7 Apps for Busy Writers

J. M. Helderman
Jul 30, 2017 · 12 min read

A Generation of Multitaskers

Let’s face it — you have a busy life with little time for extra work. You have to make the most of those 10-minute intervals to write throughout the day, and you’re not always next to a computer to use your fancy software. What if you’ve suddenly figured out the ending to your next great novel or need to outline a chapter on the fly? If you don’t act until you get home from that boring day job, you may have waited too long. Have no fear! These apps can get the job done (even at the gym) with peer-reviewed, stress-tested features that get your story on paper so that you can be more productive each day.

Worldbuilding/Outlining

Writer’s App PRO

Available on: iOS (iPhone & iPad)

Price: $1.99

Writer’s App features an intuitive design using multiple levels of organization within its filing structure. Meant to be simple and easy to use, don’t expect to write full-length novels in the app. You could certainly try, but your phone is likely to crash. Instead, focus on using the tool to organize your world and outline chapters. This tool is perfect for brainstorming if you’re at a point where you’re ready to start naming specifics.

Your first view is the home page where you will store each story or novel by title. As you can see in the screenshot, you even have the option to customize your cover art by selecting ‘Edit’, which comes in handy if you’re more of a visual person. We will get more into easy-to-use cover art apps later, so keep this option in the back of your mind. In the lower left corner of the screen is your settings button. You can use this to adjust the typeface, size, and background of your home page, along with options for backup and storage of your data.

After selecting one of the stories on your home screen, the next tier features your story’s dashboard. Here you can keep sticky notes to remind yourself of plot points or keep general notes about the outline. From this screen, you have the option to select from four categories: Chapters, Characters, Places, or Items. The categories are listed along the bottom ribbon of the screen.

Selecting a category will bring you to another tier listing each item from that category within the story. For instance, the ‘Characters’ tab will show you your entire list of characters created within the story (shown in screenshot). The ‘Chapters’ tab will show each chapter that you’ve outlined or written. Once you select one from the list, you are able to add attributes and notes to that item to create a more detailed description like a character’s hair color and personality trait. This is the screen where you can let your imagination run wild while you build a world as detailed or as minimal as you want. If you feel like you need to use additional categories to describe an item, you can do so back in the ‘Settings’ menu from the home page under ‘Organize Categories’.

To sum it up, the best thing about the app is its ability to intuitively organize the elements of your story into editable attributes and notes. The dashboards are perfect for taking a quick glance to remember a character’s height or family relation, and it takes the stress out of having to jot down thoughts on a sheet that will probably just get lost at some point anyway.

If you’re feeling nostalgic for paper, however, you can print character, place, item, and chapter summaries straight from your phone to your closest networked printer or export as a .TXT file. It’s super simple and fun to use, so get out there and try it!

Still not sure? Try the basic version for free first to make sure it’s right fit for you.

Characterize

Available on: iOS (iPhone & iPad)

Price: Free (w/ in-app purchases)

If you’re terrible coming up with names for your characters, this is the app for you. The random generator can produce trillions of possible first and last name combinations for modern men, women, families, and children. It also fills in random details about their age, sex, characteristics, and personality. When a character profile is generated, you have the ability to save it onto a list that is managed through the app. This will come in handy as you narrow down the list of your favorites.

Any story concept that doesn’t require a hyper-stylized name could definitely benefit from the free, basic version of the app that only includes the aforementioned categories. You can expect to get normal names that would belong to a present-day American, and it’s highly unlikely you’ll run out of options.

But, let’s say you have a Russian character or an alien from outer space that needs a name. A normal human name simply wouldn’t do, now would it? That’s where this app gets really fun. The in-app purchases offer a range of specialized categories for $0.99 each. Each category has trillions of combinations available, so you’ll never be bored. There are a few bundle options available for $4.99 — $7.99 that will get you five to ten similar categories (e.g. fantasy races bundle). The bundles are perfect for writers that have a distinct niche and want to save a little bit of money up front. If you find that you could use multiple categories and want to leave all possibilities open, you can splurge for the full naming bundle for $19.99. The full bundle includes every category plus those included with the basic.

