Top-Ten Free Writing Tools for 2020

Functional ways to streamline the process and improve your writing

I love everything about being a writer. There’s nothing like putting together a creative, well-thought-out, informative article that helps others and makes the world a better place.

But because the rewards, such as impacting readers, feeling accomplished, and being published come after the writing process is finished, writing itself can sometimes feel exhausting, frustrating, overwhelming, and even discouraging.

Whether you are planning your next piece, in the process of writing, or editing and polishing your work, there’s a piece of writing software designed to make things easier.

You don’t need anything fancy or pricey; you just need the right tools to make writing much easier and more enjoyable again.

Here are ten writing and editing tools to facilitate your writing process:

1. Grammarly

Grammarly offers a host of features that are incredibly helpful in editing any writing piece, whether it be a social media post, an assignment, or a novel.

It scans the whole document for any mistake, including grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. However, what makes it many people’s top choice is its array of advanced AI products that deliver better results than the typical editing tool, such as the one that’s built into Microsoft Word.

Anyone can use it anywhere, but it does require users to be connected to the internet so that mistakes can be properly identified. It then informs the writer what steps can be taken to improve the writing, and it’s up to the user whether to heed the advice.

What I like about it:

1. Grammarly makes you a better writer—fast. When you make an error, you are informed of the rule but it’s up to you to fix and learn from the error.
2. It’s a powerful teaching tool. I’ve used it so much now that I can pick up errors before checking it. This is worth its weight in gold.
3. It’s compatible with Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and a variety of other platforms. I start writing in Google Docs before importing into Medium, so having a grammar checker that can seamlessly transition between multiple applications is ideal.
4. Free and paid plans. I’ve used both, and each has its own advantages. The free program is helpful for simple grammatical errors, while the paid plan picks up on sentence structure, wordiness, and other common errors.

2. Coschedule Headline Analyzer

Touted as The #1 Free Headline Analyzer, this handy tool keeps your headline history stored, and analyzes headline word balance, length, the first and last three words, searchable keywords, and sentiment; in other words, an analysis of the overall structure, grammar, and readability of your headline.

What I like about it:

1. Coschedule provides a fast yet intensive breakdown of your title. You simply enter it in the box, and it breaks down each word with a score in relation to the entire title.
2. It teaches you to include power and emotion words in a title for maximum clarity and impact.
3. Each part of your headlines is scored and you can easily change words to improve that score, which teaches your brain how to brainstorm better headlines in the future.

3. Title Case Converter

This free website allows you to convert the text you enter into Title Case, including un-capitalizing words if they’re erroneously capitalized in the input.

What I like about it:

1. It takes less than a second.
2. It’s straightforward to use.
3. It’s another powerful teaching tool. After a few headline conversions, you quickly learn the proper format for titles.

4. Stickies for Mac / Sticky Notes for PC

If you’re on a Mac, using Stickies is a great way to keep track of the quick notes you jot down during the day, especially if the subject matter is timely or is of the utmost importance. Sticky notes are essentially digital Post-its. The app works much like the Notes app, in that you can create notes of what you want to remember. But Stickies stay on your desktop as a visual reminder.

For PC, you can use sticky virtual notes on your desktop. Choose any color and size. Post them anywhere to help remind you of any task that you need to complete. It’s an excellent way to help remind you of appointments or assignments that you need to remember!

What I like about both:

1. Both are easy to use. Simply open the note and start typing.
2. They’re also simple to organize and remain open on your background as long as the app is open.
3. They keep tangible post-it clutter to a minimum. And there’s also no danger of losing the post-its unless you manually erase them. I keep notes for links that I use every day, and phrases that I want to remember.

5. Old fashioned spiral-bound notebook/Scrap paper:

This is where I brainstorm, mindmap, and write out my editorial calendar. Writing this way helps me stay motivated, organized, and inspired. It also functions as a cheap and easy journal.

A notebook costs a few cents, or you can make one for free with scrap paper, from your local library, community center, or even junk mail. In the ’80s, I often used blank scraps of paper that came in the mail to jot down my thoughts. I include this free example to demonstrate that where there’s a will, there’s a way.

What I like about it:

1. It’s a blank and tangible canvas. The first thing that I do at the beginning of each week is to sketch out my work plan and editorial calendar so I can see it all in front of me.
2. It only costs about 88 cents for a few months of endless writing and creating.
3. It’s portable. I love that I can easily jot down ideas and schedules, and erase them with no screen time involved, whether I’m on the go, in the woods, at the library or coffee shop, and basically anywhere.
4. Writing with pen and paper helps to consolidate memories, and I find this helps with the overall process. It also serves as a visual aid to help organize and think things through.
5. They’re easy to obtain. You can get one almost anywhere.

