Writing is hard.
No matter how skilled, no matter how long you’ve been writing, it never gets easy.
But, at the same time, it’s one of the most important skills anyone can have. Especially when you’re growing a business and looking for freelance work.
And no, being good at writing doesn’t just matter for freelance writers.
Do you sell your product or service or post on social media or need to communicate with others?
You need to write.
In this post, we’re going to share the best writing tools out there. These are the tools you can use starting today to start a daily writing practice, improve your writing skills, and become a writer.
And if you’re interested in turning your writing into a freelance business? These tools will help with that too.
Ready to dig in?
Essential Writing Tools for Getting Started
These writing tools have one purpose: getting you to sit down and write. Some of them are free, others will be paid, but all of them have legions of devoted fans.
Blank Page
When I was deep into my daily writing practice this was the best writing tool I could find. It’s super simple with a clean user interface. I created a quarterly writing goal as a story and then each day would be a chapter. You can also set up a daily word count goal.
If you’re into crafting stories or working on your book, Blank Page is a perfect tool to help you get started. You can set up outlines and chapters for every story. Plus you can export everything to Word.
750 Words
750 Words is another tool to help you write every day. Inside it, you can write, set a goal, and track your progress all in one place. It has a setup that’s pretty user friendly. I like how you can visually see what days you’ve managed to write and what days you’ve missed.
750 words are approximately 3 pages, so it’s a reasonable goal to work towards as you start writing consistently. A lot of people get started with this tool.
Write or Die
When I first got into content writing and wanted to bang out drafts more quickly, I loved using Write or Die. At my best, I was able to get 500 words out in just around 15 minutes, and I credit this tool for helping me to stop overthinking and just start writing.
Basically, you set a word limit, a time limit, and if you want a consequence, reward, or stimulus, and then you’re off to the races. If you don’t hit your word count at the time limit, the app will let you know (loudly).
Ilys
This is a relatively new tool on the scene and kinda cool. A lot of people get stuck with their writing because they edit along the way. The common conventional wisdom is to write first and edit later. However, this is much easier said than done.
If you find yourself getting caught up with this, try Ilys. It only allows you to see one word at a time as you type. Then when you hit your word count, it finally lets you see everything you’ve written.
FocusWriter
If you get too distracted by all sorts of buttons on the side of your writing tool and just want to write, check out FocusWriter. Its whole purpose is to give you nothing but a blank screen with zero distractions.
That’s not to say it doesn’t have any of the bells and whistles that some of the other tools do, it does. You can still set a word count, daily goals, and spell check. It even translates into 20 languages.
Scrivener
If you know anyone writing a book, you’ve likely heard about Scrivener. For many Kindle and self published authors, screenwriters, and novelists this is the go-to tool for getting it done.
Fair warning, it has a bit of learning curve. But, once you get into it, it becomes an indispensable writing tool that many authors I know use for formatting and organizing their books and projects.
Reedsy
For a slightly more user-friendly but less powerful experience when compared to Scrivner, many authors turn to Reedsy. This is probably the favorite Scrivener alternative out there since it has many of the features and is free.
Reedsy helps with the formatting and conversion of documents. You can export your manuscript directly to ePub and Kindle ready formats with just a few clicks of a button.
Google Docs
This one is obvious. A lot of people don’t think about using Google Docs for a writing practice, but it makes sense. Google Docs is a free writing tool. It’s also easy to use and can be accessed from pretty much everywhere.
Start by creating a folder to organize your writing. Star it so it will always be at the top of your GDocs, so every time you open it, your folder is staring you in the face.
Tools to Improve Writing
These tools can help you improve your actual writing skills, and if you’re anything like me, grammar and spelling can be an issue.
While as Anne Lamott says “write shitty first drafts” these writing tools can help make your subsequent drafts substantially less crappy over the long run.
Grammarly
I love Grammarly. Period. It is a vital tool for me. I use to all day long and honestly, I don’t know how I’d function without it now.
Use the free Chrome extension and you’ll be able to dramatically improve your writing right away. Basically, the extension looks at everything you write, from blog posts to emails to social media, and lets you know any basic grammar and spelling mistakes.
