creative writing computer programs

Cost: Free, or around $70/year for the Premium version

• Analyzes your book in more detail than any other grammar checker on the market
• Integrates with web browsers (such as Chrome and Firefox) and desktop apps (such as Microsoft Word and Scrivener)
• Lets you scan up to 100,000 words at a time
• Requires a subscription to scan more than 500 words (the free trial limit)

Scrivener is a book writing software specifically designed for writing long-form projects, such as novels, textbooks, and screenplays.

It’s great for organizing large writing projects because it lets you arrange your manuscript in a “binder,” where you can easily rearrange scenes or chapters by dragging and dropping them.

You can see a bird’s-eye view of your book using the corkboard mode, which looks like a physical corkboard full of index cards. You can also toggle to the outline mode, which formats your chapter summaries as an outline.

You can then set targets for your project, such as the word counts you want to hit by certain deadlines. This feature makes it easy to track your progress.

And you can turn on focus mode, which displays only the text you’re currently working on, so you can write without distraction.

There’s a steep learning curve to use all of Scrivener’s advanced features, but many writers love this app, and there are plenty of tutorials online for how to make Scrivener work for you.

Cost: $49/lifetime

• Lets you organize a large project with ease
• Gives you a bird’s-eye view of your book
• Helps you track your progress with targets and deadlines
• Has a steep learning curve for new users
• Lacks real-time collaboration options
• Requires a one-time payment

Writing can be a solitary task, but the process of writing an entire book requires a lot of collaboration. Authors might need to collect feedback from beta readers, view suggestions from editors, and more.

Google Docs is the best free writing software for collaboration. It allows others to leave comments, suggestions, and even emoji reactions on your book.

Multiple people can edit the same document simultaneously in Google Docs, allowing for real-time collaboration.

Google Docs also automatically uploads your work to the cloud, so you don’t run the risk of losing any of your files. Best of all, it’s free.

One downside is that Google Docs isn’t a perfect book writing software because it is hard to organize a large project using it. We recommend creating a new Doc for each chapter or section of your book, so you don’t have to scroll for minutes on end to get from one section of your book to another.

Another downside is that Google Docs works best when you have an internet connection. It might not be the best tool if you prefer to work offline or on the move.

• Allows real-time collaboration with beta readers, editors, and more
• Automatically saves your work to the cloud
• Free to use
• Lacks organizational options for large writing projects
• Requires an internet connection for full functionality

NovelPad, first launched in 2020, is one of the newest book writing software tools on our list. It’s a novel writing software designed by and for novelists.

Like Scrivener, NovelPad is a word processing tool that lets you rearrange scenes and story beats by dragging and dropping them. In addition to being a word processor, it also comes with many other book writing tools.

One useful feature is character tracking, which lets you jump to all sections where a specific character’s name appears. That way, you can make sure that characters act consistently throughout the book.

Another useful feature is its adaptive progress tracker. NovelPad lets you set different daily word count goals depending on how much time you can spend writing, and it will even readjust your daily goals to account for how much you’ve already written.

You can also color code your scenes, so you can easily see which ones you’re drafting, revising, copyediting, etc.

Best of all, the user interface is extremely intuitive, so this writing program isn’t as hard to learn as Scrivener.

One downside is that there’s no desktop app version of NovelPad, so you can only use it in a web browser. As a result, the offline mode doesn’t always work well.

Cost: $8/month or $60/year

• Easy to use and navigate
• Offers character boards and scene boards specifically designed for novels
• Lacks an app option and can only be used in-browser
• Not tailored for writing nonfiction books
• Requires a subscription

The Reedsy Book Editor is a free book writing software that also handles formatting for publication while you write.

This online editor is one of the few writing programs that lets you see what the published version of your book will look like while you’re still writing it. It has fantastic editing features compared to most other free writing software tools.

Once you’ve finished your final draft, you can export your book as an EPUB or PDF file, in a format that looks beautiful and clean.

It’s a free alternative to expensive writing programs like Atticus, which format your book for a large fee.

Another advantage is that, similar to Google Docs, the Reedsy Book Editor allows multiple people to work on a document at the same time. If you’re working with a co-writer , this free website might be a great option.

• Allows real-time collaboration
• Formats your book for publication
• Lacks the advanced features you can get with more expensive writing software

Squibler is a book writing software that helps you streamline your creative process. It’s designed to make the writing process easier, so you can hit your writing goals.

It lets you set to-do lists to increase productivity, and is specifically tailored to help you with project management.

It’s also a very versatile writing software. You can use Squibler for writing a book, crafting a screenplay, or just for writing practice.

If you’re struggling with writer’s block and don’t know what to work on next, you can use Squibler’s Plot Generator, which will give you writing prompts. These machine-generated prompts are a handy tool to help you get the creative juices going.

Cost: $9.99/month

• Helps with project management
• Lets you set to-do lists and goals
• Gives you fun prompts to spark creativity

Microsoft Word remains the default word processor used by most writers today. It’s a simple word processor, but it’s still a useful book writing software, especially if it’s an option you already have access to.

One benefit of MS Word is that the user interface is very easy to use. Whatever you see on the screen is the same as what your book will look like when you print it out, so you can make formatting adjustments along the way.

Since most people are already familiar with MS Word, it’s still an industry standard in many contexts. For example, if you send your book to a copyeditor, there’s a good chance they’ll send it back as a MS Word document.

The Track Changes feature makes it easy to edit other people’s stories while giving them the choice to accept or reject those changes.

The downside of MS Word is that it’s not designed to handle extremely large projects, like books. It takes time to scroll from Chapter One to Chapter Ten, and it’s even harder to move a scene from one part of the book to another.

Cost: around $100/year for the entire Microsoft Office suite depending on the site you buy from (includes Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

• Creates simple, ubiquitous document formats like .doc and .docx
• Can be slow to load large files

Grammarly is a grammar checker that focuses primarily on catching errors, such as typos, grammatical mistakes, and misused punctuation. It also offers style suggestions related to wordy sentences, repetitive words, incorrect comma usage, and other similar fixes.

Some of Grammarly’s top features include its plagiarism detector, its spell check, and its grammar check. It also offers a readability score, which gives you a score from 1 to 100 based on readability factors like word length and sentence length.

The main downside of Grammarly is that it works better with short-form content than long-form content. If you try to scan more than 10,000 words, it slows down significantly. It also doesn’t integrate with popular book writing apps, such as Scrivener and Final Draft.

The free version can catch grammar and spelling mistakes, but you’ll need to pay for the Premium version in order to use the rest of the tool.

Cost: Free, or $30/month, $60/quarter, or $144/year for the Premium version

• Catches mistakes and typos well
• Quickly scans short emails and blog posts
• Offers fewer reports and less in-depth analysis than ProWritingAid
• Only lets you scan 10,000–20,000 words at a time without a significant reduction in speed
• Requires an expensive subscription

Read our ProWritingAid vs Grammarly comparison article here.

The Hemingway app is a free writing software that focuses on checking readability. It gives your writing a readability score, so you know how well you're communicating.

It highlights sentences that are dense or overly complex, so you can find ways to shorten them. It also highlights passive voice, overused adverbs, and any other weaknesses that might make your work harder to read.

The downside is that not all of Hemingway’s suggestions are useful. They’re all automatically generated based on fairly simple criteria, so it can be a bit hit-or-miss.

Still, since it’s free software, there’s no downside to running your book through the Hemingway app to see if it offers any useful suggestions.

Cost: Free!

• Gives your writing a readability score
• Suggests ways to make your work more digestible for readers
• Sometimes gives arbitrary or unhelpful advice

The Novel Factory is a great book writing software for fiction writers.

In addition to being a word processor, it can also help you with the creative process when you’re coming up with ideas.

It includes several interesting writing tools that you can’t find elsewhere.

For example, it comes with a Plot Manager, which includes plot templates for popular genres.

The Novel Factory also helps you develop your characters, with prompts to flesh out your character’s archetype, motivation, and more.

Overall, the Novel Factory is a great book writing software for creative writers who want some help with the ideation process.

Cost: $75/year for the basic version, $198/year for the standard version, or $600/year for the Premium version

• Offers plot templates and a detailed Plot Manager
• Helps with character development, worldbuilding, and other creative elements

Ulysses is a note taking app that lets you sync between all your devices.

Let’s say you come up with some brilliant ideas for your book while you’re commuting home from work, so you type out your ideas on your phone.

Once you get home, you can’t wait to incorporate those ideas into your project—but first, you have to go through the hassle of switching all your notes from your phone to your laptop.

Syncing all your notes can be a real drag, especially if you like to think about your book while you’re on the go.

Ulysses also has a binder-like sidebar that lets you move documents around easily. It’s no replacement for Scrivener, since it’s not designed specifically for writing books. But if you just need a way to take notes and keep track of ideas with minimal stress, it’s a great option.

Common alternatives to Ulysses include Evernote and Bear.

Cost: $5.99/month or $39.99/year

• Syncs notes between all your devices
• Lets you easily take notes on the go
• Only available for Mac
• Not designed specifically for writing books

Atticus is a book formatting tool that helps you turn your manuscript into a publication-ready file.

It includes easy-to-use templates you can customize to suit your preferences. With these templates, you can export your book in beautiful formats for both print and eBook.

In addition to formatting your books, Atticus also functions as a word processor, so you can start writing directly in the program if you want to. It even lets you track word count goals as you go, just like Scrivener and NovelPad.

If you’re self-publishing and you’re not planning to hire someone to format your manuscript, a book writing software like Atticus is a must-have so you can make sure your manuscript is ready for publication.

Cost: $147/lifetime

• Formats manuscripts for print and eBook
• Works for every platform (Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome)
• Requires an internet connection
• Requires an expensive one-time payment

Vellum helps you create a beautifully formatted eBook. Like Atticus, it’s well-known for having gorgeous aesthetics.

Many of the word processors on our list can format eBooks, including Scrivener and Microsoft Word, but most of them don’t produce such beautiful books. Vellum, in particular, focuses on how your book looks.

With the previewer, you can see exactly how your eBooks will appear on Kindle, iPhone, Nook, and other eReaders.

Cost: $199 for eBook generation, $249 for paperback formatting

• Easy to learn and navigate
• Offers beautiful and unique aesthetics

Publisher Rocket serves a different function from all the other programs in our list.

Instead of helping you write your book, it helps you figure out what kind of book to write—or how to market the book you’re writing, once it’s done.

Essentially, Publisher Rocket is a book marketing research tool that gives you a breakdown of what readers are looking for.

For example, Publisher Rocket can tell you how much money readers are spending on certain niches, such as historical romance. It can also tell you what phrases Amazon buyers are searching for right now, so you can see topics that are trending with readers.

One useful feature is that it can tell you how much money specific books are making per month, so if you know of books that are similar to yours, it can give you a sense of how well your manuscript will perform in the market.

Best of all, it can give you advice for how to market your book to the right audience, which can significantly improve sales.

Cost: $97/lifetime

• Helps you market your book
• Gives you a sense of how well your book can sell
• Has a steep learning curve

Fictionary is for fiction writers looking to improve the plot, characters and setting of their stories.

The AI-powered software makes story editing faster by analyzing your manuscript from start to finish and creating powerful visuals of your plotline, scenes, and POVs.

Their structured approach to story editing takes writers through 38 story elements, including how to write conflict, tension, hooks, backstory, emotional impact, and more.

Cost: $19/month or $169/year

• Packed full of practical, actionable information
• Generates impressive visualizations of your writing
• Makes editing more systematic and less daunting
• Works best with a completed first draft
• Longer learning curve due to so many elements

If you already have the tools you need to write a book, you might be reluctant to learn how to use new ones. So, why bother investing in book writing software? Here are some key benefits:

• Help you stay focused on your project
• Allow you to work more quickly and efficiently
• Give you organizational tools to manage your ideas
• Make it easier to share your material with others
• Correct weaknesses in your prose
• Improve the quality of your overall book

If you find the right book writing software for you, you’ll be able to finish a stronger manuscript in a shorter span of time. It’s well worth the investment!

ProWritingAid offers higher quality analysis than any other software on the market.

It’s particularly well-suited for creative writers because it goes beyond looking for basic mistakes and actually improves writing style. Other grammar checkers can transform bad writing into good writing, but ProWritingAid’s style suggestions can transform good writing into great writing.

The more you use ProWritingAid, the more you’ll be able to spot the patterns in your writing. It’s a book writing software that can help you actually improve your writing skills over time.

It’s also extremely easy to integrate ProWritingAid into your current writing process, whether you prefer to write in Scrivener, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or any other popular word processor.

You can check ProWritingAid’s suggestions, make your edits, and save the file directly in your favorite writing app.

If you want writing software that will holistically improve your book, ProWritingAid is one of the best places to start.

There you have it—our top 15 picks for the best writing software options on the market today. You can use these tools to draft your book, edit your prose, format your manuscript, and more.

It’s important to remember that every writer is unique, so a piece of writing software that works well for others might not be the best option for you. Ultimately, the only way to figure out your favorite book writing software is to try some out for yourself.

Most of the book writing software options on our list have free trials you can use to help figure out if that app works for you or not. For example, you can use ProWritingAid right now, no credit card required.

Let us know what your favorite book writing software is. Happy writing!

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Hannah Yang

Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.

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When You Write

The Best Writing Software for Authors in 2024 [Free & Paid]

Whenever I come across the question “what is the best writing software?” I tend to focus on something else other than the answer.

To be precise, I start to think contemporary writers really have it easy. A hundred years ago or earlier, this wouldn’t have been an important question.

Don’t get me wrong, I honestly think writing is still a laborious task.

But when you consider that the likes of Shakespeare, Hemmingway, and Ted Geisel, among countless others who never used writing apps to polish their work, the premise that “it’s a bit easier to write nowadays” becomes a bit more accurate.

The process of writing has evolved—we dumped the quill for a pen, then came a typewriter, and finally a computer.

Now we have all sorts of writing tools at our disposal, such as our top-rated Scrivener ,  but finding the right one for “you” can be a bit of a hassle.

That is why I decided to lift some of that burden off your shoulder and review some of the best free and paid writing software for authors available in 2024.

Let’s get started.

Our Top 3 Book Writing Software at A Glance

The best book writing software, 1. scrivener.

Best Overall

When it comes to book editing software, you need to have tools that have a writer’s soul—made for writers by inventive writers.

Scrivener isn’t your standard word processor; it isn’t your regular grammar checker either.

Scrivener—a book-writing software program developed by an aspiring writer called Keith Blount back in 2007—is a package consisting of a typewriter, ring binder, and a scrapbook in one tool.

The software tool comes with valuable features like corkboards, pre-set formatting, templates, file importing, metatags, automated document listing, and many others.

These features are perfect for novelists, scriptwriters, academics, lawyers, translators, journalists, students, and other professional writers .

Key Features:

• Has the Cork Board and Outliner: Easy and convenient organization of notes and book sections.
• Hit the Ground Running: The templates give the user a head start because it saves him/her the time it takes to set a genre-based workspace.
• Goal and Progress Tracking: Scrivener’s customizable Goals and Targets are so important for tracking your progress. They are also helpful when you’re running against a deadline and want to know if you’re picking up the pace or not.
• Weigh your Work : The Snapshots enable you to compare rewrites to original notes.
• Made with Novelists and Fiction Writers in Mind: this software comes with specialized features for novelists and fiction writers, including the Linguistic Focus (MacOS) / Dialogue Focus (Windows).

Scrivener has separate payment plans for the three supported platforms— macOS , iOS , and Windows and they cost $49, $19.99, and $45, respectively.

What I Like About Scrivener

Scrivener has a bunch of features and capabilities that I like. It has customizable interfaces, the desktop apps work offline, offers a very generous trial period, and has specialized features for novelists and fiction writers.

What I Didn’t Like About Scrivener

I found out that Scrivener requires a separate License for each supported platform—which was a bummer. On top of that, the tool doesn’t have a plagiarism checking feature. Oh, did I forget to mention the steeper learning curve?

2. Write! App

Write! is another distraction-free text editor that offers an elegant workspace for you to create notes, to-do lists, create blog posts, novels, and texts of many different kinds.

In Writer App!, you’ll find similar features of a good word processor that have been neatly packed into a well-groomed interface.

It’s sort of like a regular word processor on steroids.

And it has some sleek looks too; Writer App has a browser-styled minimalistic interface that utilizes tabs to help you navigate— for bloggers and writers, the user interface alone is an appealing appetizer.

But the app isn’t all about the looks; here are some of the essential features and their benefits.

Key Features and Benefits

Two distraction-free writing options: To do away with distraction, you have two options:

• Either you use the “Full-Screen Mode,” which basically blocks all the features except for the outline and document interface.
• Or the “Focus Mode” that turns your screen into some sort of a typewriter—it only displays the sentence or paragraph with the blinker.

Sync Your Work : Write! App offers a cloud syncing feature, conveniently enabling you to access your work from any device you use. But, the sync feature comes at an extra cost of 4.95/year.

Collaborate with Your Team: Write! App allows you to publish your work directly to the web and get a share link which you can use to share and collaborate your work.

The tool costs $24.95 annually.

What I liked About Write! App

The goal-setting features, the customizable interface, and the sharing and publishing features.

What I Didn’t Like About Write! App

There are a bunch of things that I didn’t like (not necessarily related to the tool’s functionality). The tool has no trial period, no app for mac.

Novlr is less complicated than Scrivener; a shorter learning curve and simplicity offers relief to users that found Scrivener some sort of rocket science.

It has a feature that turns it into a distraction-free tool; it eliminates all the other distractive features. The tool also checks for grammar errors, gives cheerleading leading one-liners when you are about to achieve a goal, and helps track your progress and performance.

Novlr also has an ambient-dependent color setting, which feels comfortable and sometimes stimulating.

The good thing is since it’s cloud-based, you can access the tool from any device via a web browser.

