🧰 The Writer’s Toolbox:
Apps and Tools That Boost Productivity
If writing is both an art and a calling, then productivity is the scaffolding that holds it up—holding space for creativity, clarity, and the occasional spiral into chaos. Whether you’re a seasoned author, a hopeful NaNoWriMo participant, or a blogger looking to streamline your workflow, your tools can make or break your writing lifestyle.
Over the years, I’ve cobbled together a small army—a writer’s toolbox—of apps and tools that help me stay organized, inspired, and, occasionally, sane. These are not miracle workers, but they do feel like secret weapons when the blank page is staring you down.
Here are the ones I wish someone had shown me when I first started. Each one solves a different problem, fills a gap, or greases a creative cog.
✍️ 1. For the Writing Itself:
If writing a book feels like juggling baby hedgehogs while assembling a spaceship, Scrivener is what happens when someone hands you gloves, a toolbelt, and a diagram.
Scrivener is more than a writing app. It’s a sanctuary. You can draft, outline, research, track characters, and split your work into neat—or messy—bite-sized chunks. Once you learn how to navigate its robust features, you’ll never write a long-form project in Word again.
Pros: Incredibly powerful for big projects, great organization tools, formats everything from screenplays to novels.
Cons: Steep learning curve, not ideal for short-form writing.
Price: One-time purchase, around $59 (~€54).
Google Docs
Ah, good old Google Docs. The internet’s favourite simple, no-fuss word processor. Great for drafting anywhere (yes, even on your phone in a lazy river), and ideal for collaboration.
Pros: Cloud-based, autosaves, easy sharing.
Cons: Gets sluggish with large documents, formatting options limited.
Price: Free!
For Mac and iOS users, Ulysses is like the minimalist, MacBook-toting cousin of Scrivener. Think distraction-free writing, beautiful interface, and seamless syncing.
Pros: Minimalist, gorgeous UI, built-in export formats.
Cons: Apple-only, not ideal for very large projects.
Price: Subscription: $5.99 (~€5.50)/month or $49.99 (~€46)/year.
Reedsy isn't just for finding editors or cover designers—you can also write your book directly in their intuitive, free editor. It focuses on clean formatting and designing a professional layout right from the start.
Pros: Clean, distraction-free interface, exports to EPUB and print-ready PDF.
Cons: Limited features compared to Scrivener, requires internet to save.
Price: Free.
đź“š 2. For Research & Note Organization:
Think of Notion as a digital notebook, spreadsheet, database, and planning board all in one. I’ve built character sheets, novel blueprints, detailed to-do lists, submission trackers—you name it. Its flexibility is unmatched.
Want to embed videos, attach PDFs, link pages, or write a weekly newsletter in the space where you’re outlining your novel? Notion says, “Go ahead, darling. I’ve got you.”
Pros: All-in-one workspace, amazing for organization and linking ideas.
Cons: Can feel overwhelming to set up, requires tinkering.
Price: Free for personal use; paid plans from $8/month (~€7.40/month).
An oldie but a goodie. Evernote is the note-taking app many writers swore by before Notion took the internet by storm. It’s reliable and intuitive, especially for those who love tagging and search functions.
Pros: Excellent search features, web clipper tool, easy to use.
Cons: Free version is limited, syncing issues occasionally.
Price: Free with limitations; premium from $7.99/month (~€7.40/month).
Microsoft’s answer to structured chaos. OneNote mimics the feel of a physical notebook—it even lets you section and color-code pages. Perfect if your brain works in tabs like a browser with 27 open windows.
Pros: Free with Office suite, easy for quick notes or sketches.
Cons: Not as robust in database features as Notion.
Price: Free.
⏱️ 3. For Time Management and Focus:
Let me introduce you to the only productivity app that literally grows a tree out of your concentration.
With Forest, you set a timer (e.g., 25 minutes for a Pomodoro session), and while you work, a tiny tree grows on your screen. If you pick up your phone before time’s up? That tree dies. Yes, the stakes can be adorable—and strangely motivating.
Bonus: Your focus sessions can contribute to real-world forest planting.
Pros: Encourages focus, visually rewarding, eco-friendly angle.
Cons: Only works if you’re fully screen-obsessed; may feel gimmicky.
Price: $1.99 (~€1.80) one-time purchase (mobile), with optional in-app purchases.
Time tracking made easy—and a bit addictive. Toggl lets you track how long each task takes, so you can marvel at how writing a 600-word email somehow took three hours.
Pros: Super intuitive, visual reports, great for freelancers.
Cons: Can become another thing to track (procrastination potential!).
Price: Free plan; paid tiers start at $9/month (~€8.30/month).
🧠4. For Outlining & Brainstorming:
Milanote is what would happen if Pinterest and a corkboard had a baby. It’s perfect for mood boards, story structure, timelines, visual research, and character relationship mapping. Drag, drop, scribble, reorder—it’s storytelling for visual thinkers.
I’ve used Milanote to plan entire book series arcs, charting betrayals and romances with digital coloured strings like a detective in a TV drama.
Pros: Visually stunning, great for mapping out complex plots.
Cons: Limited free storage, can be slow with many elements.
Price: Free limited plan; Pro from $12.50/month (~€11.50/month).
If you love a good mind map, this one’s for you. MindMeister helps turn tangled thoughts into visual webs of brilliance.