Plus, it sends me a cool newsletter each week reminding me of how smart I am. Who doesn’t love a little ego boost?
Readability Grader
If you have a tendency to toss around lots of big words and complex sentences (I’m looking at myself here) then you’ll love a tool like Readability Grader.
It’s super simple to use, just copy your text into the box and click check. You’ll see exactly how easy your content is to read, and it will help you simplify what you write.
Correctica
We can’t all afford an editor to check our writing right from the jump.
But Correctica helps you get part way there. All you need to do is send your doc to their email address, and a few minutes later, poof you’ve got all your errors highlighted. Use it the first ten times for free, or you can pay $30 a year for unlimited checks.
Hemmingway App
Another popular tool that corrects grammar and spelling in a really clean and visual way is the Hemmingway App. You can either write using the app or copy your content and it will tell you what needs improving (recognize that section from above?). Plus, it gives you a readability score and a word count all in one place.
WordCounter
If there’s one thing I started noticing as I began to pay attention to my writing, it was that I made a lot of the same mistakes over and over (and over) again.
While tools like the Hemingway App and Grammarly have helped remove my excessive use of commas and passive voice a tool like WordCounter can help you track your most frequently used words and checks for overuse.
ProWritingAid
For an all in one writing tool, you are hard pressed to go wrong with something like ProWritingAid. It combines some of the best features from some of the most popular tools like Grammarly and Hemingway and gives them to you in one clean interface.
It also gives you up to 20 reports to check your writing. So it’s flexible enough to be used for anything from blogging to business writing to manuscripts.
Tools for Writing Prompts
Ok, so we’ve got the tools we can write stuff in, and we’ve got the tools to check the writing you do come up with. Now, we come to the hardest part…writing stuff that makes sense.
Creative and fiction writers can struggle with this so try some of these tools which can help get your creative writing juices flowing.
Daily Page
Lots of people need help getting motivated to write. This is especially true if you don’t have a pile of brilliant ideas or topics to cover, or if you want to start exploring creative writing and storytelling.
Daily Page helps you by sending you an email every single day, at the time you request, with a writing prompt. This is a great way to get into daily writing.
Prompts
Prompts is an iPhone app that was created to get you writing. Rather than just giving you a story or a sentence to start, it actually uses a complex algorithm to help guide you through your writing, offering advice and making suggestions as you go. Plus, it also keeps track of your writing habits, so you can keep tabs on your daily goals.
Writer’s Digest
Writer’s Digest is a site geared towards helping aspiring writers. So, it shouldn’t come as a big shock that they have hundreds of different writing prompts on the site for you to check out.
You can either sign up for their newsletter and get a full book of prompts or go to their prompts site and get a new one every week.
Plot Generator
If you’ve always wanted to become a better storyteller but never knew where to start, this could be a great writing tool for you.
Plot Generator helps you out by randomizing the bare bones of a plot for you, giving you things like character names, attributes, and location. Then it leaves you to work your magic to fill in the holes.
Miscellaneous Writing Tools
Some tools don’t fit neatly into one category, but they’re still useful. Here are a few.
Twords
Twords has a lot of features of many of the writing tools above, but one very cool feature stood out, it gives you a ‘gentle nudge’ when you’ve been absent to get your writing back on track. Think of it as a digital accountability tool for writers.
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
If your headlines are boring then no one is going to want to read your blog posts. That’s an ancient copywriting prophesy, but true. I use this writing tool to come up with headline ideas for every post I write.
Hubspot’s Blog Idea Generator
Sometimes it can be tough coming up with blog post ideas. Hubspot has created a fun little tool that aims to get you out of the funk. All you do is insert a few nouns, and they will do the rest. Are they all perfect? Nope, but they might spark a few topics for you.
Books on Writing
There’s an axiom you’ll see as you get more and more into writing.
Basically, it goes like this:
If you want to be a better writer, read more.
Well, you never have to tell me twice when it comes to reading. Jokes aside, this is true. You will absolutely become a better writer by not just reading amazing writers, but also books on writing.
Don’t think that just because these are books, they don’t count as writing tools too.
There are plenty of amazing books out there that can help you get better at writing, here are a few of my favorites.