Key Features and Benefits :

• Share or Keep Your Work Safe: Novlr can automatically sync with both Google Drive and Dropbox. This way, you can easily share your draft with a co-author, book editor, or an entire project group.
• Write Within the Language’s Rules : Novlr comes with a grammar checking feature that prevents your text’s syntax and semantics from derailing.
• Chase Goals and Achieve and Manage Your Objectives: Helps you track your performance and customize your goals
• Offline Writing: you don’t essentially need a working internet connection to use the app.
• Focus Mode – remove all kinds of distractions and stay focused on writing and editing.

But all these features come at a healthy price of $100 per year.

What I Like About Novlr

I like the offline capability, the Auto-save feature, the software’s suggestions for various writing styles, and the trial period.

What I Didn’t Like About Novlr

It is relatively expensive, exports fewer file formats, and is not available as a mobile app.

4. Microsoft Word

This list wouldn’t be complete with this word-processing warhorse—Microsoft Word.

Most contemporary middle-aged writers grew up using Microsoft Word and can literally point to any of its tabs with their eyes closed.

This veteran word processor is neat and is the most underrated writing tool nowadays.

It’s just like the beautiful wife you’ve had for years, and then she becomes a 5 out of 10 just because you’ve spotted some new “Jenny” on the block.

But… do not be fooled; MS Word is still the “OG” of the writing software category.

This tool still comes equipped with core features like translation, grammar checking, web publishing, and other standout features.

Here are some of these features (a mere glimpse of what MS Word has to offer):

• Custom Styles : Whether you want to customize headings, subheadings, or subtitles, the tool allows you to tweak your text however you like.
• Easy to Use Custom Navigation Pane : once you’ve customized the styles, the headings and pages appear in a very intuitive sidebar called the navigation pane. You can rearrange the headings by dragging them in the navigation pane.
• Automatic links: you can easily link a word or sentence to a place in the same document or a web page. This is convenient when you want to publish your document in digital formats—a reader can simply click on the link and jump to the desired content or page.
• Automatic Table of Contents : MS Word lets you create a table of contents to which is also hyperlinked the headings.
• Mailing : easily send your manuscript to an editor, straight from Word. You can either mail your document to a single recipient or multiple email accounts.
• Track Changes : the tool also lets you track, accept, and reject changes you or anyone else makes to your document. You can set the tracking feature on or lock tracking—whatever is your cup of tea, eh?

There are a bunch of Microsoft 365 plans available—too many, almost inconveniently too many. So for conciseness sake, I’m only going to list the basic plans (for personal and family use):

• Microsoft 365 Family – free for one month; $9.99 monthly or $99.99 yearly
• Microsoft 365 Personal – costs $6.99 per month and $69.99 yearly
• Office Home & Student 2019 –offers a one-time purchase priced at $149.99 (for both Mac and PC)

The pricing section doesn’t seem concise, but I had to exscind almost 75% of Microsoft 365’s catalog pricing plans.

What I Like About MS Word

The app is packed with powerful formatting options, templates for almost anything, and an easy-to-use interface.

What I Didn’t Like About MS Word

No virtual boards like some of the other dedicated writing software programs I’ve listed.

Ulysses has been in the game for a very long time. In fact, it is the software that inspired Scrivener.

And just like Scrivener (which seems to have overtaken it), it has a modern, streamlined interface and is stuffed with essential features for a modern writer. Ulysses provides document management, file syncing, style editing, and many other essential capabilities.

It is the perfect book writing tool for serious authors because it allows the writer to organize the manuscript in a clean, focused writing environment.

Improves Focus & Productivity: Ulysses comes with features that allow writers to completely focus on writing and increase their output.

It has a distraction-free interface that helps you get around in no time-such as; typewriter mode, keyboard navigation mode which enables you to operate Ulysses via keyboard only, markup-based text editor, and many other customizable features.

Offers Sufficient Organization & Management: Ulysses offers a wide range of organizational tools that helps writers organize their work from something as small as note-taking to a bulky novel. The tool has:

• A unified library for your texts
• Hierarchic groups which let you organize your drafts
• Enables you to attach additional information such as images, PDFs, notes, keywords, and others.
• Filters which allow you to narrow down your library’s content according to keywords, text occurrences, et cetera.
• Writing Goals for tracking your daily objectives, set word or character limits, and overall progress.
• Auto-Save & Automatic Backup feature, which automatically saves your work and keeps local backups.

Versatile Synchronization and Export functions: With Ulysses’ syncing capabilities, you write anywhere without repeatedly setting the tool . Ulysses offers full iCloud sync, macOS-iOS sync (iPhone to iPad to Mac), and you can add Dropbox folders to your text library.

Ulysses also boasts of a versatile export function; among other capabilities, you can export your document as a Markdown file or HTML code, DOC, PDF, and other file formats. You can also publish your text directly to medium and WordPress.

Ulysses costs $5.99 monthly or $49.99 yearly. It also has a 14-day trial period.

What I Liked

The tool comes with a lot of perks. Still, there were some special ones including effective document management, progress tracking tools, multiple view options, and the direct WordPress and Medium publishing feature.

What I Didn’t Like

I didn’t like its exclusivity to Apple devices. I thought that it only affects the owner’s revenues more than anything else.

6. Manuskript 

Manuskript is an open-source tool for writers including novelists, journos, and academicians.

It comes close to providing the same features as its paid counterparts. It has an Outliner for you to hierarchically organize your work, allows you to set writing goals and has a feature called the “Novel Assistant,” which helps develop a random idea into a lucid plot by using the “snowflake method.”

The tool lacks cloud collaboration and other essential elements that paid tools have.

“If it doesn’t cost you money, don’t complain sonny!”

• Outliner: This feature lets you organize your ideas and little pieces of your story hierarchically. You can arrange and rearrange whichever way you like.
• Avoid Unnecessary Detours: With the Distraction-free mode, you can get rid of all distractions that impede the pace of your writing process.
• Monitor your Progress: Set personal goals
• Novel assistant:  You can utilize the snowflake method to develop your basic ideas into a coherent plotline or a full-fledged story with characters, plots, and comprehensive settings.

What I Like About Manuskript

Firstly, it’s an open-source tool. I also like how the “Novel assistant” adds something extra to your writing, the spell checker, and language translation.

What I Don’t Like About Manuskript

The app might be a bit difficult to install for people who are not tech-savvy.

7. Livingwriter

Here’s another tool with a shorter learning curve but stacked with all the necessary features to help you write your book—from the plotting phase right up to the publishing stage.

Livingwriter has an intuitive interface that was designed to make you feel comfortable right from the start.

You can collaborate with your co-authors and share your live chapters or the entire draft with an editor. The tool lets you restrict the view, comment, and editing permissions of your editor, proofreader, or co-authors to protect your work.

• Casually Organize and Plot Your Stories: Utilize the tool’s sidebar to arrange your chapter notes quickly.
• Get A God’s-Eye View of Your Writing: rearrange your plot lines or your book simply by dragging and dropping notes on the app’s board.
• Focus Mode : For a distraction-free writing experience, the right sidebar, which displays details on Chapters and Story Elements can be turned off, leaving the editor window only.
• Set Writing Goals: Writing goals enable you to observe differences in your writing pace and see how much content you have written.

Liivngwriter offers a 14-day trial. If you’re hooked, you have to choose between two payment arrangements: either pay $9.99 monthly or choose to fork out $96 once a year.

What I Like About Livingwriter

I liked the Grammarly Integration, the free trial, and its collaboration capabilities.

What I Didn’t Like About Livingwriter

I didn’t like the fact that the tool is not available as a desktop app and wasn’t ideal for screenwriting.

Although Dabble’s interface is more streamlined and intuitive than most of its competition, it is stuffed with features similar to those that Scrivener and its closest competitors have.

Well of course I used the word “stuffed,” but Dabble still has less features than Scrivener.

The tool comes with features like a word tracker, Cloud Sync, plot grid, and Spelling and Grammar checkers, among others.

Take a look at what you’ll be getting when you have Dabble as your writing software.

• Plot the “Bestseller Course”: One of Dabble’s most essential features is the Plot Grid.  With this feature, you can arrange plot lines and plot points in a notecard format. By dragging and dropping the notecards, you can develop basic ideas into a detailed scene chart.
• Up your Game—Focus: Dabble let’s switch into focus mode as you type, which reduces the distractions.  You can also customize the interface manually to give you a more focused writing space.
• Keep Track of the Mileage: Dabble has a goals module that keeps track of the daily word count. In the right module, there’s a bar graph that shows you the daily written amounts.

Dabble offers three plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium. The plans cost $5, $10, $15 respectively.

What I Like About Dabble

I like the Intuitive dashboard, the grammar checker, and the free trial

What I Didn’t Like About Dabble

There is one thing that I disliked about this tool; it isn’t ideal for writing screenplays, short stories, scripts, and other formats.

9. Google Docs

Google is the best Microsoft Word alternative—one of the most preferred writing tools out there. And just like its buddy, the word processor is supplemented by Google Sheets and Google Slides in G Suite by Google.

Unlike MS Word though, Google Docs tool is a cloud-based editor (although docs can be accessed offline). With the app, you can edit your docs offline and online (tablets, PCs, and phones).

This isn’t your sufficient Scrivener alternative though; it lacks the tools for you to seamlessly jump from one subsection of a bulky chapter to another section in another chapter. I usually use it for blog posts and other short reads.

Take a look at some of the standout features that Google Docs has to offer:

• Add Fonts: Just like MS Word, Google Docs lets you add fonts to its library, the good thing is that you don’t need to download and install the fonts separately.
• Enjoy the Voice to Text Feature: if you don’t feel like typing, you can utilize the voice typing feature and the app will translate your recording to text.
• A Variety of Styles: Google Docs comes with lots of different styles for formatting your text.

Google Docs Pricing

Google Docs is free, but you can purchase Google Workspace plans for you to get more storage space and other benefits of Google’s apps.

A Few Other Notable Pieces Of Writing Software Worth Mentioning

• Quoll Writer

What Makes the Best Book Writing Software?

Most writers I know are over 30, the average age being 40. Now, these seasoned wordsmiths have been doing all their writing using Word for a very long time.

For them to adopt a new tool to use in the writing process, the tool needs to have something extra special, an extra oomph!

They are not just going to start using a tool just because someone says it’s good (I’d expect the same attitude from you too), but some of the factors I have listed below would do a lot to convince them, and they’re the ones you should be considering before you decide which book writing software is the best for you.

How to Decide Which Book Writing Software Is Best for You?

The following are things to consider before choosing a book writing software:

Offline Functionality

Having a tool that only works online is okay, but sometimes writers take writing excursions to a remote location to get their writing juices flowing again.

They might choose an area with no internet connection and need their Scrivener working full time whilst they’re there.

Or the internet might be working just fine, but the writer might decide to go offline. Offline writing software comes in handy in such situations. 

Desktop App

Nobody expects to write or edit a whole 100k novel in a web-based text box. That would just kill the fun of writing the book.

Conveniently most good writing apps have desktop apps.

And the app ought to be available for both macOS and Windows (although I’ve listed some tools which are only available either as macOS apps or Windows apps).

Distraction-Free Writing

Focus is so important, especially when you’re writing bulky creative pieces.

But writing on a laptop or tablet computer offers plenty of distractions. With notifications flying in from everywhere, your unfinished movie staring at you, et cetera.

A good writing app needs to be able to block all these distractions from your writing environment.   

To achieve this, some apps go full screen and inhibit inessential background processes while others turn into a typewriter and only display the text being typed.

Easy or Steep Learning Curve

Although a steeper learning curve indicates the sophistication of a writing app, some tools are just complicated for no substantial reason.

If an app like Scrivener has a steeper learning, it is for a very good reason: the tool is stuffed with comprehensive features that help you from the first step to the publishing stage of your manuscript crafting process.

However, Scrivener is an exception (the steeper presents an investment into a Rambo of a book writing software), and writing tools need to be easy to master.

Tracking Your Progress

The best writing tools are equipped with features that help see how much ground you’ve covered.

They furnish you with stats to help you track your writing progress and set personal milestones.

Writing tools like the veteran MS word allow you to easily track, accept, and reject the change made to your document.

Scrivener and other tools like it have virtual boards called Cork Boards where you can organize, plan, and keep track of changes made to your draft.

Cost of Software

The overall cost of writing ought to be the least of your worries. The concern should be what you want from software.

If you are paying $49 to use Scrivener, it means you are paying for all its features.

But, are you using all of them?

If all you need the tool to do is help you outline your book and check some grammar and spelling mistakes , then you’re overpaying.

You can use a less sophisticated tool that costs less but has the basic features which you need.

But if a tool has the perfect features for your project (no major inessential elements), then pay up, buddy!

Is Free Writing Software as Good as Paid Software?

The answer—put simply—is no.

Free writing software is sufficient, but paid ones usually are more developed with better user features.

Free writing software tools feel like regular milk, but the paid have this extra edge, a thickness that feels more like condensed milk. The developers always make sure to stuff the paid ones with more indispensable features to make them way cooler than the free version.

And if a tool is completely free, then it probably generates revenue using other sources. Such tools usually bombard you with ads and lack many essential features you’d typically find in a paid tool.

So, the free ones will do the job for you, just not as efficiently as their paid counterparts.

What Software Do Most Writers Use?

The ‘word processor’ market has been flooded with a lot of software, but there is one that has stood the test of time.

The Granddaddy of word processors—Microsoft word. It’s been here for decades and still reigns as the most used writing software even though other apps do a better job.

The issue lies with trust. The tool still has millions of users (in the US only), and its popularity has never been matched anywhere else in the world.

What Writing Software Do Famous Writers Use?

1. stephen king.

The bestselling horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novelist uses MS Word for manuscript and Final Draft for screenplays.

2. J.K Rowling

The Harry Potter author uses MS word. She once tweeted that she writes her very first draft using pen and paper then transfers it to Word.

3. Sabba Tahir

 The bestselling author of a YA fantasy series uses both Scrivener and MS Word. Sabba starts out in Scrivener, then after organizing the book she moves it to Word and finishes it there.

4. Jeff Goins

Jeff is a best-selling author of books, including Real Artists Don’t Starve and The Art of Work. He uses Scrivener to craft his bestsellers.

So, What’s the Best Book Writing Software?

Scrivener , without Doubt.

It is so good that new apps strive to be the perfect copies of this standard-setting tool.

Just imagine, it completely tramples the app it was accused of copying.

And I have talked about the steep learning curve about a thousand times and why the case is so…

You can’t build something this good and expect the average joe to quickly and easily master it.

Almost anyone can drive a Cadillac, but how many can get a spaceship to mars?

You get the idea.

Recommended Reading...

Best dictation software in 2024, best essay writing software: 16 apps that can help you write perfect essays, scrivener vs word: which is the better book writing software, vellum vs scrivener: which is better for writing and formatting your book.

Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for you.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

© 2024 When You Write

It will come as little surprise that we think the Novel Factory is the best writing software. That’s because we’ve spent the last ten years trying to work out what makes novel writing software great, and then building it.

Nonetheless, we are aware that writers’ needs vary, and that there are apps out there that are more established or have a different focus or a development team with different areas of expertise.

So we have genuinely done our best in this review to give an honest rundown of some of the best novel writing software options, analysing their strengths and weaknesses. But we’ll start with the one we know best.

The main strengths of Novel Factory are its intuitive, clean design and the wealth and detail of the novel writing resources.

As well as providing a word processor, features for creating plots and managing subplots, and areas for keeping notes on characters, locations and items – the software integrates what some have described as ‘an MA in writing’.

As well as the Roadmap, which is a step-by-step guide to writing a novel, it includes detailed character development questionnaires, world building guides and plot templates based on popular genres.

So it’s not just the car, but the engine and map as well.

The software has a section for setting your writing targets, and then automatically updates colour-coded graphs so you can track your progress towards them.

It also autosaves your manuscript and has version history, so you can access previous drafts of your writing.

And as the data is centrally stored, it’s easy for writers to collaborate on a single novel, always able to access the latest changes.

If we have to focus on the weaknesses of the Novel Factory, then we have to admit it’s not the cheapest option out there. Writers on a tight budget may not be able to stretch to $7.50 per month. We hate the idea of anyone being priced out, so we do run promos a few times a year which bring the price down, and we offer educational discounts and occasionally free licences on a hardship basis (get in touch with us for more info).

Is the Novel Factory the best novel writing software for me?

The Novel Factory is perfect for new writers, who want to learn their craft while writing their first novel.

It’s great for planners, who want to use established structures to make their story skeleton bullet-proof and develop complex characters with desires, flaws and internal conflicts.

It’s the right fit if you want somewhere to keep track of all supporting data, as well as writing the novel itself, and if you want options to work Online and Offline, as it suits you.

It’s good for visual learners, who appreciate being able to add a lot of images, who like to see how different aspects of the novel link together and who like everything clearly categorised and aesthetically appealing.

It’s less useful for writers who want something more freeform, or something where they can set up and rearrange the categories themselves. And discovery writers may prefer something a bit more streamlined and simple, as they may not need the additional sections for supporting data.

Click here to find out more about the features included in the Novel Factory 3.0, or click here for a free 30 day trial .

No novel writing software list would be complete without Scrivener – the Goliath of the writing software world.

Scrivener was one of the first apps to appear on the market, and is by far the most well-known program today.

The main strengths of Scrivener are its flexibility and richness of features. It has had a long time to mature, and take into account feedback from its huge community, so it is packed full of features, from index cards to name generators. It offers goal tracking, word counts and places to keep your notes.

Plus, because the community is so huge, you can take advantage of freely shared resources, such as character and plot templates.

Scrivener is very reasonably priced at £47, and is available for Mac, PC and even IOS (though the licences for each of these are sold separately), though there isn’t a web-based version.

The widely accepted main weakness of Scrivener is the other side of the coin of its strength – it’s complexity.