Pros: Intuitive drag‑and‑drop interface, great for idea clouds.
Cons: Basic version is limited; premium feels pricey for what it is.
Price: Free basic plan; paid plans from $5.99 (~€5.50)/month.
Built with authors in mind, Plottr lets you outline your book visually—chapters, scenes, characters, timelines—all laid out in colored grids and cards. It's basically Pinterest meets Scrivener’s corkboard.
Pros: Novel‑specific tools, templates for different genres.
Cons: No mobile app (yet), limited formatting.
Price: $25/year (~€23/year) (Lite), or $45 (~€42) (Pro).
đź’ 5. For Capturing Ideas in the Wild:
Sometimes ideas appear when you have no notebook, no pen, and a suspicious puddle of something in the corner of your backpack. That’s where Otter.ai saves the day.
It’s a voice recorder that automatically transcribes what you say in real time. Speak your thoughts aloud—no matter how incoherent—and Otter will turn them into searchable text. It’s like having a patient scribe sitting in your pocket.
Pros: Accurate transcription, searchable notes, exports as text.
Cons: Best for voice; not ideal for typed notes.
Price: Free basic plan; paid from $8.33/month (~€7.70/month).
The sticky note app for people who love chaos—but aesthetically. You can tag, colour‑code, and pin ideas to your heart’s content.
Pros: Free, integrates perfectly with Google, easy to use.
Cons: Not for longform writing or complex notes.
Price: Free.
Sleek, simple, and already sitting on your iPhone. Apple Notes lets you scribble text, photos, scanned pages, and sketches across all your devices.
Pros: Free, fast, works offline.
Cons: Apple‑only, gets cluttered fast without discipline.
Price: Free.
🔧 6. For Polishing and Editing:
No matter how brilliant a sentence sounds in your head, it deserves a second pair of eyes to point out that your metaphor may have accidentally implied your character is both a starfish and emotionally unstable.
ProWritingAid is like Grammarly with a black belt. It checks grammar, readability, repetitiveness, clichés, and even overall style based on genre. Want reports on pacing—or dialogue tags? It’s got you.
Pros: In‑depth feedback, genre‑specific insights, no character limit.
Cons: Can feel overwhelming at first, reports take time to read.
Price: Free limited version; $30/month (~€27.50/month) or $120 (~€110) lifetime.
Your friendly grammar assistant with a green checkmark and the ability to judge your passive voice usage in real time.
Pros: Real‑time suggestions, browser and app integration.
Cons: Free version catches basics only; premium starts adding up.
Price: Free; premium from $12/month (~€11/month).
If you want an app that tells you your writing is too complicated—and possibly also too dramatic—Hemingway is there to bruise your ego. But you'll be better for it.
Pros: Highlights clutter, passive voice, and readability.
Cons: No grammar check, not as feature‑rich as others.
Price: Free web version; $19.99 (~€18.50) desktop app.
đź‘“ 7. For Working With Yourself, Not Against Yourself:
Let’s be real: brains are brilliant but unreliable. We’ve got plots to untangle, newsletters to send, blog posts to write, chapters to revise, and meals to remember to eat. Todoist helps break your life and creative projects into tasks, lists, and goals—with little dopamine bursts for every one you complete.
Pros: Simple, clean interface with powerful features like labels, filters, and recurring tasks.
Cons: Can become another list to ignore (we’ve all done it).
Price: Free plan; Pro from $4/month (~€3.70/month).
A task manager that combines todo lists with habit tracking, calendars, and even a built‑in Pomodoro timer. Because sometimes we need a gentle shove, not a suggestion.
Pros: Feature‑packed, habit tracking, Kanban view.
Cons: Slightly cluttered UI.
Price: Free basic version; Premium from $2.40/month (~€2.20/month).
Notion (again, but for planning)
Yes, Notion earns a second mention because it’s just that versatile. Plan out your writing sprint schedule, organize deadlines, or build a full productivity dashboard.
Pros: Fully customizable, mixes tasks with notes and databases.
Cons: Requires setup time; templates help, but it’s still a ride.
Price: Free; paid features available.
✨ The Myth of the Perfect Workflow
Let’s pause for a moment of honesty: no app will fix your writing. No sleek interface or productivity hack can replace the slow, sometimes painful, often messy process of simply sitting down and making words happen.
But the right tools? They’ll remove friction. Quiet the chaos. Organize your dragons. Let your imagination run a little freer.
🛠️ Building Your Toolbox
The trick isn’t to use all the tools. The trick is to build your own writer’s toolbox—one that fits your style, your schedule, your life. Try apps. Abandon apps. Create systems. Break systems.
Tools change, but the heart of writing stays the same: sit down. Breathe. Write. Rewrite. Return.
Happy building. And even happier writing.
About the Creator
Georgia
Fantasy writer. Romantasy addict. Here to help you craft unforgettable worlds, slow-burn tension, and characters who make readers ache. Expect writing tips, trope deep-dives, and the occasional spicy take.
CRIMSON
My hands are stained and trembling with a clear, crimson red. A rich and ugly sight to behold, I wonder who is dead. Who’s blood do I have smeared all over me? I don’t think to wash it off, it’s almost exposure therapy, to see how long I could last, evidence, for all to see, show them I am a bad person, so I can be free.
By Liberty Page6 days ago in Writers
Comments (1)
The best thing in your writing is the mostly all of them are free