6. Hemingway App

Hemingway, named after the master of literary brevity himself, aims to “make your writing bold and clear.” It isn’t an in-depth grammar checker or writing coach, like Grammarly or ProWritingAid.

Instead, it is a minimalist but powerful tool to improve the style of your writing. To use it you either paste your writing into the Hemingway Editor environment or write directly within, it highlights your work using different colors. Each color corresponds to a different type of improvement that Hemingway suggests.

What I like about it:

1. It’s easy to use. All you have to do is open the Hemingway site and start typing.
2. It’s free and very useful. The app highlights lengthy, complex sentences and common errors. I’ve used it in conjunction with Grammarly, and find that Hemingway does a great job of making my writing concise and clear.
3. It has a readability function that rates writing in a clear way.

7. Evernote

Evernote is a cloud-based note-taking application that lets you clip web articles, save pictures, and generally organize your life and your projects across all of your devices. Now my web links, random thoughts, and article ideas are all in one, easy-to-search place.

What I like about it:

1. It’s easy to use. All you have to do is download the app and start making notes.
2. The app takes up minimal phone space. This is helpful since my phone is normally maxed out with photos of my family and rescued animals.
3. It’s portable, which comes in handy when circumstances aren’t conducive to getting out a notebook, or if I’m out hiking and have a serendipitous realization that I want to remember.
4. It’s also great for organizing life on the go. I use it to keep track of my grocery list when out, then input the data into my grocery cart app for an easy list and cost approximation.

8. Google Docs

Google Docs is a free Web-based application in which documents and spreadsheets can be created, edited, and stored online. Files can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection and a web browser. Google Docs is a part of a comprehensive package of online applications offered by Google.

What I like about it:

1. It’s a free backup system (as long as your stay within the data requirements). I type every one of my stories and freelance projects in a Google Doc first, then save it with a title and date and use this like a backup of a backup so my articles never disappear if there’s a computer glitch.
2. Google Docs is great for organization. At the beginning of the week, I’ll lay out several articles with titles and outlines, which makes it easier to keep track of what I’m writing, when, and for who.
3. I also use Google Docs to back up my website every two weeks. Google Docs pulls and stores my files from aurorameliam.com as another backup.
4. One more thing that I love about Google Docs is that I can pull up my documents wherever I am and whatever device I happen to be on, without having to download anything extra.

9. Website

A writing website helps you build awareness, is a great place to practice and showcase your work, and helps you build credibility to land freelance writing clients.

I’ve used Bluehost and WordPress for the past two years, and my personal website aurorameliam.com helps build my online presence (although I plan to update and revamp it soon).

What I like about it:

1. It’s your own space. I like that I have a space that is all my own, designed by me, to house my work.
2. It acts as a portfolio for clients. It’s hard to get clients, let alone start a freelance writing business, without a solid online presence.
3. You have the freedom to design whatever you want. Every 12 months or so, I do a website redesign to keep up with any changes that I’ve made to my business. Having a writer’s website is a fun, creative project, and something that I own, which is powerful.
4. Personal websites can be as simple or complex as you want. You can choose a free or cheap host (like wix.com) that offers templates and just pay 15 bucks a year. If you know HTML, you can customize the elements and pages to suit your needs.

10. WordHippo

WordHippo is an online website and application providing a range of tools related to the use of words for creative and recreational purposes, such as writing, poetry, translations, word games, etc. There are many free online thesaurus options, such as OneLook and Power Thesaurus, but WordHippo is my favorite due to its speed and catalog of words.

What I like about it:

1. WordHippo has minimal ads, so the loading time is fast.
2. There are easy-to-use features. You can switch between antonyms, synonyms, and definitions with the click of a mouse.
3. When I'm looking for a synonym, WordHippo provides the most comprehensive, clear, and concise list of options that I've found.

There are countless other applications, resources, and tools available to writers, both free and paid. These are just the 10 that I use most often. Please share what works for you, so we can all grow together.

Here are a few more useful resources for writers and authors:

Ulysses (word processor) Scrivener (post writing tool) Hemingway (post writing tool), Squibler (book writing software), Scribens (free grammar checker), ilys (helps you track writing) ProWritingAid (grammar checker, style editor, and writing mentor).

With love and gratitude, Aurora

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