The ‘steep learning curve’ is cited by many as a real issue, and while there are dozens of courses to help you get to grips with the intricacies of the program, people who are trying to write a novel are usually already struggling to find enough time just to write their manuscript. And it’s quite a big ask to require someone to invest dozens of hours learning a program before they’re even sure it’s the right one for them.

Is Scrivener the best creative writing software for me?

Scrivener is a great app, with tons of fantastic features, and there’s a reason it’s used by so many writers.

As they state on their website, they, ‘won’t tell you how to write’, so this it’s best suited to an experienced novelist who has time to learn the features and work out how to use them to plan and write their novel.

It offers a lot of flexibility and customisation so, you can use the tools in lots of different ways, to suit your style.

But for a newer novelist, who is just learning their craft and might want a little more guidance, it can be a bit overwhelming, while not offering guidance on how to actually write a novel.

And having so many choices can also lead to decision paralysis, or not really knowing the best way to proceed, so it probably won’t suit people who are less comfortable with advanced technology and customisation.

Click here to find out more about Scrivener and get a free trial.

YWriter is another veteran piece of software which is widely respected and loved.

YWriter contains all the key features you’d expect from novel writing software, including clearly defined places to keep track of your characters , locations, scenes, chapters and somewhere to write your novel.

A big strength is that it allows you to link everything together and handily cross-reference, and it has lots of tools to keep track of your word counts and progress.

The main weakness of yWriter is that it’s not clear where to start when you first open it, and the word processor takes a while to find. Also, some sections of the interface are a bit primitive, requiring you to enter code syntax, rather than offering a proper graphic user interface where you can simply, click, drag and drop.

The characters, locations and tools tabs are all fairly straightforward, but the interface is all table-based, which can get a bit monotonous. While you can add images to characters, locations and items, they’re not displayed in the main interface for quick reference.

Like Scrivener, it doesn’t give you any guidance on how to actually write a novel.

Is yWriter the best free novel writing software for me?

While yWriter isn’t the most intuitive software to use, or the most fully featured, it has one major advantage which, for many writers, will rocket it above all the competitors.

That is that it is completely free.

For a free product, yWriter is quite phenomenal and it is extremely generous of the developer to give away such a great app with no charge at all. Of course, you can donate to help support future development, but even the suggested donations are only up to $24.95 as a one off.

So if you are looking for dedicated software to keep track of the key aspects of your novel but you’re on a tight budget, then yWriter is a fantastic option.

Click here to find out more about yWriter.

Fictionary is an online creative writing software that approaches the process from a different point of view. Instead of starting with an idea and helping the writer grow it into a full novel, Fictionary has a stronger focus on improving your manuscript after you’ve written it.

The main strength of Fictionary is its analytical capabilities once you import your manuscript. It can help you get an overarching view of your story arc.

It has an attractive interface and a sidebar with lots of useful prompts to help you think about various aspects of each scene.

The ‘Plot’ section of the sidebar gives useful prompts to encourage you to consider the type, role and goals of each scene.

Likewise, the ‘settings’ section offers useful prompts to help you think not only about the practical details of your setting, but also how it impacts the story.

The main weakness of Fictionary is that the data is only as good as what you enter, and the analysis relies a lot on your own understanding of story and character.

It offers a lot of numerical analysis and helps you identify tangible things such as chapters or scenes which are excessively long, or which contain excessive numbers of characters, but whether those things are actually an issue or not depends a lot on context and your own choices, and at the end of the day, the quality of a novel can’t be boiled down to statistics.

Also, everything is viewed by scenes, so you can’t get much of an overview of your plot, apart from the quite limited Story Arc.

Also, like Novlr, it doesn’t have much support for plot structure development or developing your characters, which isn’t that surprising, since its focus is on after you’ve written the novel. You can enter your characters, but the data is limited to name and whether that character is POV. You can’t add any further information, or images. You can add information about locations to each scene, but there’s no database of locations that stands alone.

It’s also the most expensive option on our list, at $20 per month or $200 per year.

Is Fictionary the best novel editing software for me?

Fictionary is useful if you’ve already written a manuscript and you want to analyse it to find out where the inconsistencies or weak areas are.

It’s great if you love obsessing over data, and it can help you think about aspects of scenes to make them stronger and more compelling.

It’s not very useful for new novelists who want to learn how to write their first novel, or for planners who are looking for tools to structure, outline and develop characters before writing their novel.

Click here to find out more about Fictionary and get a free trial.

Atticus is a newcomer to the market, created by established self-publishing marketing guru, Dave Chesson.

The key unique strength of Atticus is its formatting and publishing functions. As a self-published author, Dave rightly recognised that there were few options on the market that allowed you to easily ready your manuscript for self-publishing – and even fewer if you weren’t on a Mac.

Atticus allows you to easily select between various formatting styles, and export your novel to a ready-to-go ebook format for all the major self-publishing platforms.

In conjunction with that, Atticus includes dedicated spaces for front matter and back matter, and it allows you to set writing goals, and even select which days of the week you plan to write, which is a nice touch.

It works in a browser, and you can also download apps for Windows and Mac, making it one of the most cross-platform options out there.

It’s got a slick, attractive, highly intuitive interface. It even features a cute cartoon dog – what’s not to like?

The weakness of Atticus compared to other novel writing software, is that it doesn’t offer any areas for keeping track of characters or locations, managing your plot. Of course if you don’t need those features, then that’s not a problem at all.

It also doesn’t get into the business of teaching you how to write a novel, so if you’re a beginner looking for more craft guidance, you’ll need to find that info somewhere else.

It doesn’t offer any free trial, which could be quite off-putting to some people, and the price isn’t that cheap, at $147, though that is a one-off cost. Asking people to pay that much without having been able to poke at the software first demands quite a lot of trust, though there is a no-quibble 30 day money back guarantee.

Is Atticus the best novel formatting software for me?

Atticus is almost certainly the best option for actively self-publishing authors who have a reasonable budget available and prefer to just get on with writing their novels without doing a lot of additional work creating character profiles, locations sheets or planning documents.

It offers a clean interface for writing, and easy formatting and publishing to all the major platforms, something very few of the other options offer.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for more comprehensive novel writing software which includes features and functions to help you keep track of characters, manage your plot and subplots and give novel writing advice, then Atticus is not that sort of one-stop-shop.

Click here to check out Atticus.

Write It Now

Write it Now is a desktop based novel writing software app available for both Windows and Mac, with a wide range of features, but quite a cluttered, dated interface.

The main strength of Write It Now is the wide range of features it includes.

As well as having sections to keep your characters, locations, events, props, notes and research, it has some cool tools which are rare in other programs, such as character relationship charts.

There are some prompts and guidance with regards to characters, such as including their birth and death date, and their relationship to other characters, but ‘personality’ is limited to sliders on different personality traits, such as ‘health’ or ‘aggression’.

Another strength is that it includes places for front and back matter, and offers a wide range of export options.

By far the biggest weakness of the software is its interface. Balance, style and consistency are lacking and it’s cluttered with fussy icons. And while at the top level the sections are quite intuitive, many of the buttons within the sections are quite confusing and it’s unclear what the intent behind them is, even after you’ve clicked them.

Finally, it doesn’t appear to offer many overview options, so apart from the tree list on the left hand side, you can’t view all of your characters at a glance. There also doesn’t seem to be a way to get an overview of your plot structure.

Is Write It Now the best novel planning software for me?

Write It Now is good for writers who are comfortable with technology and like to have lots of detailed features and functions, and who want to be able to drill down into lots of detail, and customise the software to suit themselves. And who aren’t that fussed about aesthetics.

It’s also a good option for users who prefer Desktop software, as many of the novel writing apps out there now are solely web-based.

It’s not good for people who value an aesthetically pleasing, intuitive interface. It’s also not good for people who want to keep things simple.

It doesn’t include any guidance on how to write a novel, so it’s less useful for new novel writers.

Click here to check out Write It Now.

FocusWriter

FocusWriter is a super-simple, free app to help writers focus and avoid distractions.

It’s biggest strength is exactly what it says – its focus. Its main objective is to minimise distractions, so you can get on with writing your novel.

It also has some customisation options, so you can change the background image to something you like and it’s available in multiple languages.

Its weakness is that it doesn’t offer anything else.

There is nowhere to keep track of any supporting information, such as that of characters, locations, items, research or notes. Of course, it doesn’t intend to offer those things, but if you want them – that’s a problem.

There’s no support on how to write a novel, and despite its simplicity, the interface still manages to look slightly dated.

Is FocusWriter the best novel writing software for me?

FocusWriter is perfect for authors who just want to get on and write a manuscript and not faff around with lots of planning and research. So it’s far better suited to discovery writers, rather than planners.

People who like to have a completely clear desk, and who find clutter impacts on their train of thought, will find FocusWriter the perfect solution.

If you’re looking for a more fully featured program, which will help keep track of supporting information, as well as the manuscript itself, then this is not the app for you.

Likewise, if you’re a new writer who wants a program that integrates guidance, templates and novel writing advice, then this is not a good option.

Click here to download FocusWriter.

Bibisco is a desktop based app with a clean, uncluttered layout and a good range of features.

It’s main strengths are the simplicity of its interface and the fact it has sections for all the major aspects of novel writing.

It’s nicely laid out, with the option to add images to things such as characters and locations. It has graphs to visualise things such as chapter lengths and character and object distribution. Another great feature is the character relationships tool.

It includes quite a few character development prompts, though how you fill them in is a little confusing at first, and it’s not possible to easily see all the information at a glance, you have to keep clicking to drill down, and then clicking to go back up to the top level again.

Another nice touch is the popup help boxes that appear as you move through the app, giving you extra hints and tips without making you grind to a halt to complete a lengthy tutorial.

The biggest weaknesses of the software are the fact that it has no free trial, and the lack of clear flow of overarching structure to the software.

This is one of the only programs that doesn’t offer a free trial. The price is very low (only $18, though you can pay more if you feel inclined to), so you could just take a punt on it, but it seems a big ask to require people to fork out before they’ve ever had a chance to take it for a test drive and see if it suits them.

The other issue is that it’s not always clear the best way to use the software. For many this is fine, as they’ll use it how they please – but if you’re looking for something that will guide you through the novel writing process, you’ll be disappointed.

Is Bibisco the best novel writing software for me?

If you’re looking for a low-cost desktop app to keep track of key information relating to your novel, then Bibisco is a great choice. It has a nice clean interface, contains all the key sections you could require with a few nice extras, and is very modestly priced.

However, if you’re a discovery writer who just wants to get writing, it’s unlikely to suit you, as the emphasis is on supporting data, rather than the manuscript. It actually takes a while to find the word processor.

And if you’re a planner looking for a way to shuffle around plot points and get a bird’s eye view of your structure, Bibisco doesn’t provide that.

It also isn’t designed for new writers who are looking for guidance on how to actually write their novel, as it doesn’t contain that sort of information.

Click here to find out more about Bibisco.

Wavemaker is a smart novel writing app which contains a range of useful features for novelists.

Like yWriter, it is a labour of love by a single developer who wanted to create software for his own writing, and like yWriter it is also available for free, with a gentle encouragement for you to donate money so he can spend more time on it.

It’s a progressive web app, which means it runs in a browser, but continues to work if you go offline, syncing as soon as it gets a connection back.

Our favourite Wavemaker strengths are its range of elegant planning features and its beautiful interface.

Wavemaker contains several different ways to plan your novel and gather your notes, each slightly different to take into account different ways of processing information, but allowing you to drag and drop items, and link ideas and notes in different ways.

It includes tagging, which can be very useful for cross-referencing and sorting, and it has a sidebar so you can view some of your notes while writing your manuscript.

It is very clean and pleasing to look at, and using the tools is very intuitive.

The main weakness of Wavemaker is that while it is a great selection of tools, they don’t integrate in any coherent way. You can’t enter info in one and then view it in one of the other sections to get a different perspective. There’s no flow, where you start in one section, then when that’s complete, move to the next. Then again, the freeform way will work better for many people.

Also, the tools mostly stop at the top level functionality, so they do what they say, but there’s not a lot more below the surface.

It doesn’t have any novel writing teaching resources, so people who are looking to write their first novel will need to find that information somewhere else, and there’s little in the way of prompts, to show you how to develop characters or settings, or structure a plot.

Is Wavemaker the best free novel writing software for me?

Wavemaker is great if you want a flexible, intuitive and aesthetically pleasing toolbox for working out the plot of your novel.

It will also be good for discovery writers who want a clean interface which works online and offline.

It’s less useful for new writers who are looking for writing craft guidance, or for those who like to see how all their data links together across the different sections.

Click here to check out Wavemaker.

Novlr is a web-based novel writing app with a beautiful interface, a bunch of great features and plenty of resources to help teach you how to write a novel.

One of the biggest strengths of Novlr is how attractive and pleasing it is to look at, with its slick layout. For some people, this may be considered unimportant compared to the features available, but for many of us a clear, uncluttered interface helps our thoughts flow more clearly.

It also offers spelling and grammar suggestions, in the same way Word does, which not many novel writing apps do.

It autosaves and creates a version history, which gives great peace of mind.

It includes word count info and even motivational messages when you achieve your goals.

One of its weaknesses is the price – it is among the higher priced apps at $100 per year.

Another potential weakness (though could be a strength, depending on your point of view), is that it doesn’t have any features relating to characters, plotting or locations. The focus of Novlr is solely on the manuscript, so any related research or development you want to do has to be done elsewhere.

Is Novlr the right story writing software for me?

Novlr is perfect for discovery writers (also known as pantsers), with its beautiful, clean interface, proofreading tools and version history.

It’s also good for new writers as, like the Novel Factory, it has an integrated course to help you write your novel.

It’s not so useful for writers who are looking for a more all round software, which will give them somewhere to keep track of their cast of characters, offer plotting tools and world building resources.

Click here to find out more about Novlr and get a free trial.

In summary – what is the best novel writing software for you? Our top three recommendations, for planners, pantsers, and those on a budget.

As we’ve seen, if you’re looking for novel writing software, you’re spoiled for choice. You can find software that will take care of all your supporting novel data, such as characters and locations, or you can find absolute minimalist apps to help you avoid distractions.

There is software that teaches you how to write a novel, and there’s software that gives you imaginative ways to view your data, such as index cards, mind maps and relationship charts.

Some of the software is perfect for discovery writers, while others are a dream come true for planners.

Some are aesthetically pleasing and calming to look at and use, while others prioritise highly customisable detail.

The right software for you will depend on your personal preferences and priorities, but here’s a summary of our top three favourites, for the most diverse requirements:

Here are our top recommendations:

• Best all round novel writing software: The Novel Factory
• Best minimalist writing software: FocusWriter
• Best free novel writing software: Wavemaker

Whatever your needs, we hope you find the tool that’s a perfect partner for your novel writing future!

Unlock your writing potential

If you liked this article by the Novel Factory, then why not try the Novel Factory app for writers ?

It includes:

• Plot Templates
• Character Questionnaires
• Writing Guides
• Drag & Drop Plotting Tools
• World Building resources
• Much, much more

Related Posts

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7 Scrivener alternatives that might be better for you

Dabble vs. Scrivener: The writing tool that suits you

• Testimonials

Typewriter. Ring-binder. Scrapbook. Scrivener combines all the tools you need to craft your first draft, from nascent notion to final full stop.

Watch the video

Scrivener takes tools familiar to writers everywhere and integrates them in new and exciting ways.

Why use Scrivener?

Start a new chapter: Scrivener 3 is now available for macOS and Windows.

Find out more

No matter what you write, Scrivener brings together all of your notes, research and writing so that it’s always at hand.

For writing. And writing. And writing.

Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all kinds, used every day by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. Scrivener won’t tell you how to write—it simply provides everything you need to start writing and keep writing. When Scrivener launched in 2007, book writing apps were a niche category. Since then, many apps for writers, especially novel writing software, have appeared (and just as many have disappeared again). Scrivener remains one of the most popular and loved, with millions of downloads, hundreds of thousands of users, and numerous best-selling and lauded books written in it. Be sure to check out our testimonials page to hear from some of our users who think that Scrivener is the best software for writing a book, screenplay or other long text.

Grow your manuscript your way

Tailor-made for long writing projects, Scrivener banishes page fright by allowing you to compose your text in any order, in sections as large or small as you like. Got a great idea but don’t know where it fits? Write when inspiration strikes and find its place later. Grow your manuscript organically, idea by idea.

See the forest or the trees

Whether you plan or plunge, Scrivener works your way: hammer out every last detail before typing a word, or carve out a draft and restructure later. Or mix your methods and do a bit of both. In Scrivener, everything you write is integrated into an easy-to-use project outline. So working with an overview of your manuscript is only ever a click away, and turning Chapter Four into Chapter One is as simple as drag and drop.

Research within reach

Need to refer to research? In Scrivener, your background material is always at hand, and you can open it right next to your work. Write a description based on a photograph. Transcribe an interview. Take notes about a PDF file or web page. Or check for consistency by referencing an earlier chapter alongside the one in progress.

Getting it out there

Once you’re ready to share your work with the world, compile everything into a single document for printing, self-publishing, or exporting to popular formats such as Word, PDF, Final Draft or plain text. You can even share using different formatting, so that you can write in your favorite font and still satisfy those submission guidelines.

Scrivener 3.3.1 Requires macOS 10.13+ Release Notes

Scrivener 3.1.4.1 Requires Windows 8+ Minimum display resolution 1024x768px Release Notes

Scrivener 1.2.2 Requires iOS 11+ Release Notes

Show Scrivener for macOS macOS Windows iOS

From Blank Page to Book—Your Way

Scrivener unites everything you need to write, research and arrange long documents in a single, powerful app. At its heart is a simple ring-binder metaphor that allows you to gather your material and flick between different parts of your manuscript, notes and references with ease. Break your text into manageable sections of any size and leave Scrivener to stitch them together. Integrated outlining tools let you plan everything first or restructure later. And as your project grows, you’ll find that Scrivener grows with it.

