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Tech tools for the professional writer

In the winter edition of TAA’s newsletter, I shared with you the importance of having the right tools on hand for your career as a writer and provided a list of 32 tools in eight categories to get you started. If you missed that article, you can read it here.

In this article I highlight a few more tech tools with the goal of helping you find the tools that fit best in your belt! In these last weeks of summer, I encourage you to explore some of these tools that you may not have time to experiment with during the school year. You may just find that they can help you free up valuable time as the busy fall semester comes around again.

To get started, I recommend that you check out PC Magazine’s article listing “The Best Writing Apps of 2018”. Ranging from FREE to a one-time access price of $249 on the high end, each of the apps on their list provides a low-cost option for saving time and improving your writing productivity.

A couple of my personal favorites made the list: Scrivener and Ulysses.

Scrivener is a useful tool for a wide range of writing projects. You can try it with a unique trial that is limited to number of uses, rather than a number of days, so there’s no need to rush into that purchase before you are convinced it is a beneficial tool for your writing efforts.

Ulysses provides a distraction-free writing environment with cloud-based storage that allows you to work on all your writing projects from your iPhone, Mac, or PC, whenever and wherever inspiration or time provides. The app has a 14-day trial period and both monthly and annual subscription options for continued use.

While there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to writing productivity, I hope you take a few moments to check out these and other writing apps in your app store on your device.

Expand your tool belt and let us know what works best for you!


Eric SchmiederEric Schmieder is the Membership Marketing Manager for TAA. He has taught computer technology concepts to curriculum, continuing education, and corporate training students since 2001. A lifelong learner, teacher, and textbook author, Eric seeks to use technology in ways that improve results in his daily processes and in the lives of those he serves. His latest textbook, Web, Database, and Programming: A foundational approach to data-driven application development using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, MySQL, and PHP, First Edition, is available now through Sentia Publishing.