The best free software for writers 2. Better than Microsoft Word. Writers tend to make a very big deal of their tools, whether those tools are delicate pens or ancient typewriters. Increasingly, though, they'll talk about their software. ![]() Even the most genteel literary event can soon devolve into a fist- fight between fans of Scrivener and Ulysses (both of which cost around . That's almost as much as the full Microsoft Office 2. There's often a better option for those of us starving in garrets: free apps. Come with us as we discover the best free apps to turn your talent into something tangible. Focus. Writer's extremely pared- back design might not appeal to everyone, but it removes all possible distractions. Focus. Writer. Block out distractions and get on with some serious writing. Available for Linux, Windows and OS X, Focus. Writer is designed to eliminate distractions so you can actually get on with the job of writing. To that effect it enables you to hide other apps, customize the way your text appears on screen and keep track of your progress. If you're feeling particularly old- school you can even add typewriter sound effects. It isn't for everyone - it looks pretty daft on a 2. Twitter all day. Write. Monkey is a streamlined text editor, but still packs all the features you'll need. Write. Monkey. A text editor that cuts down on distractions, not features. We're big fans of Markdown, the text- editing language that enables you to format, annotate, classify and link as you type with the minimum of fuss, and the superb Write. Monkey makes good use of it. This free program delivers an incredibly stripped- down user interface that's considerably more powerful than it looks. There's an excellent outliner, automatic syntax highlighting and file organisation, and although Markdown takes a bit of getting used to, you'll be very glad you made the effort. Once you've mastered it, you can use it to create blog posts, print publications and anything else that needs words in it.
![]() Celtx is an excellent free alternative to premium scriptwriting software Final Draft. Celtx. Scriptwriting made simple - ideal for solo writers or small teams. Hollywood scriptwriters swear by the famous Final Draft software, but if you're yet to sell a script then you might prefer an option that doesn't cost any money. Say hello to Celtx, an online scriptwriting platform that's designed for small creative teams and includes a solo screenwriting package - all for the excellent price of zero. You don't get the extensive collaboration tools of the paid- for products, but for straightforward scriptwriting it's well worth a look before considering a scriptwriting tool that costs real money. Take a look at Trelby too - more on that in a moment. Writer is part of the open source Libre. Office suite, and packs almost all the features you'd expect to find in a premium word processing program. Libre. Office Writer. A fully- featured alternative to Microsoft Word, completely free. Libre. Office is a free, open source alternative to Microsoft Office, and that means its Writer word processing app has many of the power features of Microsoft Word without the accompanying price tag. ![]() One of its most useful features is the Libre. Office Template Center, where you'll find templates for all kinds of content. If you're interested in more full office suites, see our guide to the best free Microsoft Office alternatives. Create your own ebooks with Sigil, which exports documents in EPUB format. Sigil. Designed specifically for creating your own ebooks ready to publish online. Many writing apps concentrate on print, but of course we're Kindle kids now and many authors publish direct to ebooks. There are lots of ways to do that, including exporting from your favourite word processor, but Sigil is designed specifically for ebook editing; it isn't something that's been bolted onto an existing print- focused app. It offers WYSIWYG editing, runs on Windows, Mac and (some) Linux, enables you to check imported documents against the EPUB standard and can sort out formatting and fix your editing too. It's also expandable via plugins to add even more features. Trelby is a free screenwriting tool that makes it easy to track characters, scenes and locations. Trelby. A powerful multi- platform screenwriting tool for budding playwrights. Trelby is available for Windows and for Linux, and it offers a very powerful screenwriting tool for free. It enforces standardized layouts, includes a character name database to avoid calling your hero Shooty Mc. Shootface, imports and exports in all the formats you could need, and has a built- in PDF generator. You can compare different versions of the same script, create scene, location, character and dialog reports, and work in draft, WYSIWYG or fullscreen mode to suit the way you work. Don't even think about buying Final Draft without checking Trelby out first. Scribus is an excellent free alternative to magazine industry standard Adobe Indesign. Scribus. Write and design great- looking magazines and books. Use this helpful and easy-to-read chart to find the best writing software to fit your needs. Need help with character dialogue or visualizing your story? Buy a copy of Final Draft online, one of our best screenwriting software programs for scriptwriters. No matter your level of experience or type of. Best writing software reviews & the best writing software for writers. Final Draft software, writing programs & the best novel writing software. We feature the best writing software for writers across every genre or project. Looking for the best script & screenwriting.![]() If your words' appearance is as important as their meaning, give Scribus a go: it's a free, highly- rated desktop publishing application for Linux, OS X and Windows that's capable of producing entire magazines (a little like a cut- down version of Adobe In. Design). It's been kicking around - and regularly updated - since 2. We wouldn't want to make a 4. Hemingway is a web- based text editor that highlights possible weaknesses in your writing. ![]() Hemingway. A streamlined text editor in your web browser. In addition to paid- for desktop software for Mac and Windows, Hemingway is available as a free web app. It's well worth bookmarking: it's designed to highlight long, complex sentences and common grammatical errors, and its use of colours makes it abundantly clear how clear or otherwise your text has become. It'll spot excessive use of unnecessary adverbs, and it can ensure that instances of the passive voice have been marked to alert you to their use. Hemingway is a really good tool for anyone who needs to communicate with maximum clarity. And we deliberately wrote this paragraph this way to annoy it. Evernote isn't a word processor, but it's a great tool for collating ideas and jotting down notes whenever inspiration strikes. Evernote. Gather ideas together throughout the day so they're ready to use later. Evernote isn't much cop as a writing app, but it's an absolutely superb research tool. We've used to organise all kinds of content including old photos of locations, snippets of overheard dialog, PDFs of scanned documents and all the little ideas that pop up when we're out and about. The basic Evernote app is free on Windows, Mac and mobile and offers cross- platform syncing and up to 6. MB of new uploads per month; if that's not enough the Plus service is a very reasonable . Freemind. Organise your ideas and defeat writer's block before it can strike. Here's another app for writers that isn't strictly for putting your words on the screen: Freemind is all about mind mapping, and it enables you to record all the leaps and bounds your imagination makes whether you're plotting a potboiler or trying to organise complex threads of an investigation. It's not something we'd necessarily recommend for mind mapping beginners - it looks a bit like a desktop publishing app having some kind of breakdown - but if you're an experienced intellectual explorer it's a lot tidier than a wall full of index cards and sticky notes. Article continues below. Most- read articles.
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