Piece it Together

Switch instantly between editing your manuscript one section at a time and together as a whole. Working on a long text is easier when you break it into smaller pieces, and Scrivener gives you complete control over how small (or large) those pieces are. Novelists can write each scene in a separate document, or whole chapters as one; theses can be split into arguments or chapters or paragraphs. However you take it apart, Scrivener’s innovative “Scrivenings” mode lets you put the pieces together and edit them as though they were all part of a single document.

Familiar Text Editing

If you’ve ever used a word processor, you’ll feel right at home in Scrivener’s editor. Add bold, italics and all the other formatting you’d expect. Highlight phrases that need work. Add comments and annotations. Make lists, or insert images and tables. And by switching to page view, you can see the pages fill up as you type.

With Styles, you can indent a block quote and make its text smaller at the same time—or make a heading large and bold with one click. You can even tell Scrivener to format all your block quotes one way when creating an ebook and another way when producing a PDF.

Already have writing or research in other apps? You can import all sorts of files into your Scrivener projects, including Word and OpenOffice documents, plain text files, Final Draft scripts, images, PDF documents, movies, sound files and web pages.

The corkboard is one of the writer’s most familiar planning tools. But before Scrivener, if you moved index cards on the board, you’d also have to reshuffle the sections those cards represented in your manuscript to reflect your changes. In Scrivener, every section of your project is attached to a virtual index card. Scrivener’s corkboard lets you step back and work with just the synopses you’ve written on the cards—and when you move them, you’re rearranging your manuscript at the same time.

The corkboard is one of the writer’s most familiar planning tools. But before Scrivener, if you moved index cards on the board, you’d also have to reshuffle the sections those cards represented in your manuscript to reflect your changes. In Scrivener, every section of your project is attached to a virtual index card. Scrivener’s corkboard lets you step back and work with just the synopses you’ve written on the cards—and when you move them, you’re rearranging your manuscript at the same time.

Find the structure of your writing with Scrivener’s powerful outliner. Like the corkboard, the outliner lets you work with an overview of a chapter, a part, or even your whole manuscript—but puts even more information at your fingertips. Arrange your draft however you want using folders and subfolders. Review synopses of what you’ve written so far or summarise what you need to write next. Check word counts. View meta-data. And when you suddenly realise your epilogue would work better as a prologue? No problem. Easily reorganise everything using drag and drop.

Templates and Icons

Create templates that can be used as the basis for new sections in your project, such as character or location sheets for planning a novel. Assign custom icons to your templates (or to any section) to make them easier to pick out in the outline.

Screenwriting

Whether you’re drafting the next blockbuster, writing for the stage, or penning a comic, Scrivener’s familiar scriptwriting features deal with the formatting, leaving you free to focus on the action. And when you’re done, you can print directly from Scrivener or export to industry-standard software such as Final Draft.

Tools for Non-Fiction

With support for footnotes and the ability to import and refer to a library of research, Scrivener is the ideal tool for non-fiction writers, too. Templates for writing papers in MLA, APA and other common formats are available right out of the box.

Whether you’re drafting the next blockbuster, writing for the stage, or penning a comic, Scrivener’s familiar scriptwriting features deal with the formatting, leaving you free to focus on the action. And when you’re done, you can print directly from Scrivener or export to industry-standard software such as Final Draft.

View Documents Side by Side

Need to check for consistency with something you wrote in Chapter Two? Writing a description based on a photo? Scrivener makes it easy. You can split Scrivener’s editor and have up to four different documents open in the same project window at once. Whether you’re translating an interview, transcribing an audio file or transforming rushed notes into careful prose, your research is always within reach.

Need to check for consistency with something you wrote in Chapter Two? Writing a description based on a photo? Scrivener makes it easy. You can split Scrivener’s editor and have up to four different documents open in the same project window at once. Whether you’re translating an interview, transcribing an audio file or transforming rushed notes into careful prose, your research is always within reach.

Full-Screen Writing

Blank out the rest of the world while you write—or at least the rest of the screen. One click and everything else fades away, leaving just you and your words. Prefer an old-school green-text-on-black theme while you write? Or perhaps a countryside scene backdrop to serve as inspiration? Scrivener’s full-screen composition mode is fully customisable; how it looks is up to you. This is  your  writing space, so get comfortable and get typing.

Blank out the rest of the world while you write—or at least the rest of the screen. One click and everything else fades away, leaving just you and your words. Prefer an old-school green-text-on-black theme while you write? Or perhaps a countryside scene backdrop to serve as inspiration? Scrivener’s full-screen composition mode is fully customisable; how it looks is up to you. This is  your  writing space, so get comfortable and get typing.

Set Targets and Track Progress

Set word or character targets for your entire manuscript or for sections within it—or set a target for the current writing session. Keep track of word and character counts as you write, and then check the Writing History to see how much you have written each day.

Use meta-data to record and find useful information. Colour-code sections using labels, track the progress of revisions by applying a “Status”, and assign keywords for anything you want. You can even create your own meta-data fields to suit the demands of your project.

Collections

Collections let you create lists of related documents from anywhere in your project. Build smart lists that automatically show you documents that need more work, or scenes written from a particular point of view. Want to track which chapters are flashbacks? Just throw them in a “Flashbacks” collection.

Use meta-data to record and find useful information. Colour-code sections using labels, track the progress of revisions by applying a “Status”, and assign keywords for anything you want. You can even create your own meta-data fields to suit the demands of your project.

Collections let you create lists of related documents from anywhere in your project. Build smart lists that automatically show you documents that need more work, or scenes written from a particular point of view. Want to track which chapters are flashbacks? Just throw them in a “Flashbacks” collection.

You Choose the Tools

Different writing projects demand different thought processes, and Scrivener’s flexible interface adapts to the work at hand. Arrange index cards along coloured lines on the corkboard—perfect for tracking different storylines or thematic developments. Experiment and place cards anywhere in freeform mode. Choose which columns are shown in the outliner—or create your own. Use the corkboard or outliner to browse through research while you write. Make a mess or keep it simple. Whatever you’re writing, you get to choose the tools that work for you, and everything else stays out of your way.

Different writing projects demand different thought processes, and Scrivener’s flexible interface adapts to the work at hand. Arrange index cards along coloured lines on the corkboard—perfect for tracking different storylines or thematic developments. Experiment and place cards anywhere in freeform mode. Choose which columns are shown in the outliner—or create your own. Use the corkboard or outliner to browse through research while you write. Make a mess or keep it simple. Whatever you’re writing, you get to choose the tools that work for you, and everything else stays out of your way.

Print, Export, Publish

Scrivener has everything you need to prepare your manuscript for sharing with the world. Write in your favourite font and then print using formatting tailored to submission guidelines. Export to a wide variety of file formats, including Microsoft Word, RTF and OpenOffice. Save screenplays to Final Draft format with script notes intact. Generate PDF files ready for self-publishing. Create Epub and Kindle ebooks to sell on iBooks or Amazon, or for proof-reading on an e-reader. You can even use MultiMarkdown for LaTeX support and more.

Never be afraid of rewrites. Before embarking on a major revision, take a “Snapshot” of a section and you’ll be able to return to the earlier version whenever you want. Can’t remember what you changed? The “Compare” feature will show you.

Auto-Save and Backups

Scrivener automatically saves while you work, meaning you never have to worry about when you last hit “Save”. And for extra peace of mind, Scrivener can automatically back up your projects whenever they are opened or closed—perfect for ensuring there’s always a recent backup stashed safely away.

Write Anywhere

Take your manuscript with you wherever you go. Scrivener is available for iOS, macOS and Windows, so you can spread out on a big screen, sync using Dropbox or transfer with iTunes, and then pluck your book from your pocket and carry on writing on your iPhone. (Licences sold separately.)

Never be afraid of rewrites. Before embarking on a major revision, take a “Snapshot” of a section and you’ll be able to return to the earlier version whenever you want. Can’t remember what you changed? The “Compare” feature will show you.

Scrivener automatically saves while you work, meaning you never have to worry about when you last hit “Save”. And for extra peace of mind, Scrivener can automatically back up your projects whenever they are opened or closed—perfect for ensuring there’s always a recent backup stashed safely away.

Scrivener unites everything you need to write, research and arrange long documents in a single, powerful app. At its heart is a simple ring-binder metaphor that allows you to gather your material and flick between different parts of your manuscript, notes and references with ease. Break your text into manageable sections of any size and leave Scrivener to stitch them together. Integrated outlining tools let you plan everything first or restructure later. And as your project grows, you’ll find that Scrivener grows with it.

Switch instantly between editing your manuscript one section at a time and together as a whole. Working on a long text is easier when you break it into smaller pieces, and Scrivener gives you complete control over how small (or large) those pieces are. Novelists can write each scene in a separate document, or whole chapters as one; theses can be split into arguments or chapters or paragraphs. However you take it apart, Scrivener’s innovative “Scrivenings” mode lets you put the pieces together and edit them as though they were all part of a single document.

If you’ve ever used a word processor, you’ll feel right at home in Scrivener’s editor. Add bold, italics and all the other formatting you’d expect. Highlight phrases that need work. Add comments and annotations. Make lists, or insert images and tables. And by switching to page view, you can see the pages fill up as you type.

Formatting Presets

Already have writing or research in other apps? You can import all sorts of files into your Scrivener projects, including Word documents, plain text files, Final Draft scripts, images, PDF documents, movies, sound files and web pages.

Find the structure of your writing with Scrivener’s powerful outliner. Like the corkboard, the outliner lets you work with an overview of a chapter, a part, or even your whole manuscript—but puts even more information at your fingertips. Arrange your draft however you want using folders and subfolders. Review synopses of what you’ve written so far or summarise what you need to write next. Check word counts. View meta-data. And when you suddenly realise your epilogue would work better as a prologue? No problem. Easily reorganise everything using drag and drop.

Scrivener has everything you need to prepare your manuscript for sharing with the world. Write in your favourite font and then print using formatting tailored to submission guidelines. Export to a wide variety of file formats, including Microsoft Word, RTF and PDF. Save screenplays to Final Draft format with script notes intact. Create Epub and Kindle e-books to sell on Amazon or elsewhere, or for proof-reading on an e-reader. You can even use MultiMarkdown for LaTeX support and more.

Scrivener unites everything you need to write, research and arrange long documents in a single, powerful app. At its heart is a simple ring-binder metaphor that allows you to gather your material and flick between different parts of your manuscript, notes and references with ease. Break your text into manageable sections of any size and leave Scrivener to stitch them together. Integrated outlining tools let you plan everything first or restructure later. And as your project grows, you’ll find that Scrivener grows with it

Scrivener unites everything you need to write, research and arrange long documents in a single, powerful app. At its heart is a simple ring-binder metaphor that allows you to gather your material and flick between different parts of your manuscript, notes and references with ease. Break your text into manageable sections of any size and leave Scrivener to stitch them together. Integrated outlining tools let you plan everything first or restructure later. And as your project grows, you’ll find that Scrivener grows with it

Find the structure of your writing with Scrivener’s powerful outlining tools. Work with an overview of a chapter, a part, or even your whole manuscript. Arrange your draft however you want using folders and subfolders. Review synopses of what you’ve written so far or summarise what you need to write next. Mark sections with a status such as “To Do” and assign coloured labels. And when you suddenly realise your epilogue would work better as a prologue? No problem. Easily reorganise everything using drag and drop.

Find the structure of your writing with Scrivener’s powerful outlining tools. Work with an overview of a chapter, a part, or even your whole manuscript. Arrange your draft however you want using folders and subfolders. Review synopses of what you’ve written so far or summarise what you need to write next. Mark sections with a status such as “To Do” and assign coloured labels. And when you suddenly realise your epilogue would work better as a prologue? No problem. Easily reorganise everything using drag and drop.

Set word or character targets for your manuscript or for the current writing session. See how much you’ve written in each section with the live word and character counter, which updates as you type.

With support for footnotes and the ability to import and refer to a library of research, Scrivener is the ideal tool for non-fiction writers, too.

If you’ve ever used a word processor, you’ll feel right at home in Scrivener’s editor. Add bold, italics and all the other formatting you’d expect. Highlight phrases that need work. Add comments and annotations. Make lists and insert images. You can even add your favourite text tools to Scrivener’s special keyboard row, putting them right at your fingertips.

Eyes tired of staring at a bright screen? Switch to Scrivener’s gorgeous Dark Mode. The whole app transforms so that all of your text becomes light against a dark background.

Eyes tired of staring at a bright screen? Switch to Scrivener’s gorgeous Dark Mode. The whole app transforms so that all of your text becomes light against a dark background.

Share your manuscript with the world. Export to Microsoft Word or as an RTF file. Save screenplays to Final Draft format with script notes intact. Generate a PDF. Scrivener lets you customise how your exported manuscript looks, so you can write in your favourite font and then print using formatting tailored to submission guidelines.

Scriptwriting

The corkboard is one of the writer’s most familiar planning tools. But before Scrivener, if you moved index cards on the board, you’d also have to reshuffle the sections those cards represented in your manuscript to reflect your changes. In Scrivener, every section of your project is attached to a virtual index card. Scrivener’s corkboard lets you step back and work with just the synopses you’ve written on the cards—and when you move them, you’re rearranging your manuscript at the same time. ( iPad Only )

The corkboard is one of the writer’s most familiar planning tools. But before Scrivener, if you moved index cards on the board, you’d also have to reshuffle the sections those cards represented in your manuscript to reflect your changes. In Scrivener, every section of your project is attached to a virtual index card. Scrivener’s corkboard lets you step back and work with just the synopses you’ve written on the cards—and when you move them, you’re rearranging your manuscript at the same time. (iPad Only)

Need to check for consistency with something you wrote in Chapter Two? Writing a description based on a photo? Scrivener makes it easy. Using the “Quick Reference” feature, you can view two different documents at once. Whether you’re translating an interview, transcribing an audio file or transforming rushed notes into careful prose, your research is always within reach. ( iPad Only )

Need to check for consistency with something you wrote in Chapter Two? Writing a description based on a photo? Scrivener makes it easy. Using the “Quick Reference” feature, you can view two different documents at once. Whether you’re translating an interview, transcribing an audio file or transforming rushed notes into careful prose, your research is always within reach. (iPad Only)

Use meta-data to record and find useful information. You can colour code sections using labels, and you can track the progress of revisions by applying a “Status” such as “To Do” or “First Draft”.

Find and Replace

Pull down in the documents list to search the whole project for a phrase, or bring up the editor’s Find bar to find and replace text in the current document.

Who uses Scrivener?

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Book Writing Software to Help You Create, Organize, and Edit Your Manuscript

Writing a book is no cakewalk. I ought to know—I’ve done it nearly 200 times.

But plenty of quality tools help make this challenge easier.

The right book writing software can help you:

• Organize your writing
• Gain self-confidence
• Write more crisply

Software writing programs you may want to check out:

(Full disclosure: If you buy any of these, I get a small commission at no cost to you. But these tools have helped enough writers to where I would recommend them even if I didn’t get a dime!)

**Editor’s Note: Since the initial publishing of this post, ChatGPT has emerged and changed the way people research, write drafts, and create content. However, this post stands as one that help you accomplish the three goals listed above. For more on ChatGPT and its effect on the publishing industry, stay tuned!**

• 15 Book Writing Software Programs That Can Make Your Life Easier

1. Scrivener

Scrivener is the ultimate book-organization tool.

It allows you to view your notes, research, outline , and writing all in one place, and you can print your whole manuscript with the click of your mouse.

There’s a bit of a learning curve, but Scrivener comes with tutorials, and many other such aids are easily found online.

It may look overwhelming at first (I’m still learning it myself), but it’s worth the time and effort.

Just give yourself time to get familiar with the basics.

• Virtual corkboard feature for note cards organization
• Drag & drop outliner
• Works with Windows, Mac, iPad, and iPhone
• Easily applicable within Microsoft Word and many other programs
• Steep learning curve*

*I benefited from great teaching programs like Learn Scrivener Fast , plus Scrivener itself comes with a built-in tutorial.

Price: $60 for Mac and Windows

Click here to buy Scrivener .

2. google docs.

Google Docs is a great collaborative tool. My team and I are literally a thousand miles from each other, and we use this program virtually every day.

It’s a free, standard word processor that allows multiple people to work on the same document simultaneously. I’m working on this document in Google Docs right now.

Just as with Track Changes in Word, an agent or editor or accountability partner can help fine-tune your work-in-progress in Suggestion Mode. You accept or reject the suggestions, and you can both comment in the margin.

Other advantages:

• Easily share your work-in-progress via email or a link
• Access from any device
• Performance slows when tracking changes on documents of 80 or more pages
• Unable to toggle between Tracked Changes and Final Version without accepting all the changes

Price: Free

Click here to start using Google Docs .

Freedom allows you to temporarily block apps, websites, and social media across all your devices so you can focus on writing (don’t worry, people can still reach you in an emergency).

You can even schedule the app to work automatically when you need it most — when you’re writing.

If you’re like me, you’ll be glad for the freedom from online distractions where “just a few seconds” turns into hours of unproductive net surfing. Freedom can help you focus and increase your productivity.

And it works on all devices.

Cost: $8.99 per month, $39 per year, or a $199 lifetime fee.

Want to block distractions while you write?

Click here to get Freedom .

4. prowritingaid.

ProWritingAid offers grammar, style, and writing suggestions as you write—for you to accept — or reject — at the click of a button.

It integrates with the apps and programs you use most, like:

• Google Docs
• Google Chrome
• Microsoft Word

Other pros:

• Detailed explanations
• Built-in Thesaurus
• Context-focused grammar checker
• Free version
• You need a premium account to access its best features

Price: $30 per month, $120 for 1 year, or $399 for life

I recommend trying the free version first.

Click here to get more info on ProWritingAid .