On Writing by Stephen King
Everyone knows Stephen King. When he’s not busy scaring the bejesus out of you with some of his classics (I couldn’t sleep for days after deciding to read Misery during homeroom in junior high), you’ve got to be amazed by his writing output and ability.
His book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft blends his unconventional life story and invaluable writing tips and advice.
Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
Since I create a lot of B2B marketing content in my freelance business, I’ve always paid attention to what goes on over at Marketing Profs. When I saw that head Prof Ann Handley had a book about writing, I grabbed it right away.
I’d consider her book, Everybody Writes, essential reading for anyone who is looking to learn how to write amazing content for the online world.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
I never expected to fall in love with this book, but it didn’t take long before I couldn’t put it down.
In Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Anne Lamott manages to weave her own biography with these incredible little gems about how to tell stories and write better. This is one of the few books I’ve seen that every single person I know who has read it, recommends it.
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
This one might be an odd choice, but I just recently got Save the Cat, and am loving every page of it.
In it, Blake Synder uses his years of movie scriptwriting experience to tell you exactly how to craft a story that people will love. While it’s written as an instructional book for budding screenwriters, anyone who wants to be a better storyteller should pick this one up.
Getting into a Writing Mindset
Hopefully, these writing tools are going to help you get into the practice of creating content a lot more often.
That’s one part.
The other is keeping the mindset going. Because there are going to be days where you’d rather throw your laptop out the window instead of write.
Here are a few tips to help you make writing a part of your schedule.
Start Small
You don’t need to start with 1,000 words. In fact, don’t do that. Start with the smallest number of words that will get you writing and then up the ante every month. Maybe it’s 100 words or 250 words. It doesn’t matter what number you start with, just write.
Remove the Pressure
While consistency is key, being a freelancer is stressful enough so don’t add piles of it on to your life. If you miss a day, you miss it, just make it up, it’s fine.
Set a Schedule
On the days I wake up and bang out my words, they flow much more easily. On the days where I have it weighing on me all day, I can sit staring at a blank page. So understand when during the course of your day your brain is best wired to write.
Some of Your Words Will Suck
No matter how amazing of a writer you are, every word you write isn’t going to be usable. Don’t go in expecting you’ll be able to write something and it will all be awesome. You won’t. It’s ok.
Alright, got those tips down? Let’s look at some of the tools.
And If You Really want to Go All In?
And if you’re ready to take all of these tools and really go all in on your writing practice, then you might consider doing a daily blog for a set period of time.
When I got out of the habit of writing on a regular basis, I said I’m going to write everyday for a month. I told everyone I knew I was going to do it, for accountability, and it’s been incredible for both my creativity and building the habit.
Here are the posts from my daily blog experiment.
Start Writing
Ok, enough procrastinating.
I’ve given you a bunch of different writing tools that are going to help kick your butt into gear and get you to start writing. There is no better time than right now.
It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to just build a daily writing practice or you want to make a serious run at being a B2B writer, getting into the mode of writing a lot is always a good thing.
What are you doing to build your writing habit? Comment below and let me know what writing tools you’ve found that have made it stick, I’d love to hear more about them.
Note: this post has been updated as of May 2018 for accuracy.
Thank you for this post. Excellent resources.
Thanks, Michael.
Great set of tools!
My favorite tool is actually writing to an album. Nearly every post on my site since 2013 has been written while listening to this album and I am now trained to go into writing mode about my topic as soon as the first song comes on.
I recently started using another album just for editing. The training effect hasn’t picked up in quite the same way, but it’s useful and building.
The important thing is that the album contain no songs you desperately want to skip and all songs should be approximately the same tempo. Mine has lyrics, but they are sung more as a form of instrumentation so aren’t really disruptive. Where they do grab my attention, it is in a positive way.
I recommend this technique to any writer, even though it can take time to find the right album and create this kind of Pavlovian outcome every time you put it on.
I love this, Anthony. I also have a very specific playlist of instrumentals and classical music I listen to when I write and edit. It really does help to get me in the flow, and I don’t get distracted by the words.
Great post. I’ve been wanting to put more time into writing and this is a very timely blog for me. Thanks!
