We’re living in a golden age of technology – there truly is an app for everything. And writing is no exception. Here are a few of my favourite tools that I use every day here at MasterDocs.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a top-notch spelling and grammar checker. It’s free, accurate, works on almost any website or online tool, and picks up errors that most spell checkers miss.
There are many ways to use Grammarly - you can copy and paste a chunk of text into the online app or download a version straight to your computer. I like to use the browser extension, which automatically checks your writing online. This includes social media channels and websites, so it’s incredibly useful if you’re posting content to the web. Grammarly automatically integrates with MasterDocs if you install the browser extension.
Grammarly also sends you a weekly digest which highlights common errors so you can watch for mistakes and improve your writing. It’s so easy to use – just create a login and decide which version to install!
Hemingway App
If you can get into the habit of running your words through Hemingway App, I guarantee your writing will improve.
Hemingway App truly delivers on its promise to make your writing bold and clear. How? It highlights troublesome sections of your content such as hard or very hard to read sentences. This makes it easy to target your edits to make your content easier to read.
You’ll also get an overall readability score (similar to Flesch Reading Ease), and the app also picks up adverbs, passive voice and words with a simpler alternative (e.g. utilise vs use).
Its colourful interface makes improving your writing easy and fun when you can focus on reducing the amount of red and yellow on the page.
CoSchedule headline analyser
For frequent online publishers, CoSchedule’s headline analyser checks your headlines before you publish content online. CoSchedule is a social media and content scheduling tool, and this tool incorporates their research on what makes content successful.
When you test headlines, you’re given a score based on the types of words you use, headline length and sentiment. You can also see a preview of how your headline looks when it shows up in Google search results. Keep testing different combinations until you find one that works.
Even for static web content, it’s useful to see how your web pages will look in search results. If you usually write for print or PDF formats, you might not be used to thinking about how your content looks on the web, so this is a useful test.
Even the most experienced writers can always use a helping hand from technology.