5. grammarly.

Similar to ProWritingAid , Grammarly can help fine-tune your writing.

It automatically checks spelling and grammar, whether you’re writing a book or an email.

The premium version also:

• Checks sentence structure
• Monitors word choice
• Guards against plagiarism
• Examines style
• And much more
• Google Chrome plugin for easy use on the web
• No Scrivener integration
• Doesn’t work on mobile devices

Cost: $30 per month, $60 per quarter, or $144 per year.

Try the free version first.

Click here to get Grammarly .

6. Novel Factory

A creative writing software that guides you through the novel writing process. 

Novel Factory prompts you to:

• Write your story’s premise
• Develop characters
• Follow the Hero’s Journey outline 

It offers: 

• A built-in word processor
• A split screen view

The Novel Factory is a progressive web app, which means it works in a browser, but you can also download it to your local machine – both Windows and Mac.

Cost: Starts at $7.50 per month, with discounts for annual memberships.

Click here to start using Novel Factory .

7. hemingway editor.

Focuses less on grammar and spelling and more on writing style. 

It highlights: 

• Sentences to be edited, whether lengthy and complex, passive, or unnecessary 
• Overused words
• Easy to understand and use 
• Suggests alternatives to overused words
• Allows text formatting
• Teaches much more concise, straightforward writing
• Suggests edits and offers tips to improve overall writing style
• Ranks your writing by grade level
• Eliminates most adverbs
• Doesn’t take voice or style into account

Cost: Free if used on the Hemingway Editor website (you can then copy/paste into your document), $19.99 to purchase your own version.

Click here to start using Hemingway Editor .

8. Evernote

A note taking app that allows you to:  

• Sync with other devices
• Share notes with anyone who has access to your account
• Save screenshots, web articles, and PDFs in one place
• Search easily within the program 
• Customize templates
• Scan and save documents
• Integrate with other programs (like Google Docs)

Cost: Basic Evernote free, Premium $14.99/month, Business $17.99/month

Click here to start using Evernote .

Designed by a writer for writers , yWriter is a word processor that helps organize your novel into scenes and chapters. 

The program: 

• Tracks words per chapter and total word count 
• Allows for the breakdown of scenes, note-taking, character description, and scene details and goals under separate tabs within each chapter

YWriter currently runs only within Windows.

Click here to start using yWriter .

10. ulysses.

A simple word-processing software for Mac users.

• A distraction-free interface
• Saves all your writing in one spot
• Easily sync documents with other devices
• Split-screen view
• Auto-save and backup
• Allows you to set and track writing goals
• Allows you to publish directly to WordPress and Medium

Con: does not assist in developing characters or plot .

Cost: App download free, subscription $5.99/month or $39.99/year

Click here to start using Ulysses .

Allows your to professionally format books for publication. 

Available for Mac users only, the software is free, but you must purchase a package before exporting a file for publication. 

• Allows you to design and format a book 
• A variety of styles
• Easy import capabilities
• Editing within the app
• Allows preview of print or e-books 
• Easy export
• Allows unlimited exports, depending on program purchased
• Not word processor
• More expensive than similar tools
• Available only for Mac 

Cost: $199.99 for publishing unlimited e-books, $249.99 for publishing unlimited e-books and paperbacks

Click here to start using Vellum .

12. focus writer.

A bare-bones word processor. 

In full-screen mode, toolbars disappear until you scroll over them. 

• Simple, customizable design
• Allows you to track writing goals (by time or word count)
• Available for text only
• No spell check

Click here to start using FocusWriter .

13. milanote.

Hailed as “Evernote for creatives,” a visual story-telling tool for Mac users.

It enables you to: 

• Organize notes all in one place
• Use as a whiteboard or storyboard
• Upload images
• Save images, text, and weblinks
• Upload images and text from your phone

Other Pros: 

• Flexible drag and drop 
• Allows team collaboration
• Limited export options: PDF, PNG image, Word file, or plain text
• Available only on Mac and the web

Cost: Basic version free, premium version $9.99/month

Click here to start using Milanote .

14. fastpencil.

Offers tools for self-publishing. 

• Write within the platform or upload a manuscript
• Format your book
• Publish in e-book and print (ISBN and retail barcode included)
• Distribute and sell your book worldwide
• Manage sales and royalties
• Cannot use offline
• Expensive beyond writing, designing, and formatting 

Cost: Free, with additional paid publishing packages

Click here to start using FastPencil .

15. bibisco.

…an all in one project management tool for your novel. 

It acts as a word processor, organizer, and a creativity guide all at the same time.

For Outliners, bibisco allows creativity in your organization. You can interview your characters, create a timeline of events, and track your chapters in one place. 

It works for Mac, Windows, and Linux. 

• Creative tools to flesh out characters, places, items, and events in your story world
• Free version without many restrictions
• Easy to use, almost no learning curve
• Simple design 
• Great organizational tool for Outliners
• 30-day money-back return policy
• Paid version says “pay what you want,” but the minimum is 15 euro, which will be a little more in US dollars 
• Open-source software still receiving updates (be sure to save often, even with the autosave feature)
• No mobile app 

bibisco has a free version and a premium version that starts at $47 for a one-time purchase.

Click here to start using bibisco .

Faith-Based Words and Phrases

What You and I Can Learn From Patricia Raybon

A Guest Blog from Stephen King—Yes, that Stephen King

Why LivingWriter is the Best Writing App for Fantasy

Five Top-Notch Writing Software for the Year 2022

LivingWriter Review 2022

The Best Writing Apps and Book Writing Software | 2023 Update

The Best Novel Writing Software of 2022

Long Story Short, the Best Writing Apps in 2023 are:

It’s not an easy thing sifting through writing apps and book writing software. Especially when reviewing something you’ll be using to write your novel, it requires some time investment!

To separate the useful from useless, I’ve had to spend quality time with them (and also pay for some of them). What I was looking for here is an app or software that helps you write easier and faster . Not just something that checks your spelling or turns off other apps to keep you focused. I’m talking about a full-scale word processor like Google Docs but is tailored towards writing something more than documents.

Something like your books or your screenplays.

We didn’t find many that we’d recommend. A lot of the ones on the market are mostly just software with very specific features, like distraction-free writing or grammar checking. Some of the newer ones are just plain bad and seem like rushed jobs.

With all the technology in the world, it’s about time technology helped us write!

Out of all the software we reviewed, we found four that we’d recommend as well as some honorable mentions.

LivingWriter – The Best Book Writing Software of 2023

LivingWriter  is actually new to the scene (launched in 2018). It seems like they gathered all the best features of writing apps in the past and melded them all into one. One thing I have to point out right away about LivingWriter in comparison to other writing apps, it’s beautiful!

LivingWriter made it to the top of our list because it has all the features (and more) of Scrivener with a really modern and clean user interface. It also tops Scrivener in its ability to live edit (co-author) and share your stories with friends/editors and the fact that it’s a cloud-based application rather than a desktop one.

Their story elements are wonderful to work with, I love seeing my characters in their nice tidy place. The outlines and templates (some I knew, some I didn’t) work well right off the gate to get you started with your writing. I’ve been using a template to quickly plot out any ideas that might pop into my head.

LivingWriter is completely cloud based. Meaning your writing is saved constantly to the cloud (just like Google Docs). I’ve never had any issues with it losing my writing or stories (issues that I have definitely had with other writing apps in the past).

LivingWriter is not tailored for screenwriting , but it’s our top pick for novels, short stories, and honestly any other types of writing. It also works very well for organizing blog posts and other types of professional or schoolwork.

In 2020 they’ve also released an iOS and Android app so you can write on the go.

It’s easily the best writing app out there now. Try it out! It’s abundantly clear. Check out our full review here .

• Sidebar separates your chapters, subchapters, and story elements
• Drag and drop chapters and subchapters to reorganize
• Easy access, organization, and detailing of all your story elements (characters, themes, locations, etc)
• Detailing of story elements includes photos, description, notes, and history
• Smart Text Feature that recognizes your story elements and auto-suggests them as you type. This also hyperlinks the word to pull up all your notes and descriptions of the story element. No other book writing software has this feature, by the way.
• View and edit all of your notes and descriptions on the right sidebar
• Option to collapse sidebar for a full-screen view
• Import from Docx and Doc files
• The option to view all of your scenes and chapters on a “virtual corkboard”
• Pre loaded template of time tested novel writing outlines such as (Three Act Structure, 27 Beat Chapter Plotting, Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, etc) with easy guidance on how to fill them in with your ideas
• Share the whole story or separate chapters
• Live collaboration with anyone you share your story with
• Auto save every keystroke to the cloud with exponential storage and backup
• Revision history saved every few 10 minutes
• Name each revision history
• Export to Amazon manuscript templates, PDF, docx
• The cleanest interface of all the writing apps with the most user-friendly (modern) UI UX design
• Easy free trial and sign up process. There’s no downloading a program, you just sign in and start
• Feature dense for writing books with smart text, outline templates, story elements, etc.
• Cloud-based and autosave every keystroke
• Easy live collaboration with anyone you share your story with
• Companion apps for iOS and Android
• Not tailored to screenwriting.

Click here to try LivingWriter

Free for 14 Days then $9.99/month 

Free 30 Day Trial

Scrivener  is similar to LivingWriter in terms of features, but there are a few major differences. Scrivener isn’t web or cloud based so you can’t access your work from just any device. You can only sync your files if you use a third-party storage service.

There’s also no co-author or editing capabilities with Scrivener.

The other reason we put Scrivener is number two instead of number one is because the interface is fairly confusing and outdated. it isn’t nearly as user friendly as LivingWriter. You would need to watch YouTube videos for instruction on how to utilize all the tools. There is a tutorial however it reads like a manuscript and is very long.

That being said, aside from LivingWriter, it does have a lot of great features and is still one of the best writing apps out there.

• Separates scenes and chapters
• Import from Word and OpenOffice documents, plain text files, Final Draft scripts, images, PDF documents, movies, sound files and web pages
• The option to view all of your scenes and chapters on a “virtual corkboard”. You can rearrange them on a timeline as well
• The outline shows chapters separate from subchapters
• Drag and drop chapters and subchapters
• Create your own templates, MLA, and APA, novel, a novel with parts, screenplay, documentary script, BBC taped drama
• Scriptwriting formatting
• View documents side by side
• Full-screen writing mode
• Set word or character targets
• Export to Microsoft Word, RTF, PDR, OpenOffice, Epub, or Final Draft format.
• Auto save into your individual program
• Option to purchase a mobile version
• Available for Windows and iOS
• Many templates to choose from
• Feature rich for writers of all types
• Most used book writing software (due to how long it’s been around)
• Outdated and somewhat confusing interface. Bigger learning curve than the rest.
• You have to pay extra to update the software
• If you want to download on Mac, PC, and your phone then you have to buy three different versions
• No Android app
• No collaboration features, such as co-authoring tools or the ability to share a file with someone and let them add comments or make suggestions
• You can only sync your files if you use a third-party storage service, and only between devices that have the Scrivener app installed. If need to use someone else’s computer, you can’t access your work

Click here to try Scrivener

Final Draft

FinalDraft  is not our top pick overall for best writing apps because it has a very outdated and confusing interface. You really need to watch some videos to understand how to use the features. Plus, editing and co-writing is complicated and can only be done with other people who have purchased FinalDraft. I guess it’s a little unfair to list FinalDraft here in comparison with the other apps, it’s not necessarily book writing software but rather screenwriting software.

But, it  is  the top pick for serious screenwriters. I emphasize “serious” because it costs a whopping $250 and it’s incredibly packed with features that will only be needed if you’re writing a screenplay that’s actually being picked up.

• Formatting tools specific to screenwriting
• Auto suggest for dialogue
• Navigator window for scenes, script notes, characters, and tags (script day, location, makeup, cast members, etc)
• Script templates such as Cole Haag or Warner Brother, Dramatists Guild Musical template. Also for different graphic novels, half-hour sitcom, or one-hour TV drama
• Story Map shows the length of your script in pages, as well as your current position among those pages
• Beat board which is basically a virtual corkboard. You can drag these scene cards into the story map
• Split screen views
• Collaboration with others that own Final Draft
• Auto save every 15 minutes
• Revision history saved to a local folder on your computer
• The most tools, options, and templates for screenwriters
• Many view options
• Auto draft only saves every 15 minutes, not every keystroke
• The price is higher than all other apps
• Very complicated to collaborate and all the collaborators must own a copy of Final Draft.
• Not book writing software so not good for books at all.

Click here to try Final Draft

$59.99  only for Mac

The reason  Storyist  made number four on our best book writing software list is because it has more features than the other writing software that didn’t make the list. It has a lot of the same features as the top three, plus a nicer interface than Scrivener and FinalDraft. However, it doesn’t have as many useful features or as clean of an interface as our top picks for best writing apps, LivingWriter and Scrivener.

Storyist is a good option for screenwriters who aren’t looking to spend top dollar on FinalDraft. It doesn’t have as many features at all as FinalDraft but it has some good templates for screenwriting and is easier to use than Scrivener.

• Folders for chapters and subchapters
• Auto suggest for dialogue, scene introductions, locations, times, character names, and transitionsVirtual index cards for each scene
• Story Sheets for storing information about plot, character, setting, etc.
• Revision history every hour
• Name revision history
• Stylesheets for common manuscript and screenplay formats
• Add photos to characters
• Word count goals
• Add edit and delete comments
• Export to Blurb, DOCX, HTML, RTF, TXT, as well as SCRIV (Scrivener), FDX and FCF (Final Draft)
• A newer looking interface than Scrivener and FinalDraft, however not as clean or as user friendly as LivingWriter
• Includes tools for storyboarding, outlining, character sheets. 
• Supports importing and exporting many formats
• Only for Mac and IOs. It does not have apps for Windows, Android, or the web. They need to increase their presence here. Book writing software in 2021 should account for all popular devices.
• Additional cost for iPhone app
• No co-authoring or editing capabilities
• Smart text doesn’t link story elements to description and notes. It only autosuggests the word
• Revision history is every hour instead every few minutes

Click here to try Storyist

In case you were curious, here’s a list of some of the other apps that we reviewed.

Final Thoughts

To conclude, LivingWriter is our top pick for writing books and other documents. Scrivener comes in second for writing books and screenplays. FinalDraft is the top pick for writing screenplays. Storyist is a less expensive but less feature dense option for FinalDraft.

Writing Apps That Didn’t Make The Cut

Ia writer : $29.99.

Very barebones. Just for distraction-free writing but not meant for outlining or story development. Distraction-free writing by itself doesn’t meet our criteria for the best writing app of 2020. Not what I would call book writing software, more like focused writing. Which is good for some, but completely useless for others.

Ulysses : $39.99 yearly

Mac only. Very similar to IA writer. There are not even visible options for changing how the text is styled. Just meant for distraction free writing with additional feature to publish to WordPress. Distraction free writing by itself doesn’t meet our criteria for the best writing app of 2020. Once again, not exactly book writing software but rather focused writing.

Microsoft Word : $129.99

If you’re going to spend 130 dollars then you might as well spend it on software that’s designed for writing a book or screenplay. Word processors can’t meet our criteria for the best writing app of 2020. Word processors are not book writing software, they weren’t built for the needs of a novelist.

Google Docs : Free

It’s free, and you can have people live edit your work. However, it doesn’t have any of the organizational tools or templates that come with software that’s designed for writing. Word processors can’t meet our criteria for the best writing app of 2020. As amazing as Google docs is, it’s still not good enough to be deemed book writing software. I’ve noticed that after say 50 or so pages, Google docs starts lagging quite a bit for me.

The Novel Writing Factory : $24.99

This is more for walking you through story development than writing. Story development is part of the software for apps like LivingWriter and Scrivener. This will help you get started on writing a book, but it’s once again not book writing software.

Campfire : $24.99-$49.99

Similar to The Novel Writing Factory, this is more for character development than anything else. Again, apps like LivingWriter and Scrivener have this built-in.

Evernote : $0-14.99/month

Just designed for note taking, but not a word processor. Word processors can’t meet our criteria for the best writing app of 2020. 

Reedsy : Free

This app is pretty much like Google Docs in that you can have others edit your text. The difference seems to be that you can export to ePub.

Plot Factory : $9-19/month

It has some decent outlining features, however this software is unfortunately not user friendly.

Ywriter : $11.95-24.95

Similar to Storyist or Scrivener in features but very unpleasant interface which looks like an excel sheet.

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The 10 Best Writing Apps of 2024

Useful tools for novelists, playwrights, editors, and other wordy types

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If you're serious about writing, consider getting serious about your writing tools. These writing apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS , and Android put your words into the right format, adding polish and professionalism to your creations.

Best Word Processor for All Genres: Microsoft Word

Hundreds of templates make creating any document simple and fast.

Easily add charts, graphs, and images.

Built-in translation tools.

Overwhelming interface.

Full app is expensive.

Only one person can edit shared documents at a time.

No writing tool list is complete without Microsoft Word. This word processor is the best option for all genres, complete with hundreds of templates to choose from, endless formatting tools, and a robust online support system. From a poem to an e-book to a novel, Word can help you do it all. You can even create your own Word templates .

Word is available for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android devices. You can start with a free trial of Microsoft 365, which includes other Microsoft applications as well. If you choose to purchase, packages range from $69.99 a year to a one-time payment of $149.99. If those prices are too high for you, you can also use Word for free .

Download For:

Best Tool for Long-Form Content: Scrivener

Keyboard shortcuts make writing a breeze.

Templates are ready-made to jumpstart your creativity.

Easy to manage and rearrange pages and chapters.

Has a learning curve.

Spelling and grammar check are not enabled by default.

Intended for users who have an intermediate understanding of word processing.

Do you write long-form works like novels or non-fiction books? If so, you need a tool that performs some of the low-level tasks for you. Scrivener offers ready-made templates that eliminate the need to spend time on tedious formatting tasks.

