Nicki,
I absolutely agree …. and disagree.
Of course all one needs is a pen or pencil and the time and desire to write (and something to write on of course).
However there's equally nothing wrong with taking advantage of technology. No two authors work the same way, but for example I personally carry a moleskine notebook and a fountain pen (with green ink - which psychologists would probably have a field day analysing). But I also use Scrivener, Mindnode, and Norton Zone.
Technology cannot replace creativity, but it can support it.
Persephone
P.S. Please forgive my teasing but isn't biro a Hungarian judge? I've been struggling to get the thought out of my mind of which end would be for writing and which for rubbing out :) - Sorry
Persephone
Non sum qualis eram
Biro
Biro is a Hungarian surname meaning judge, but it's also a brand of pen which is often used in British English as a generic term for a pen.
Have delightfully devious day,