Those interested in writing have probably heard of National Novel Writing Month, also known as Nanowrimo. Here, writers of all kinds attempt the intense challenge of writing 50,000 words over the 30 days of November, an average of 1,667 words a day, and a total of about a 200 page novel. Some authors have even been published with the books they started during Nanowrimo, such as The Night Circus, Fangirl, and some of the books in The Lunar Chronicle series.
Even those not interested in writing have probably written something recently, perhaps within the first part of November. These can include jotting quick ideas or to-do lists, but for some, writing is therapeutic as well, where they can have a private space to write about how they are feeling that day or over a certain period of time.
The classic journal is always an option for scribbling down thoughts and ideas, but in the technological age, the convenience and the fact that we spend so much time on our electronic devices already can make computers and cell phones much more ideal options. Another classic is Microsoft Word, which for some, can feel like the only option to get things written down. Unfortunately, while effective, it may not be the best fit for all of us, and the spaces where we work can make a huge difference, whether it be our physical location or where we’re staring for hours on end. Below are a few alternatives of writing systems, where the core features are free and can be accessed on tablets, computers, and smartphones.
Google Docs You’ve likely also used Google Docs at some point, since Google Drive is pretty much the Gmail equivalent of Microsoft Office. It can be really convenient, since everything syncs up to your Gmail and you can access it on all your devices. It’s also great for collaborations and group projects, since you can add others to read and edit the same document too.
Evernote Evernote is also a cloud, letting you access anything you’ve written on all your devices with the same login. You can organize similar documents under the same folder to keep things de-cluttered, and Evernote is also connected to Google and Siri so you can update things using your voice.
Bear Like the other two, Bear can be used for a variety of things, from checklists to prose. The variety of things available from Bear can seem endless too: you can change color schemes, link notes together, and use a markup editor. You can also have the app take over the entire computer screen so you’re not distracted by other things too. Unfortunately, however, it’s only available for Apple products.
Do you think writing can help with mental help? How do you think different platforms can help those trying to write, whether it be for work or leisure?