Best Apps for Writers

Writers have always used the best technology possible to create their books. Do you think anyone welcomed the invention of the fountain pen more than the authors of the day, who had drawers filled with empty ink bottles and used-up quills? Do you question at all that writers were the first to try out typewriters, and felt deep longing the first time the electric typewriter became available? No! Technology is even more sophisticated today, and it's even more useful for today's writers. But app-hunting takes up some pretty serious time, and you need your time for writing. So I've hunted out the apps for you to make things a little easier.

Apps for Writers

Even web browsers have apps and add-ons, and there's no reason not to use them. Anything that can help you save time or get things done more efficiently is worth pursuing. 

• Blogging. You never know when you're going to get a great idea for your next blog post. The Blogger app is available on the Android market and through the iStore, so go download it. If you're a WordPress user, download that app for your browser and all your smartphone devices. Browser apps are especially useful because they give you quick, instant access to your posts. If you blog elsewhere, just get the Pages app. It's a handy little word processor that makes it easy to record notes or even create entire compositions. Get it from the iStore for any of your Apple products.
• Notes. But if you're a serious note-taker, you need a serious app for it. Get Chapters from the iStore to keep all your thoughts organized. You can even add password protection for extra-sensitive materials. 
• Words. I'm a big advocate of using appropriate reference materials, and that's why I love the Advanced Dictionary and Thesaurus app. It's available on Android and Apple products. A dictionary-only version is available on Blackberry. If you're using the same words too much in your writing, even a quick glance at the thesaurus can get the creative juices flowing again.
• Social. As every indie author knows, writing is only one part of the job. It's great to keep your notes organized and your words interesting, but you've got to do a lot of promoting work, too. That means you've got to get the Twitter app, the Facebook app, the Goodreads app and apps for every other social media site you use. They're available on just about anything you might have. Sync your smartphone to your author accounts for quick access. If you've got a Facebook author page, get the Facebook Pages app, too.
• eReaders. If you're downloading apps, you can't pass on the Kindle and Nook apps. Get them both so you can get an idea of how readers are looking at your work. You might end up being surprised at what you see. It's always a good idea to put yourself in your reader's shoes (or in their ereaders), so get all the ebook apps on all the devices that you use.

And because my blog is dedicated to self-published and indie authors, all of the apps on my list are free. You've got to save up your money for ebooks, covers, copyrights and all the other stuff that goes into creating novels. Get the free stuff that helps you save time and get more done, and write more novels!

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