This application also includes features for storing details about your characters and other critical background information, writing sections and placing them in your manuscript later, and viewing a detailed outline built from synopses that you write for each chapter. If you don't like the flow, you can move chapters around. When you're ready to publish, Scrivener makes it simple to compile and export a completed manuscript.

Scrivener is available for macOS, Windows, and iOS. You can try it free for 30 days. After the trial, a standard license costs $59.99 or $50.99 for students.

Best Screenwriting Application: Final Draft

It has everything professional screenwriters need to meet industry standards.

Powerful story mapping tools.

Integrates with Storyboard Pro.

May not be great for beginners due to the hefty price and steep learning curve.

You must sign in to the platform each time you use it.

No support for real-time collaboration.

Final Draft is used by 95 percent of film and television productions. Why? There are hundreds of templates to choose from and Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to the industry standard, allowing you to focus on writing.

With advanced tools, the program allows you to easily brainstorm and collaborate as well as plan set pieces or store character research with customized visualizations.

Final Draft offers a free 30-day trial. After that, the cost is $199.99. The program works with both macOS and Windows and also offers a mobile app for iOS devices.

Best Organizational Companion: Evernote

Add photos, audio snippets, and more.

Robust collaboration tools.

Search for text in PDFs, images, scanned documents, and handwritten notes.

Only 60 MB of monthly upload space is available for free.

May include more features than you need for simple note taking.

Free version limits you to two devices.

To electronically capture ideas on the fly, use a text-based note app on your device. For an enhanced organizational experience, we recommend Evernote. It enables you to collect many types of input, including whiteboard photos, website screenshots, different document formats, audio recordings, and your handwriting. You can separate items into different notebooks for multiple projects.

Evernote is free to download for both Android and iOS devices, or you can use it online. Users can upgrade to Evernote Premium for $7.99 per month or Evernote Business for $14.99 per user per month.

Best Application for Distracted Writers: FocusWriter

The tool is easy start using as soon as it downloads.

Free with no catches.

Simple, intuitive interface.

There are no editing functions outside of cut and paste.

Need another word processor for editing purposes.

No mobile version.

Given all the distractions in the world and especially online, it's easy to get off track during your writing time. FocusWriter allows you to focus and get your work done. The interface is basic, with all the tools hidden beyond a screen until you need them, so it's just you and the document in front of you. Hidden timers and alarms alert you when it's time to stop.

Best Writing Software for Bloggers: Google Docs

Changes to your documents save automatically, so no more lost work.

View the history of edits and track changes.

Collaborate in real time.

The Google Docs app for mobile devices is slower than the desktop version.

Limited options for adding charts and other visuals.

Fewer formatting features than premium word processors.

One of the best things about Google Docs is how easy the program makes it to collaborate with others. No more "version shuffle" as you send drafts and revisions back and forth in email.

When you share a document with your blog editor, they can insert suggestions, comments, and changes right there. Then, when it's time to implement the changes, accept the revisions and close comments about issues you resolved. You can even use Google to work on Microsoft Word documents.

Google Docs is a free online tool that's also available as an app for Android and iOS devices.

Best Writing App for Novelists: Werdsmith

Keeps track of your writing goals and tells you how close you are to reaching them.

Lots of helpful templates and formatting options.

Publish your writing to the web from the app.

Must purchase a membership to use the novel and screenplay features.

Text formatting tools could be more intuitive.

Not worth the price if you don't regularly use all the features.

Werdsmith is a portable writing studio, complete with instant formatting for novels and screenplays. You can even use it to publish your online writing portfolio. Werdsmith features a clean design, it's easy to use, and it's the perfect place for keeping your notes and finished work. The goals and stats function helps keep you motivated.

Werdsmith is free to download and use for iOS devices. In-app purchases are offered through a membership for $4.99 per month. Members receive four new themes, novel and screenplay writing tools, hundreds of writing prompts, and more.

Best App for Journalists: Dictation

It's designed for one thing: dictation. This simplicity makes it an easy tool to use on the go.

Accurate transcriptions.

Helps prevents strain on your joints and back.

Without the pro version, you'll see an ad after each dictation you create.

Doesn't integrate with word processing apps, so it can be tedious to use.

No word counter.

For journalists who interview individuals for news stories and features, a good dictation tool is a must-have. Dictation is a speech-to-text app that translates voice to text for mobile devices. It can also be used to dictate any voice while on the go. It's perfect for capturing your brilliant ideas as well.

Dictation is free to download for iOS devices. Dictation Pro, which costs $44.99 per year, removes ads and allows you unlimited app usage.

Best Application for Editors: TextEdit

When the full-scale capabilities of a word processing program are unnecessary, TextEdit fills in the gap.

HTML and JavaScript support.

Save files in various formats (.DOCX, ODF, and others).

Only available for macOS devices.

No third-party plugins.

Formatting issues when you copy-and-paste.

This simple tool is perfect for editing documents, including Word files, on the fly and converting them into other formats seamlessly. Need to change a Rich Text Format (RTF) document to another format quickly? TextEdit is the perfect app for that. You can also easily create and edit HTML documents for the web.

TextEdit comes standard with macOS.

Best App for Song Writers: Lyric Notepad

Record yourself performing and attach the file to your song.

Counts syllables and tracks rhyme schemes to help you maintain your flow.

Inexpensive pro version.

The interface is a bit clunky.

No way to back up your lyrics to the cloud.

No search tool.

For poets, rappers, songwriters, and lyricists, inspiration can strike at any moment. That's why it's important to have a tool available at your fingertips. Lyric Notepad goes beyond typical word processing tasks to track rhyme and syllable schemes, help you find new words, and record your lyrics, all in one app. The built-in notepad allows you to add notes about your songs as you write and the metronome helps you easily keep time.

Lyric Notepad is free to download for both iOS and Android devices.

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The Best Writing App for Authors, Novelists, and Screenwriters

Start your book, plot your book, write your book, organize your book, and export it for publishing all in one place.

Organize and Plot

Your manuscripts easily.

Leave your word processor in the dust.

Spend less time organizing and planning. Spend more time growing your ideas into books

Organize Quickly with Drag and Drop

Order and reorder your chapters, subchapters, and elements without the hassle of copying and pasting.

On Screen Sidebar for Notes, Goals , and more

Jot down your chapter, manuscript, and global notes quickly on the sidebar. Everything on one screen means never leaving your manuscript.

The livingwriter Boards

No more moving files, text, and post-its to organize your manuscripts.

Get a god's-eye view of your writing. Intuitively drag and drop to plot. Manage your manuscript elements. Compile your research. All in one place.

No Credit Card Required

LivingWriter + 100% Optional

We believe great writing comes from an authentic human experience. But we believe AI can assist you in writing and breaking through creative blocks.

Streamline your manuscript structure with our AI Outline Generator. We offer templates ranging from Hero's Journey, Romancing the Beat, Screenplays to Academic Theses. You can ensure your narratives are well-organized and structurally sound. Just tell the generator what your book is about and receive a customized plot structure based on famous templates.

Our AI does not and will never store your data, it is deleted on every session. Your data will never be used to train our AI.

Smart Text and Auto-suggest

You won't find this in any other fiction writing app.

LivingWriter enhances your manuscript by auto-suggesting your characters, locations, and objects as you write.

Instantly access their notes and details with a simple click, streamlining your creative process.

Plot Quickly with Time-Tested Manuscript Outlines

Access famous story outlines like the Three Act Structure, 27 Beat Chapter Plotting, The Hero's Journey, and Dan Harmon's Story Circle directly inside LivingWriter.

Our guided steps simplify storytelling, a feature unmatched by other writing apps. We don't try to reinvent storytelling— we just make it smoother for you.

Intuitive Writing Goals and Stats

Set clear, visual writing goals to enhance your manuscript's vision and pace. Our novel writing software beautifully displays your objectives, boosting motivation and productivity.

Chapter Goals

Quickly add and update word count goals per section of your manuscript

Easy integration and support for National Novel Writing Month

Manuscript Goals

Beyond word counts, you can add deadlines to your manuscript to keep yourself on track

Session Goals

Track your word counts automatically per writing session

Keep everything in one place. Your plot, research, and elements.

Streamline your plotting with our Plot Board: an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface for organizing plot points and elements, bringing your manuscript's structure to life visually.

Outline Board

Optimize your manuscript with the Outline Board: An intuitive drag-and-drop interface to effortlessly restructure your book, adjust plots, or simply appreciate your progress.

Research Board

Streamline your writing with the Research Board: Organize each manuscript topic with sections for files, images, notes, and documents. Easily arrange and rearrange with drag-and-drop simplicity.

Elements Board

Enhance your manuscript with the Element Board: Easily edit in detailed or simple views, and access versatile freeform boards for creating family trees, timelines, and more—unleashing limitless creativity.

Tailored To Your Tastes

LivingWriter's light and dark modes cater to all-night writing. Custom themes ensure that the best worlds best writing app looks the way you want.

Stash and Archive

Take any text you don't want right now, but might want later, and stash it for safekeeping. Just highlight any text, click Stash, and your text will be tucked away in the right sidebar.

Copy the text back into your manuscript anytime you want or move it into position with a click and drag.

Cloud Based So Your Creativity Doesn't Have to Stop

LivingWriter syncs seamlessly across devices, freeing you to write anytime, anywhere, without being tied to a single device—unlike other apps. Our fully integrated iOS/Android and Desktop apps ensures that your imagination isn't limited to one place.

Integrated With

Get it all out there or share it in pieces.

Elevate your manuscripts together with LivingWriter, the unique novel-writing software offering effortless sharing and co-authoring. Share for viewing or editing to ensure maximum suspense.

Share Specifically

With one click of a button share your whole book or individual chapters with your friends or an editor

Share Everything

Your notes for your chapters and elements can be shared as well

Seamless Imports Of Your Existing Work

Halfway through your book? Easily import your manuscript from any program directly into LivingWriter with just a few clicks. Transition smoothly from apps like Scrivener and seamlessly continue your writing journey.

Seamless Exports of Your Manuscripts

Export your manuscript effortlessly in multiple formats with LivingWriter. Choose from PDF, DOCX, direct to Google Drive and Dropbox, or Amazon Manuscript for Amazon KDP. Whether it's the entire manuscript, specific elements, notes, or a single chapter, our intuitive platform simplifies the process.

No Lagging - No Matter The Length

Other writing programs weren't meant to hold your 100,000 word masterpiece. You’d have to split your book up into separate docs to keep it from loading forever. With LivingWriter, each chapter and subchapter is self-contained, meaning a speedy load of your whole manuscript every time.

Never hit save again

Even if your laptop decides to have a meltdown, rest assured that your work is safe.

LivingWriter automatically saves every letter you type. Writing software that's cloud-based is the future!

Your work gets saved constantly, safely, into our Amazon Cloud Infrastructure and then we back it up for you every 10 minutes.

You’ve Found The Best Writing App!

Constantly evolving.

We've got a roadmap, but we're also always implementing new features suggested directly by our loyal writers. We're dedicated to your success. Our goal is to be the best writing app for you.

Your work is safe

LivingWriter works on an infinitely scalable Amazon AWS structure. No downtime or data loss ever.

Amazing customer service

Our staff are dedicated to improving your writing experience. Get in touch.

Writing Software For Fiction, Non-Fiction And Beyond!

The best writing app for fiction.

Most of our writers are spinning up fantasy, romance and science fiction stories. We've made it easy to get all your creativity and fictional elements into LivingWriter. No writing app does this better than we do.

The best writing app for non-fiction

When it comes to non-fiction we have templates for memoirs, biographies, self-help books and more. We've already had six (that we know about) self-help books published after being written on our platform!

Best writing app for world-builders

No other writing app or novel plotting software gives you the freedom that LivingWriter does. With our smart elements, beautiful board and intuitive organization, you can have your entire world built before putting down your first word.

Best software for screenwriting

You no longer have to use programs like Final Draft to write your screenplays. LivingWriter allows you to use your chapters, subchapters, and scenes with intuitive screenplay formatting. All in one writing software.

Try free     for 14 days without any commitment!

LivingWriter is free to start, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

37 Best Writing Apps to Improve Your Skills

Our regularly updated list features the best writing apps and software for authors, bloggers, and freelancers.

Writing apps can help you improve your writing skills, stay organized, streamline workflow, and allow you to get into the creative flow. Whether you’re a screenwriter , playwright, novelist, content writer or blogger, these helpful apps allow you to get your ideas out and develop outlines quickly. Our article reviewed the best writing apps and recommended which suits each writing style and project best.

At A Glance: Our Top 4 Picks For Writing Apps

• Best Writing App: Grammarly
• For Planning And Writing Stories: LivingWriter
• Best Alternative: ProWritingAid
• For Long-Form Writing: Scrivener

Grammar Checkers

1. grammarly, 2. prowritingaid, distraction-free writing tools, 5. ia writer, 8. novelize, best apps for novelists, 10. scrivener, 11. autocrit, 12. storyist (for mac), 13. ywriter, 14. the novel factory, 15. hemingway app, organization tools, 16. dynalist, 18. writer.com, 19. livingwriter, 20. microsoft word, 21. plain text, 22. day one, 23. evernote, ai writing tools, 25. wordtune, 26. articleforge, 28. jasper ai, 29. chat gpt, text and speech tools, 30. fromtexttospeech.com, collaboration tools, 32. google docs, 33. zoho writer, screenwriting tools, 34. script studio, 35. fade in, 36. final draft, 37. writerduet, a final word on the best writing apps.

Using the best grammar checkers in your writing allows you to identify and correct grammar as you work. They offer advanced features that can be great for spotting tone differences, trickier grammar errors, and stylistic suggestions. These tools create a seamless writing experience ensuring your writing is ready to go, with little need for proofreading or heavy editing afterward.

Use for:  Grammar checkering Pricing:  $29.99 per month

Grammarly is a powerful grammar checker, plagiarism detector and AI writing assistant. We use it every day to check work on this site. Both the free and premium versions are useful. It provides several editing recommendations, such as avoiding passive voice, using shorter sentences, alternative suggestions for using a broader vocabulary, etc. Many of these features are invaluable when trimming your word count. You can find out why I like this premium grammar checker in our Grammarly review .

We tested dozens of grammar checkers, and Grammarly is the best tool on the market today. It'll help you write and edit your work much faster. Grammarly provides a powerful AI writing assistant and plagiarism checker.

Use for:  Proofreading and grammar checking Pricing:  From free to $25+ per month

ProWritingAid is another proofreading and grammar checker writing app that will help you improve your writing and refine the art of self-editing. ProWritingAid works similarly to Grammarly , but it’s more affordable. I recently published a detailed review and video comparison if you need clarification on this writing software and how it compares to the apps above. Read our ProWritingAid review .

ProWritingAid is a powerful, accurate grammar checker and style editor. It's suitable for non-fiction and fiction writers and doesn't require a monthly subscription. Save 20% per month or year.

Use for:  Grammar-checking Pricing:  $13.99/month

Ginger software is an affordable alternative to Grammarly . Ginger Software is somewhat useful for writers who don’t consider English their primary language. It enables you to translate documents written in Spanish, French, German, and more into English. It will also check for grammar errors. Read our comparison of Ginger Vs. Grammarly .

Use for:  Grammar and spell check Pricing:  $14.99/month

Linguix acts as a spelling and grammar checker. It’s more affordable than Grammarly’s premium plan. It’s ideal for anyone who writes for a living or as a hobby. Students will also benefit from using it to prove their essays or assignments. While it does an excellent job at catching typos, it won’t catch sentences that run on or are challenging to understand. Read our Linguix review .

The best distraction-free writing tools provide a minimalistic space for writers to focus without being side-tracked by too many features, bright colors, or editing options. They offer a focused environment where writers can concentrate on their writing. Often, these tools have full-screen modes, customizable backgrounds, and no alerts. It can be a great way to get into the flow state when writing and let your creativity shine.

Use for:  Writing articles and blog posts Pricing:  From $29.99/month

iA Writer is a distraction-free writing app for short blog posts and articles. This iPad, iPhone, and Mac writing app helps writers overcome distractions through the Focus Mode feature. It also has a full-screen mode highlighting the line you are typing and will fade out everything else on the document. This is one of the most ingenious features for focusing your mind on the current point, which is helpful, especially in creative writing projects. Read our iA Writer review .

Use for:  Productive and focused writing sessions Pricing:  $10/month or $100/year

Novlr is ideal for creating a production workflow and finishing your writing project with time to spare. This app is aesthetically pleasing and browser-based, automatically saving cloud content. It has a “focus mode” that sets the mood for writing without distractions. You can also track stats, write collaboratively, and organize outlines. Use this writing app on any browser.

Use for:  Writing articles and blog posts Pricing:  From $5.99/month

Ulysses is a powerful, intuitive, distraction-free Mac OS and iOS writing app. Windows and Android writers are still looking for a solution. It also has features such as a Markup-Based Text Editor, keyboard shortcuts so writers can work quicker, a library to organize notes and documents, a space to set writing goals, publish directly to WordPress and Medium, etc. It’s a good choice for bloggers and content writers. Read our Ulysses review .

Use for:  Best for writing novels Pricing:  $9/month or $65/year

Novelize is an intuitive web-based app ideal for novelists and creative writers. With a simple workflow, it has built-in tools for managing notes and rearranging sections. It encourages writers to focus and get into the flow state when writing. Cloud-based storage ensures that work is accessible from anywhere, at any time, so it won’t be lost when creativity strikes.

The best writing apps for novelists offer features such as manuscript organization, plot timelines, and character development tools. They’re a great assistant to writers who might need extra help developing their ideas. Many of these tools offer outline templates with various themes, such as Hero’s Journey or Voyage and Return. These apps help novelists easily plan, write, and finish their work.

