Elevate Your Writing Skills on a Windows Machine

“A great craftsman,” as the old saying goes, “is only as good as his tools.” Every writer who has struggled to find a writing app to boost their writing will undoubtedly nod in agreement with this statement.

If you’ve finally found yourself in a similar boat, look no further. We’ve rounded up a list of apps that will help you eliminate that writer’s block, nudge you in your zone, and give you an edge in your writing. So let’s jump right in and review the first writing app for your Windows PC.

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1. Scrivener

Scrivener is a popular word-processing app used by writers of all shades. Whether you’re a novelist, a struggling screenwriter starving for ideas and focus, or perhaps a ruminating technology writer like us at MUO—Scrivener has something for everyone.

For instance, its Corkboard feature is one of a kind planning tool. See, back in the old days, writers used to have index cards for writing and editing individual sections of a piece or story, and then shuffle them up on the typical bulletin board. Now, with Scrivener, you can do the same on your computer.

The “Collection” feature is another handy plus for this app. It helps you create a list of related documents from any part of your project or story. The third feature, and it combines well with the Collection, is Snapshots. Take a “snapshot” of any version of a piece of writing, and you can return to its earlier version whenever you want.

These and a litany of other features make Scrivener a writer’s gem, despite the initial learning curve that some people report facing.

Download: Scrivener (free trial, $59.99)

2. Language Tool

Language Tool is a free, open-source grammar and spelling checker that helps you write or paraphrase your writing. Besides the simple grammar and spelling checker, the tool offers a host of other features, such as:

• Punctuation checker.
• Polish your style by detecting and getting rid of overused phrases, weak word choices, etc.
• AI-powered paraphrasing to rephrase your sentences.
• Add-ons for all the popular browsers, as well as Office plugins.

Another popular alternative to Language Tool is Grammarly, which only offers English support. Also, if you want to keep your privacy in check, Grammarly is not the right choice as anything it touches gets uploaded to its servers.

Language Tool, on the hand, also gives you the feature of self-hosting.

Download:Language Tool (free, $59.90/year)

3. Focus-To-Do

As its name suggests, Focus-To-Do doesn’t have to do anything with writing itself. Instead, a combination of task management and Pomodoro app on Windows , Focus-To-Do helps you focus and get your writing down without any distractions.

Besides the features that help you get your writing out the way, what makes it stand out is its no-frills approach to design and task management.

Simply add a task to the “Add a task” section on the main page and hit Enter. Click on the ‘play’ sign, and the pomodoro will be launched. By default, it will be a 45-minute task. You can, of course, change the timings. Also, you can pause your tasks in between, stop them completely, and even add white noise to remove distractions.

If you’re particularly prone to distraction, Focus-To-Do is an excellent tool to keep in your writer’s bag.

Download:Focus-To-Do (free, $11.99)

4. ChatGPT

Making huge waves in the AI scene, ChatGPT can help you with your writing. ChatGPT is an AI tool that can have a human-like dialogue with you, among other things. And when it comes to learning how to use ChatGPT , the use cases are as limited as only the user’s imagination. As a writer, for you, that means the applications are infinite—at least theoretically.

While ChatGPT will never replace the human aspects of writing , there are ways you can use it to improve your writing process. Here are a few of them**:**

• Creative writing: While there’s no machine that matches humans in creativity—for now, at least—you can use ChatGPT to brainstorm new ideas, learn new writing techniques and paradigms, or even help you develop your plots.
• Learning new information: It’s been asserted that internet search is history now, soon to be entirely replaced by ChatGPT. While what happens in the future remains to be seen, it’s undoubtedly the case that ChatGPT is handy for learning new information, facts, data, or figures. This is especially true if the information in question is static instead of dynamic. That means old statistics, historical instances, philosophical concepts, and a dearth of analysis on these topics—all are available at your fingertips. Though note that ChatGPT doesn’t always give your correct data or information. So make sure you double-check the data before you make use of it.
• Editing: Have you ever thought how great it would’ve been if you could afford to get a personal editor? With ChatGPT, it’s now a reality for a lot of writers on a budget. Again, while it can’t match the nuance of a good human editor, it does a good enough job of tidying up your writing. You can use it to proofread, copyedit, keep a check on your style and tonality, etc.—basically, keep an eye out for all things a real, flesh-and-blood editor would.

The above applications, with a plethora of others, make ChatGPT a must-have tool to help you refine your writing.

As handy as ChatGPT is for a whole gamut of things, you need to remember that it’s still fallible. In fact, users all around the globe have caught it handing out false facts or figures with utmost authority. So, it’s important that you don’t treat it as a panacea for all your queries. However, treat it as just another tool that will aid you in your personal or professional life, and you will have a good time.

Download:ChatGPT (free, premium version available)

5. Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor is a popular web-based editor that highlights the use of passive voice, adverbs, and other incorrect use of phrases in your writing to make it read more clearly and boldly.

For example, if you see Hemingway has highlighted a sentence as yellow, it’s probably because it’s too complex or lengthy; shortening it or simplifying it is recommended there.

Similarly, you should use shorter or simpler words in places of purple highlights. On the other hand, phrases in green highlight the use of passive voice. Moreover, the app also gives you a quick overview of the reading time, the no. of sentences, words, and paragraphs in any specific writing.

Besides the online app, Hemingway also has a desktop version—available for both Mac and Windows.

Download:Hemingway Editor (free, premium version available)

Best Apps to Help Your Writing on a Windows PC

Writing is complicated. It’s lonely, often dull at the beginning of a session, and can usually get painfully tricky for the procrastinators or unmindful among us—a reportedly large number of people in the 21st century. Therefore, it makes sense to use all the help you can get for getting your work done.

The apps we’ve listed above are a select set of tools from the huge variety of software out there and will undoubtedly help you write better and more productively. That said, there’s always more ways to improve your writing, and so we’d encourage you to check out all the other apps that will help you in this process.

If you’ve finally found yourself in a similar boat, look no further. We’ve rounded up a list of apps that will help you eliminate that writer’s block, nudge you in your zone, and give you an edge in your writing. So let’s jump right in and review the first writing app for your Windows PC.

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