Good to hear, Alex. Start small, even if it’s like 250 words or 10 minutes of writing and move up from there. I always struggled when I started with something big like 1000 words.
Really, a great & helpful post, who want to start as a writer. I was just thinking about writing blogs in the marketplace but was afraid about my mistakes over the English language. But hopefully, these tools will really help me a lot & your post also provides me a huge of confidence.
Good to hear. The biggest thing is just practice, practice, practice. The more you write the better you will get.
Really useful list of tools. I had no idea there were tools out there to help. I have to admit to not having a single post yet (I’m a terrible procrastinator!). I will investigate a few of these as I suspect they will kick me into action.
Thanks, Loren. Hope you find a combination that works for you. The biggest key for me is starting small, even if it’s free writing for just 5 minutes a day to start.
Thank you, Liz. These are great resources for someone looking to cultivate a habit of writing. I’m going to hit the library today and see if they’ve got any of the books you recommend.
My favorite resource is a good old fashioned spiral notebook. I’ve pushed myself over the last year to journal every morning while I sit down for breakfast. It helps me sort out my thoughts while developing skills in structure and flow. I think the most important thing about it for me is the discipline required. Sometimes I don’t feel like writing, but success isn’t measured by what you do when it’s easy.
Hey Jake, journaling every day is a great place to start. I always have a small notebook on hand, especially when I travel, to jot down notes and ideas. I do think that once you keep doing it daily, it becomes much easier. It’s those first few weeks that are hard.
Thanks a lot for the inspirational post.
No problem, good luck!
I’ve been relying on Hemmingway and Grammarly ever since I started writing.
I’ll definitely give 750 words a try. Desperately need to get my writing speed up.
Great post Liz!
Thanks, JJ! I think as you practice more and do a bit of freewriting you’ll write faster. Once I got out of my head a bit I was able to write much more quickly.
Once again I would like to point out that the Blog is absolutely fabulous!
Glad you enjoyed!
These tips and tools are really good. I’m using some of them, but about an existing majority of them, I have never thought. They seem useful, I’ll try it as soon as have time for experiments;) Thank you a lot for sharing, you’ll make my life much easier.
Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully, you’ll find one that works for you.
Brilliant post, Liz. I’m definitely going to start using some of these tools this week to improve my writing routine and efficiency. I think the most important step is to just get cracking. I write for a living as an Account Director at a big fancy communications firm, and I never feel particularly inspired or motivated when I get started. But usually, about 10 minutes later, the cogs in my brain begin turning and I become fully engrossed in the topic at hand. Then I start tapping away with a newfound purpose!
Thanks, Jeff. Totally agree, for me, the hardest part is just starting too. Once I go for a few minutes I’m fine, but it’s the build up to actually get writing that was my struggle. Now that I do it daily, it’s helped to get this to be almost automatic.
Thanks Liz for this great article. Personally I open a blank doc and start typing. Sometimes using notepad++ and copy paste into WP to fix errors and formatting before publishing. As someone says “practice makes it perfect” write every day and your writing style will become great and your content too.
Totally agree, Cole. After just over 2 months of daily writing, I’m really starting to see and feel a difference in my writing. Now it’s practically an automatic habit.
This post is extremely helpful. Thank you so much!! I’ve really been needin some tools to help me with my writing. I love doing it, but I’ve started to get out of routine. I’ve been in need of some motivation for a while, so this is much appreituated. I’ve used Grammarly before, however I noticed that it, in fact, does not get all the errors. It is a computer system after all, so there’s bound to be a few mistakes that slip through. My suggestion to anyone using those type of tools is to go through it even after you check using that tool to make sure you get everything. Also, as for books on writing, it’s really a good idea to think about what skill you need to work on and search for a book that specializes in that. For example, I got a book on writing more words in less time, as emotion guide, and a guide to writing short stories. They’re all very informative, and also it’s a good idea to just think about where you are at. Hope this helps, and once again, thank you so much for this post!!
Thanks RP. Agree about Grammarly, it’s great in getting most of the errors out but I never blindly accept all the suggestions. I usually use a combination of Hemingway Editor and Grammarly for my writing now, plus an extra few read throughs just in case.