Use for: Preparing a book to self-publish Pricing:  $199

Vellum is a writing app that authors can use to prepare a book for self-publishing. One of the trickiest parts of self-publishing is creating a book that looks good. Or at least, it was. With Vellum, you can create beautiful-looking e-books and print books in minutes. I prepare all my books for self-publishing with Vellum, and it’s a delight to use. Read our Vellum review .

Use for:  Writing books and longer-form works Pricing:  From $49/month

I can’t recommend Scrivener enough as a writing app for longer-form works. Scrivener allows writers and students to organize their ideas and manage more complicated writing projects using the desktop and mobile writing app. It’s also available on iPad. Scrivener also has plenty of keyboard shortcuts to speed up the writing process. Read our Scrivener review .

Scrivener is our go-to app for long-form writing projects. It's popular with best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. 

Use for:  Editing and learning to write Pricing:  Free, paid is $30/month or pro version for $300/year

AutoCrit is a self-editing app built for novelists and storytellers. Beyond just checking for spelling and grammar errors, it includes tools to examine the pacing and momentum of your work, dialogue, and more. It points out instances of passive voice, showing vs. telling, using cliche phrases, and even if you overuse certain words or phrases. Read our AutoCrit review .

Use for:  Organizing plots and developing characters Pricing:  $59

Storyist is a versatile writing app ideal for novelists, screenwriters, and non-fiction writers. Storyist is one of the best story-building apps available for Mac. It has an intuitive workspace that can be used for organizing plots, developing characters, and integrating research. There are also collaborative editing tools available for teams to use. It’s ideal for self-publishing and collaborative projects alike. 

Use for:  Organized and structuring work Pricing:  Free

yWriter is a powerful writing app designed for authors and novelists who prefer a structured and organized approach to writing. This app is on Mac and Windows and mobile for Android and iOS. yWriter allows writers to store details about their work and turn them into data charts and tables – visually representing various statistics within the writing.

Use for:  Fiction writing  Pricing:  $7.50/month

The Novel Factory is a type of novel writing software for fiction writers. It offers a step-by-step tutorial to writing your first novel taking you through scenes, characters, themes, etc. I don’t write fiction much these days, so I haven’t tested The Novel Factory extensively. It reminded me a little of the Scrivener fiction template. Listen to our interview with Katja Kaine of the Novel Factor.

Use for:  Self-editing Pricing:  $19.99

Writers can use Hemingway Editor to improve their writing and self-editing skills. Paste your text into the application, and it will provide suggestions for removing unnecessary words here and there, such as adverbs or tautology. It also suggests reframing specific sentences from passive voice to active voice and much more. Hemingway is beneficial to reducing your word count without leaving out any essential points from your article. Read our Hemingway app review .

Organization tools for writers help writers re-organize their notes, ideas, and plot outlines with helpful features. This can include creating folders, tags, categorizing notes, and building outlines. Intuitive apps can enhance the writing experience by managing research information and organizing the creative process.

Use for:  Outlines Pricing: Free or $7.99/month

Writers can use Dynalist to create outlines for articles and book chapters. This app is helpful if you’re a writer who likes to outline their work in advance. It also supports Markdown and can be used as a to-do list tool. The free version is good enough for most writers unless you value a revision history. Read our Dynalist review .

Use for:  Outlines Pricing:  From $25 – $65/year depending on plan

Plottr is one of the best tools for creating outlines for your novels. Various outlining templates, including The Seven Point Plot Structure and The Hero’s Journey, are available. Following one of these intuitive templates is a great way to get your ideas on paper and get into the flow of waiting. Plotter can be used on Mac or Windows computers and also has a mobile app.

Use for:  Business Writing Pricing:  $11/month

If you write fiction or casual blog posts, Writer.Com is not for you. Instead, it’s intended for marketing teams, brand agencies, social media managers, sales and HR departments, PR, and more. It can act as a style guide-building platform, so team members can mandate and learn rules for style in terms of the language and tone to use when writing. Read our Writer.Com review .

Use for:  Fiction writing Pricing:  $96/year or $9.99/month

.LivingWriter is a new story-writing app for writing stories or a book. Rather than using a word processor, Living Writer is accessible via your web browser. Like Scrivener, it helps writers arrange their plots and stories using boards. Living Writer contains a series of outline templates for famous story structures like the Hero’s Journey. Read our Living Writer review .

Living Writer contains time-saving templates for authors and novelists. iOS and Android apps available

Use for:  General writing Pricing:  $139.99/year or $6.99/ month

Microsoft Word is a classic writing app for all general writing projects. Although it’s a pricey option, MS Word is reliable, versatile, and easy to use. It works well on Mac and Windows PC and mobile on both iOS and Android. MS Word is a standard writing application for creating documents to print, note-taking, and more! However, its grammar checker could be better, so I recommend using it with the Grammarly plug-in.

Use for:  Writing whatever, wherever Pricing:  Free

If you’re a writer on a budget, you don’t need to spend any money buying expensive writing software or apps. Instead, you can use the free text editor with your operating system. Just open up Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on a Mac and get to work! I like plain text editors for writing something short quickly and easily, without thinking about it too much.

Use for:  Journal writing Pricing: $2.95/month

Day One is the best journal writing app on the market today. It’s much more than an online diary. You can also add photos, audio, and video to your entries. You don’t need to sit down and type anything up; you can record directly into your Apple Watch. As journalling is quite a hard habit to stick to, the ease of use makes it much more accessible. It also automatically uses geotags that add location, date, time, and weather to your entries. Read our Day One review .

Use for: Writing articles and blog posts Pricing: Free

Evernote is a good app for saving research and story ideas. I use Evernote to record ideas for blog posts and book chapters during the day. Jotting down notes immediately when ideas come to you is a fantastic way of capturing random moments of inspiration and overcoming writer’s block. It also has integrations, team collaboration, and more. Read our guide: What is Evernote ?

Use for: Markdown text editor Pricing: From $5.99

Byword is a Markdown text editor. It’s mostly aimed at Apple writers. Byword is not ideal for authors, but bloggers and web developers will find it useful. While it offers Markdown support, it can also support keyboard shortcuts to allow you to Preview your work ahead of publishing. It even boasts MultiMarkdown support, cross-referencing and footnotes, and metadata.

If you’re still familiar with Markdown, Byword has a guide to get you started. It’s $5.99 to download for iOS and $11 to download on Mac. Read our Byword review .

Artificial intelligence writing apps leverage the latest AI technology to assist writers when generating ideas, content, and outlines. Using AI in writing has many new benefits, such as conquering writer’s block, fact-checking, structuring outlines, completing paragraphs, and more. Prompting AI tools to assist with writing can improve productivity and generate creative ideas.

Use for: AI rephrasing and writing  Pricing: From $9.99/month

Wordtune can help you to write better sentences. It’s helpful for employees or freelancers sending emails to editors or writers struggling to find the best way to phrase something. This AI rephrasing tool can help you perfect the tone of what you are trying to write. It can also suggest ways to shorten sentences or expand your thoughts. It also has an online editor. Read our Wordtune review .

Use for: Content generation Pricing: From $27/month

Article Forge is ideal for businesses that need to create content. The app uses artificial intelligence to scan existing web pages for keywords or a topic. It will analyze the content and then rewrite it in its language. The article will be generated in minutes. Read our Article Forge review .

Use for: AI writing tool Pricing: $9/month

Rytr is a tool for businesses looking to create content or even bloggers facing writer’s block. Having it create content from scratch could provide better results. However, it does a solid job of rewriting and improving existing posts. It also does a decent job of mocking up product descriptions if you provide the context. Plus, it can function as an editing tool. Read our Rytr review .

Use for: AI copywriting Pricing: From $29/month

Jasper.ai is a godsend for marketers and entrepreneurs looking to create short-form content. This includes email subject lines, product descriptions, blog introductions, social media posts, and video titles. It’s one of the best apps if you’re looking to use AI to boost your content. It can even help bloggers tackle writer’s block too. Read our Jasper AI review .

Use for: Writing blog articles and copywriting Pricing: Free or $20/month

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm with its AI writing capabilities. Use it to brainstorm ideas for your next novel or blog post, build detailed outlines, fact-check, and build world lore. This is a versatile browser application that can adapt to your needs with ease. It’s an excellent option for combating writer’s block and generating fresh ideas. It’s available on Mac and Windows and as a free mobile app. Read our ChatGPT review .

Text and speech writing tools allow writers to convert their text to speech and vice versa. This is an excellent tool for hearing your work during editing to ensure the content flows and makes sense. It’s also a great way to quickly get your ideas on paper when a creative idea strikes.

Use for: Converting writing to MP3 Pricing: Free

FromTextToSpeech.com is a browser-based application that allows you to turn your writing into MP3 files that can be downloaded to listen to. Many authors recommend reading work aloud to ensure it flows well, so using an app like this is a great way to proofread your novel.

Use for: Transcriptions and dictation Pricing: $1.25 per minute of audio

Rev is another useful dictation app for writers. Using the iPhone or Android app, you can dictate a draft into your phone and then upload it to Rev for transcription by a human at $1 a minute. Alternatively, if you interview someone, you can save time by transcribing these interviews to write better non-fiction articles. It’s more accurate than using a dictaphone but at a cost. If you’re on a budget, use an AI transcription service. Read our Rev review .

Collaboration tools are an excellent way for writers to collaborate on a project. This is especially useful when multiple authors work on a novel, screenplay, or presentation. Many of these tools allow for feedback and tracking changes, ensuring smooth communication among the team members. Here are our top recommendations for collaborative tools:

Use for: Word processor Pricing: Free

Google Docs is a free writing app and an excellent alternative to Microsoft Word. It’s a reliable choice if you like collaborating with other writers or an editor online. It works almost anywhere, assuming you have a reliable internet connection. Its functionality for handling large documents, like a book, has also dramatically improved.

Zoho Writer is less known than Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Zoho Writer offers a writing assistant to help with readability, grammar, and more issues. It also allows live collaboration with team members and offline editing in your browser. Plus, there are a decent number of templates or formatting options. It’s split into three workspaces: Compose, Review, and Distribute, where you can write the content, work with collaborations and then publish or share it. Read our Zoho Writer review .

Screenwriting tools are tailored explicitly to screenwriters and playwrights. They peroxide a structured environment for screenwriters with outlines, formatting, and timeline generation. Often, they have built-in templates that adhere to industry standards, helping bring their ideas to life with ease.

Use for: Writing movie scripts Pricing: F$199.95

Script Studio is a versatile app best suited for scriptwriters. However, it can also be used for other works, such as novels. The most notable feature of this app is the inclusion of popular movie scripts that can be used as a model for your work. The templates are an excellent way to learn the format and polish your movie script. Some features allow you to draft, plot, and organize the works, making it a top choice for aspiring movie writers.

Use for: Screenwriting Pricing: $79.95

Fade In is an excellent tool for aspiring screenwriters, with automatic formatting that allows you to bring your scripts to life. It’s best suited for screenwriters looking to create a first draft of their screenplay. With a convenient beatboard feature, writers can map out the beats of their stories and view them on a timeline above the script. 

Use for: Screenwriting Pricing: $99.99/month

Final Draft is the default app of choice for screenwriters. I’ve experimented with Final Draft, and it strikes me as an example of powerful writing software but with a bigger learning curve than your typical word processor. Read our Final Draft review .

Use for: Collaborative screenwriting Pricing: From $9.99 – $13.99/month

WriterDuet is an industry standard for screenwriting, used by millions of screenwriters for TV shows and blockbusters. This highly-rated tool allows writers to collaborate with other writers on their teams in real time. It can also incorporate text and video chat during writing sessions. Other features include locked and colored pages, sharing and publishing feedback, and stats and reports about your writing.

Two of the best writing apps to try today are Grammarly and ChatGPT. For more general writing, Google Docs and Ulysses are both great. Writing apps are a great way to organize your thoughts and express your ideas. Once you’ve started writing, it’s easy to complete with the help of a comprehension app like the one listed in our guide.

It’s time to start on that writing project you’ve been dreaming about. Pick the best writing app that suits your needs from our guide, and start writing. Embrace the power of writing apps to help unleash your creativity and build your next novel, non-fiction book, screenplay, or blog.

The Best Programs for Creative Writers

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Pivot Tables in Excel Explained: What Are They Actually For?

I tested the best note-taking apps with a stylus: here's what i found, how i use the action button on my iphone.

There are so many different things you can write these days and so many different types of writing careers. From crafting novels or essays to working as a journalist, content writer, or copy editor; those with the gift for creating compelling sentences are in high demand.

Because of this, you need the best tools of the trade so you can be a productive writer. When you have the right kind of tools, it can help you cut back on the time you have to spend on your writing.

Here are some of the best writing applications for creative writers that are currently available.

1. Google Docs

Google Docs has a reputation as an accessible and collaborative writing program. In the current age of internet connectivity---where almost everything we do is online---it has become ubiquitous at home and in the workplace.

Google Docs may be free for personal use, but just because it's free doesn't mean that it is less versatile than old-school titans like Microsoft. Its numerous functions allow you to design a functional looking document from start to finish. Its collaborative abilities, especially for teams that need to work on the same document, are unrivaled.

Google Docs is best for anyone who needs to work online and remotely. It's also good for people who need to switch between different devices to write on the same thing. This is especially true if you're working with other people on the same file, as Google Docs allows multiple individuals to work on a single document.

Another upside to Google Docs: it has a very low learning curve, which means that you won't struggle to adjust to the application. The fact that it's designed and operated by Google means that it will interface seamlessly with all your other Google apps.

Looking for a more in-depth rundown? We have an article on what Google Docs is and how to use it .

Visit: Google Docs (Free)

Download: Google Docs for Android | iOS (Free)

2. Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is a writing program that has been around for ages. So long, in fact, that it's an application that many of us millennials learned how to type on when we were kids.

Over the years, Microsoft Word has evolved and become more complex. There are more competitors these days, but the program still packs a punch with its incredible versatility and its reputation as a standardized tool in a work-based setting.

Knowing how to use Microsoft Word can mean the difference between getting that office job or not. Because of its sprawling number of customizations, Microsoft Word is good for a large variety of writing professions and purposes. These range from business reports to novels.

Microsoft Word works on both PC and Mac OS. In my own experience, I find it's best utilized when you're on the PC, as you retain more of the natural versatility of the program.

If you're looking for more information, here's a list of add-ons that you can install to make Microsoft Word easier to use .

Visit: Microsoft Word Online (Free)

Download: Microsoft Word for Windows | macOS (Office 365 Subscription)

Download: Microsoft Word for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchase)

3. Scrivener

Scrivener hasn't been around for as long as Microsoft Word, but it's definitely not new. It's been gaining traction over the years as an alternative to the old-school favorite.

As an incredibly in-depth outlining application, Scrivener is perfect for anyone who is writing a novel. These days you'll often see creative writers shouting its praise. Its name usually comes up as a recommended tool on the eve of writing events like NaNoWriMo. Scrivener also has useful novel writing templates available .

With its ability to organize chapters, scenes, and research all in one place, Scrivener prevents you from hunting for files in different spots on your computer.

Visit: Scrivener (Free)

Download: Scrivener for Windows | macOS (Free Trial)

Download: Scrivener for iOS ($19.99)

In terms of writing programs, Dabble is sort of like the new kid at school.

I first heard about Dabble through Camp NaNoWriMo, where the free trial was being advertised. Because I already had a lot of creative writing applications on my plate, I was unsure about trying it at first. I didn't know if I needed another program.

Dabble hasn't been around for as long as the other programs, so my curiosity was piqued. Was I missing anything in terms of features? Would it bring something new to the table that I hadn't tried before? Turns out, I liked it a lot.

Some highlights:

• Just like Scrivener, Dabble allows you to organize your writing files all in one place.
• You can arrange your book via chapters and scenes, and you can include notes and set goals for your manuscript's progress.
• When you download your final document, Dabble formats it so your manuscript meets industry standards. This is incredibly helpful if you're submitting your story to agents or publishers.

Overall, Dabble is online, like Google Docs. This means that you can work on your document through your browser. It has a desktop version too.

The major difference with other applications like Google Docs is that Dabble is subscription-based. When choosing between the two programs this price point could potentially be an issue.

If you're on a budget or you're a cash-strapped student, it might be better to go with something cheaper (or free).

Visit: Dabble (Free)

Download: Dabble for Windows | macOS (Monthly Subscription)

5. Pacemaker

A tool I discovered this summer that I absolutely love is Pacemaker: a word count productivity app for writers.

By feeding your project stats into Pacemaker, including desired word count, deadline, and what days you will be available to write, Pacemaker creates a custom writing schedule that is perfect for you. You can stay on track with your writing goals, especially the more complex ones.

The thing I really love about Pacemaker is that they have two versions: a free account and a subscription-based premium one, so you can use whatever version works best for your needs.

Visit: Pacemaker (Free)

Download: Pacemaker Premium (Monthly Subscription)

6. Hemingway

Finally, one of the tools that you can use to make your writing better---and in perfect harmony with these other programs---is the Hemingway App.

By feeding your writing through the app, you can find out where your prose is weak and how to tighten it up. You can also narrow down the particular type of editing your writing needs, ranging from overly complicated sentences to an overabundance of passive voice.

Visit: Hemingway App (Free)

Download: Hemingway for Windows | macOS ($19.99)

Choose the One That's Right For You

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, there's a lot of demand for writers these days. In order to compete and make the best use of your time, it's essential that you have the right tools for the job. This list will give you a good head start.

Another great thing about the programs listed here is that both Scrivener and Dabble offer trial runs. Google Docs doesn't even need a trial to function. It's free to use as an individual, and all you require is a Google account.

Looking for more amazing applications to help you with your writing? Here are some browser-based tools for writers, and what they're good for .

• Productivity
• Writing Tips

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Starting September 12, 2024, Zapier customers will no longer be able to access Zapier services from a sanctioned country. We understand this may be inconvenient and appreciate your understanding as we navigate these regulatory requirements.

