Whether you're penning your latest novel or writing a business pitch to wow investors, writing can be challenging. Anyone can put an idea to paper, but sticking to a topic and creating strong, unified pieces takes hard work.
The hurdles are particularly high for those who have to meet deadlines, and working efficiently is just as important as choosing an appropriate style and tone.
Does technology offer a better way? Humanity may not have reached the point where you can think something and have a brain-computer interface transcribe your creative genius, but apps are getting closer to providing the ideal writing environment.
Here's are some of the main benefits of modern writing software.
1. Extreme Organization
Getting disorganized while writing is so commonplace, it’s safe to say most authors have experienced it. Adding multiple nonsensical ideas to a piece at random is not productive. You need to tie things together, and the journey isn't always simple.
Disorganization is especially prevalent in books or novels. It's almost as if the higher the word count, the more room there is for unproductive detours that distract from your main focus.
Conducting thorough research, creating detailed outlines, taking notes, and similar practices are all necessary to write a book. For writers who want to keep their output accessible, there is a lot to manage. Quality writing software lets you leverage these things more effectively.
For instance, many apps make outlining effortless and you can track your progress with visual note cards. Highly organized note views ensure that you can maintain an orderly blueprint, which is helpful when you're trying to establish the foundations of a lengthy piece.
2. Boosted Productivity
Some of the hurdles that authors face might catch them by surprise. Project planning and follow-through are prime examples. In some cases, keeping track of all the little details can prove even more difficult than coming up with an engaging story or logical outline.
Writing software helps you stay consistent, and consistency breeds productivity. Writing software makes it easier to track and manage the incidental details, such as key worldbuilding ideas, character backstories, supporting references, citations, and tie-ins. This frees your mind to focus on the business of writing.
What's more, features like distraction-free modes empower you to sink into long stretches of creative output with enhanced focus.
Writing software makes it easier to maintain a practical big-picture perspective. For instance, the leading apps include tagging systems that help you stay on track and ensure you don’t miss anything.
They're also known for offering easy access to everything, so you can view your project as a whole to get a better feel for its strengths and weaknesses.
3. Collaboration Is Easier
Writing with others exacerbates the challenges of solo creation — and raises some critical questions of its own. Will you tread on your coauthor's toes by expanding on a particular topic?
Are your character development or plotline choices going to paint your partners into a literary corner? At a more logistical level, how will you handle tasks like combining your independent work and managing prior versions of the project?
Writing software works to make these puzzles simpler to solve. Instead of keeping open tabs on countless story versions, writing software keeps track of revision histories so that you always have an accurate idea of how the work is evolving.
Because most software is in the cloud, coauthors can write freely without jumping through technical hurdles. Saving, uploading, and emailing your recent work to your partner is a long process. Cloud-based writing software eliminates all of these steps.
4. There is Software For Every Style
Different writers tend to rely on distinct tools. From the screen-writing specific software final draft to various blogging tools, there are countless ways to create and refine the written word in any form.
Whether they're casual creators or die-hards, all writers stand to benefit from using a helpful tool, and this doesn't just mean a particularly fancy fountain pen.
Writing software caters to fiction and non-fiction writers, professional business communicators, independent bloggers, and anyone else who wants to create polished output they can share with pride.
5. Publishing Becomes a Breeze
Whether you take the DIY or traditional route, publishing is usually a long and tedious ordeal. No matter how you swing it, you'll have to jump through formatting hoops, learn about typesetting and design, and ensure that your printer or agent gets the correct version of your work.
When you've just gotten over the hill of drafting a book or other long-form piece, facing the mountain of publishing can make you question whether it's all worth it.
Don't lose faith. Good writing software makes the process of professional formatting, proper exporting, and quality design much easier by offering tools and templates to guide you.
Today's leading software also supports all of the most common file formats and layout guidelines, giving you the ability to work with a variety of publishing partners and editors seamlessly.
Creativity Is Hard, But Writing Shouldn't Be
Your writing experience has a huge impact on your work. If you fail to cultivate a healthy writing environment that keeps you on task, you'll inevitably find yourself straying from your creative dreams.
There's nothing wrong with exploring new ideas and taking alternate paths to reach that hard-hitting conclusion or weave an exciting tale. Your writing tools, however, shouldn't force you to keep coming up with alternative ways to get the job done efficiently.
Good software supports you no matter how you prefer to create, and the difference shows in the results. Rediscover what makes writing enjoyable by finding good book writing software for yourself.