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Best Writing Apps in 2024

Showing 128 writing apps that match your search.

Do you have a story to tell? Unlike conventional word processors, Storyist helps you track your plot, characters, and settings, and keeps all of your writing organized and accessible—so you can focus on telling your story.

Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad

Best for: Outlining, Drafting, Book, and Story

Website: https://storyist.com/

Base price:

Premium price:

★★★★ Performance

★★★ Features

★★★★ Accessibility

Also rated 4.0 ★ on PC Magazine

Write more than ever before! Your words have the power to defeat monsters! Discover over 500 unique monsters that will push your writing to the next level!

Platforms: Online

Best for: Drafting, Book, and Story

Website: https://4thewords.com/

★★★★★ Features

★★ Accessibility

Guided Essay Writer

Step-by-step guided essay-writing directions written by a college English professor and includes explanations and examples to help you write a college-level essay including the following: introduction paragraph, supporting paragraphs, and conclusion paragraph.

Best for: Outlining, Drafting, and Essay

Website: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/guided-essay-writer/id11731...

★★★ Performance

★★★★ Features

★★★ Accessibility

Also rated 5.0 ★ on the App Store

Learn more about Reedsy Studio .

Create ebooks for every platform: Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and more. Each specialized file can guide readers to buy your next book in their favorite store.

Platforms: Mac

Best for: Publishing, Story, and Book

Website: https://vellum.pub/

Also rated 3.0 ★ on Reedsy

Terminology Dictionary

Terminology is a browser for the English language – part dictionary, part thesaurus and part research tool. Terminology makes it easy to explore words and phrases, diving down to more and less specific terms - accessing the web and other apps for more detail and sharing.

Best for: Editing, Proofreading, and Essay

Website: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/terminology-dictionary/id68...

Also rated 4.7 ★ on the App Store

Make mind map documents that flow like your ideas.

Best for: Note-taking, Journal, Essay, Blog, and Free

Website: https://coggle.it/

★★★★★ Performance

Also rated 4.5 ★ on Capterra

FocusWriter

FocusWriter is a simple, distraction-free writing environment. It utilizes a hide-away interface that you access by moving your mouse to the edges of the screen, allowing the program to have a familiar look and feel to it while still getting out of the way so that you can immerse yourself in your work.

Platforms: Windows, PC

Best for: Drafting, Book, Essay, Journal, Poetry, Story, Blog, and Free

Website: https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/

★★★★★ Value

Also rated 4.0 ★ on TechRadar

Zoho Writer

Zoho Writer is a fully-featured word processor on the cloud, designed for collaborative work that gives you everything you need to create powerful documents. With a clean UI, intuitive interface and document modes, it introduces you to a new way of writing.

Platforms: Android, Windows, PC, iPad, iPhone

Website: https://www.zoho.com/writer/

★★★★★ Accessibility

Also rated 3.4 ★ on Google Play

A tool for thoughtful writing. See your work in new ways, think with an integrated concept map, and export with an automatic reference section, all in a distraction free environment.

Best for: Drafting, Book, Story, Essay, and Free

Website: https://www.augmentedtext.info/author

Also rated 4.4 ★ on TechRadar

Writer is a writing application without the fuss and distraction of a traditional word processor. It's perfect for everything from taking notes to writing a novel on your phone or tablet.

Platforms: Android

Best for: Note-taking, Book, Story, Journal, Essay, Blog, Poetry, and Free

Website: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jamesmc...

Also rated 3.8 ★ on Google Play

Brainsparker

Ignite your creativity. Coach your brain to think creatively & spark brilliant ideas at work and in life.

Platforms: iPhone, iPad

Best for: Outlining, Journal, and Free

Website: https://brainsparker.com/

The best outlining app for your best work. Where brilliant ideas are captured, fleshed out, and realized.

Platforms: Online, Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows, PC

Best for: Outlining, Book, Story, Blog, Essay, and Free

Website: https://dynalist.io/

Also rated 4.2 ★ on Google Play

What makes a good writing app?

Put simply, what makes a writing app good for you will depend on the kind of writer that you are. 

• If you’re an author , you might be interested in a writing app with outlining, planning, and formatting functionalities.
• If you’re a student , you’re probably in the market for a writing app that blocks out distractions while you’re writing.
• If you’re a screenwriter , you’ll want a writing app that’s specifically dedicated to writing screenplays.

Or, if you’re none of the above, worry not: that’s why we built this directory of writing apps. Whatever you need, we’ve gathered the outstanding writing apps of 2024 across multiple categories (drafting, editing, note-taking, etc) and platforms (Android, iOS, online browsers, etc) in one place. Feel free to use the filters to make your quest for the perfect writing app even easier!

So what are the best writing apps of 2024?

We can now put an end to the age-old debate of which writing app is best: Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs ? 

The answer, of course, is neither! Hopefully, this directory will point you towards a much better match that actually fulfills your writing needs. We objectively evaluated each writing app based on four metrics.

• Performance: How seamlessly does the writing app do what it’s purported to do? How good is the user experience, from top to bottom?
• Features: How many bells and whistles are built into the app to augment its use?
• Accessibility: Is it widely available on many different operating platforms (e.g. iOS, Windows, mobile, desktop, etc)?
• Value: Is it worth the cost that it would take to download it?

Here are some general recommendations to give you a headstart.

The best writing app for authors

If you’ve been searching for an all-in-one outlining, writing, formatting, and typesetting tool, look no further than Reedsy Studio . Used by over 50,000 authors every month, it’s publishing’s most trusted companion to take them from a first draft to a professionally exported manuscript.

💰 Price:  Free

🚉 Runs on: Web

The best writing app for note-takers

Evernote is the king of written organization. In addition to its free organizational templates, Evernote also gives you impressive tagging capabilities, an omnipresent Web Clipper, and the ability to share notes with collaborators, so that you’ll never forget anything again.

💰 Price:   Free basic plan, $4.99/month for premium

🚉 Runs on: Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android

The best writing app for screenwriters

Along with standard scriptwriting features, Final Draft enables you to measure character traits using its inclusivity analysis feature, and tweak your “beat board” until you find your perfect arrangement. And when you’re ready to bring in editors, you can all work simultaneously in real time.

💰 Price: Free trial for 30 days, $249.99 license fee

🚉 Runs on: Mac, iOS, and Windows

I’ve found the perfect writing app. What next?

Congratulations! Now the fun part begins: actually writing the project that you’ve got in mind.

For authors, this means that you have a long and exciting road ahead. In addition to a writing app, we recommend that you arm yourself with some writing knowledge before you embark on it: whether it’s an understanding of story structure or careful thought put into your character creation, all of it can help you realize your goal of a novel.

If you don’t know where to start, check out the list of free resources below. Good luck, and happy writing!

Free online materials

• How to Plan a Novel
• How to Write a Book
• Story Structure: 7 Types All Writers Should Know
• How to Create a Character Profile
• 500+ Creative Writing Classes
• Plot Generator
• Character Name Generator
• Book TItle Generator
• The Best Literary Agents Seeking Submissions

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Best free writing app of 2024

Bring your words to life with the best free writing apps

Best overall

Best for markup, best word alternative, best word processor, best for mac, best online, how we test.

The best free writing software makes it simple and easy to better manage and organize all your ideas, outlines, and projects. 

1. Best overall 2. Best for markup 3. Best Word alternative 4. Best word processor 5. Best for Mac 6. Best online 7. FAQs 8. How we test

Like the best free word processors , writing apps help you get your thoughts on the page without breaking the bank (or your train of thought). But we’ve also made sure they’ll make it easier to save, share, and sync all your documents and keep them safe, whether you need a desktop writing app for work, school, or play. 

If you struggle to stay focused, we’ve tested some of the best free writing apps come with distraction-free layouts or gamification challenges to keep you in the zone. We’ve also reviewed those built for professional document creation, with advanced business features such as speech-to-text transcription and online collaboration tools. 

Our picks cover the best apps for writing on the web, Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS - so you’re always ready whenever and wherever creativity strikes. 

Scrivener: best writing software for authors Scrivener is packed with all the features a novelist needs, helping you track plot threads, store notes on characters and locations, structure your work and (most importantly) get some serious work done. It's not a free writing app like the tools below, but it's well worth the investment if your budget will allow it.

The best free writing app of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. FocusWriter

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

FocusWriter helps writers combat one of their biggest challenges: distractions. One of the best free writing software tools out there, it's specifically designed to let you just concentrate on your writing. 

The stripped-back interface is deliciously sparse - ideal for when you just need to get your head down and write - and not dissimilar to a moderately powerful version of Notepad, featuring support for TXT, basic, RTF, and ODT files. 

Even the toolbar is hidden until you actually need it. Just swoop your cursor to the top on the screen to reveal a barren menu, from basic formatting to themes and timers.

Features are light within the software, but FocusWriter isn’t made for heavy editing sessions. It’s designed to make the act of writing flow seamlessly onto the page. 

Elsewhere, the writing app boasts the ability to add themes and your own background images, which can help you stay motivated. 

The Daily Progress tool is a sweet extra, adding Duolingo-style gamification that lets you track your daily writing streak. For when it’s oh-so-easy to slip onto social media when you can’t find the perfect word, it’s a nice way to keep you within the app. 

Available for Windows, Linux, and macOS, the writing software also comes as a portable download, no installation required. So, you can pop it on a USB stick and plug it into any computer you’re working on. 

Read our full FocusWriter review .

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2. WriteMonkey

WriteMonkey is another piece of free writing software that cuts down on the clutter to deliver uninterrupted writing sessions. 

The free word processor, cleverly described as zenware, is unbelievably pared back compared to more traditional writing apps. 

There’s very little in the way of distracting ‘screen furniture’, which means you’re better positioned to concentrate on the writing process. And absolutely nothing else. 

But don’t let that stripped-back approach fool you. As one of the best free writing apps, WriteMonkey is still rich with the sort of core features that matter to writers. 

However, most options are hidden in a context menu (so you’ll need to right-click to view it). It also only supports TXT files, which may limit those looking to read, write, or edit across multiple formats. It is, at least, a portable download, letting you take it wherever you need.

If you’ve enjoyed Markdown, the simplified text-editing language that lets you format, annotate, classify, and link as you type, then great. WriteMonkey’s inner workings will instantly chime. 

First-timers should spend a little time with this free writing software, to uncover that intuitive simplicity. 

Read our full WriteMonkey review .

3. LibreOffice Writer

Writer, the open-source, free writing software, serves almost all general writing needs.

LibreOffice is a near-perfect example of free office software - a familiar, feature-rich take on the office suite. What the veteran software package lacks in Microsoft polish (its interface is undeniably old-fashioned, for starters), it makes up for in its price-point: free. For that, you get access to six tools: Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, Math, and Writer. 

Earning it a slot on our list of best free writing apps is the fact that LibreOffice Writer packs the full editing toolbox. 

This isn’t just a note-taking app for staving off distractions when you’re deep in the zone; it’s for when you’re in pure writer-mode. 

If you’re at all proficient with Microsoft Word, you won’t have any problems using the Writer software. Layouts and functions are almost identical, and there’s support for DOC and DOCX file types, making it efficient to switch out of the Microsoft garden.

This free writing app is ideal if you’re hunting for a tool that almost perfectly replicates the Word experience without the cost. 

Read our full LibreOffice review .

4. Microsoft Word

When it comes to word processors, Microsoft Word is probably the baseline against which all others are compared. It’s the one most of us use at school, home, and work. It’s familiar, comfortable - and it’s available free on the web and mobile devices. 

That may not be the best way to write your masterpiece (unless you’ve hooked up a Bluetooth keyboard). But it’s a great way to jot down ideas on-the-go. When we tested the browser-based version we found it could be a bit slow at first, and we were typing faster than the words appeared on screen. This settles down (mostly) after a minute or so. 

Microsoft’s free writing apps on Android and iPhone had no such issues. Using these was velvety smooth. We especially appreciated the option to switch between mobile view and desktop view, so we could gauge how the document would appear in full-screen. 

As with Google Docs, you’ll need to sign up with a Microsoft account. And, like Google, that also lets you use free versions of PowerPoint, Excel, and the like. While Word offers one of the best free writing app experiences, there’s no denying that the paid-for upgrade is superior, offering more tools, and a true desktop app. 

Read our full Microsoft Word review .

Author promises to make it easier to ‘think, write, and cite’. It’s a promise capably delivered, with a clean interface and bags of writing features designed to make it easy to go from first draft to final copy. 

If you're an Apple user in search of the best free writing apps on macOS, this one demands your attention. 

Concept Maps is one of the best features. It’s a great mind-mapping tool to visualize and lay down all your thoughts while they’re fresh in your head without constraint. You can worry about whipping them into shape later. 

Students and report writers will appreciate Author’s ‘fast citing’ tools - speeding up assignment-writing by correctly adding and formatting citations, references, and contents. 

A paid-for upgrade of the writing software that offers exporting options is available. However, unless you need automatic formatting on export, you can stick with the free version. 

6. Google Docs

Google Docs is a great free writing platform for any writer. It’s an extremely clean, quick word processor available in the browser, on desktop, and phone and tablet apps. So, you can take notes wherever inspiration strikes. 

Docs is more or less Google’s spin on Microsoft Word. The interface is a bit more simple than the professional office software - although it’s no less powerful. 

You’ll find heaps of writing tools, including a pretty accurate speech-to-text transcription tool (just enunciate and don’t talk too fast). Keyboard shortcuts are very well-supported. 

For best results, you’ll need an internet connection, though documents can be used offline. They’ll be synced, and in our experience, that happens swiftly behind the scenes. 

To take advantage of the free writing app, you’ll need a Google account, which may be a deal-breaker for some - but that also opens up the rest of the Google-stuff in the Google-sphere, such as Sheets, Slides, and . With a free account, you get 15GB of storage, which should be more than enough for word documents. A Google One subscription upgrades your storage space, amongst other things. 

Additionally, Google Docs is great if you want to collaborate with one or more other writers. Just be warned to stay in Google Docs for that, because exporting the data into Word or other writing applications can result formatting errors.

Read our full Google Docs review .

What's the difference between a writing app and an AI writer?

AI writers vs writing apps - what's the real difference?

Artificial intelligence is growing in a big way - and when it comes to writing, it's ChatGPT that's been snatching all the headlines of late, with its ability to generate short- and long-form content based on user prompts.

Generally, an AI writer will write your content for you, based on its current learning (although often without 'understanding' the context). A writing app simply lets you write your way, in your own voice. 

Some platforms, such as Canva , have even integrated AI into its Canva Docs and Canva PDF Editor services. However. its Magic Write tool acts as a writing assistant, serving up suggestions and ideas, leaving real writers to work their magic on the content. Though usually hiding in the back-end, you can also find AI integrated in other ways across other the best PDF editor apps (and even the best free PDF editor apps, too).

As always with AI-generated content, whether it's the written word or an artwork masterpiece, human involvement is usually necessary and always desirable. Even if you're using the best AI writers out there, editing and proofreading is essential to give the content accuracy and emotional resonance.

How to choose the best free writing app for you

When deciding which free writing app is best, start by figuring out what sort of writing you want to do. 

Do you need a handy tool for quick scribbles and jotting down ideas here and there, or are you using the writing software to write and edit an epic novel? Tools like FocusWriter and Write Monkey are great for getting thoughts on the page without friction.

It’s also worth considering if you need a writing app with a distraction-free design, so you can concentrate on what really matters to you. Again, FocusWriter performs admirably here, but as a result, you lose core typography and editing functions. Unlike LibreOffice, this isn’t the best Microsoft Office alternative if you need those tools. In that scenario, it may be worth considering looking at some of the best free office software , which includes MS Word-style apps, alongside other tools similar to Excel, PowerPoint, and so on. 

Access is an important factor when using your writing software. A tool like Scribus needs to be downloaded to your machine. Lightweight apps like FocusWriter, however, offer a portable download that can be downloaded to a USB and carried with you. 

Check what file formats your chosen writing app supports, too. While some let you create and edit the common DOC and DOCX files, others only allow TXT or RTF documents.

But most of all, it’s important to choose the best free writing app for your unique creative flow. 

Testing the best free writing apps and software, we assess how easy it is to get your words down on the page with the least amount of friction. Portable writing apps rank high, because they let you use the program on whatever computer or laptop you’re using. 

We also look at performance for its intended audience. For distraction-free writing apps, do they really foster focus? For word processor-style software, does it offer good formatting and editing options? 

Most importantly, we expect to see free writing apps that are genuinely cost-free - no-one wants to stumble across hidden fees and charges in the contracts. 

We've listed the best laptops for writers .

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Steve is TechRadar Pro’s B2B Editor for Creative & Hardware. He explores the apps and devices for individuals and organizations that thrive on design and innovation. A former journalist at Web User magazine, he's covered software and hardware news, reviews, features, and guides. He's previously worked on content for Microsoft, Sony, and countless SaaS & product design firms. Once upon a time, he wrote commercials and movie trailers. Relentless champion of the Oxford comma.

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In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.

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The ship, the stalwart vessel known as 'The Serenity Mariner,' was plunged into chaos as the sky became a swirling maelstrom of opalescent tendrils. The flying jellyfish, their bioluminescent bodies illuminating the blackened sky, descended upon the ship with an otherworldly fury. Their membranous bodies pulsated as they sailed through the air, their long, poisonous tentacles trailing behind them like deadly streamers.

Captain Anabelle "Storm-Eye" Hawthorne stood at the helm, her grip firm on the worn, salt-crusted wheel. Her eyes, the color of the stormy sea itself, narrowed as she watched the spectral onslaught. Years of navigating treacherous waters had hardened her, but she'd never faced a tempest of living, breathing creatures before.

"Steady on, lads!" she roared above the howling wind, her voice carrying a command that could not be ignored. "Don't let the sea's nightmarish ballet scare you! These are just jellyfish, no more than that!"

Write to Play: Rediscover the Joy of Writing

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