A full list of categories available for purchase includes: Aliens, Ancient Greeks, Ancient Romans, Angels, Anime & Manga, Anthros & Furries, Apocalypse Survivors, Arabic Characters, Assassins, Chinese Characters, Demigods, Demons, Dragons, Dwarves, Element Controllers, Elves, Fairies, French Characters, Galactic Knights, German Characters, Gnomes, Gods & Goddesses, Greek Characters, Hebrew Characters, Heroes & Villains, Hobbits & Halflings, Indian Characters, Italian Characters, Japanese Characters, Korean Characters, Maori Characters, Mermaids & Mermen, Modern Airmen, Modern Children, Modern Families, Modern Humans, Modern Men, Modern Sailors, Modern Soldiers, Modern Women, Orcs & Goblins, Pets & Animals, Pirates & Scallywags, Portuguese Characters, Robots & Droids, Royalty & Nobility, Russian Characters, Space Marines, Spanish Characters, Steampunk, Turkish Characters, Vampires, Vietnamese Characters, Vikings, Werewolves, Wild West Characters, and Wizards & Witches.

As you can see, the list of categories is huge, and the possibilities are endless. Although you may see repeats of either a first or last name after a while, the intent is to get you inspired enough to start developing the character. And don’t forget to put your character information into Writers App!

Genesis

Available on: iOS (iPhone & iPad)

Price: Free (w/ in-app purchases)

Similar to Characterize and made by the same developer, Genesis is another random generator that specializes in creating people, places, and things. The selection of names is much more limited than Characterize, but the places and objects go on and on. One major downside to this app is that the free, basic version only starts you with two categories: Exoplanets & Solar Systems. If you’re a science fiction author, great! But, if you’re looking for another category, you’ll have to pay a little something.

Just like Characterize, the additional categories are available for $0.99 each or can be purchased in a bundle of 3 to 7 categories for $1.99 — $5.99, depending on the bundle. The good news is, if you want to splurge for the full set on this app, it’s only $11.99 compared to the $19.99 on Characterize.

Each generator will supply you with a name and characteristics about the item, which can be saved into a list managed through the app. The characteristics generated change with the category, so expect to be pleasantly surprised by the variation.

A full list of categories available for purchase includes: Air Force Units, Alien Creatures, Alien Cultures, Alien Plants, Army Units, Castles & Keeps, Continents & Islands, Corporations, Countries & Nations, Diseases, ExoPlanets, Fantasy Creatures, Fantasy Cultures, Galaxies, Magical Artifacts, Medieval Towns, Modern Cities, Navy Units, Pirate Ships, Religions, SciFi Weapons, Solar Systems, Starships, Steampunk Airships, Swords & Weapons, and Wars.

Cartographer

Available on: iOS (iPhone & iPad)

Price: Free ($1.99 upgrade available)

This app is very basic and definitely still in development, but the concept is useful for any writer looking to start with a basic map of their world. Think “Game of Thrones” and “Lord of the Rings” maps, and you’ve got the right idea for how to use this tool.

In the free mode, you have the ability to generate a random map with a touch of the ‘Reload’ button. There are three basic terrains: Continents, Mixed, and Islands. A slider bar underneath adjusts the ratio of water to land.

In PRO mode ($1.99 upgrade), you can also vary the display of your map to your liking. The options available are: Default, Silhouette, Heightmap, Parchment, Satellite, Desert, Arctic, Lava, and Elevation.

Both the PRO version and the basic version allow you to save your creation to the Camera Roll for later manipulation in an image-editing software like Photoshop. The images are not high-quality, but it at least gives you an outline that you can jot places on as you develop your world.

Research

Evernote

Available on: Mac or PC, iOS, & Android

Price: Free for Basic, $34.99/year for Plus, $69.99/year for Premium, and $12 per user/month for Business

For most individual users, the Basic version is a great starting place. You can sync your stored information on up to two devices and any number of computers using Evernote Web. Anything you clip using the app on your phone will be automatically uploaded to your virtual notebook online, which can be accessed from any synced device (computer, tablet or phone). If you need more than two devices enabled, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan.

To compare versions, let’s look at the differences most likely to affect authors:

Note size:

25 MB (Basic)

50 MB (Plus)

200 MB (Premium and Business)

Monthly note uploads:

60 MB (Basic)

1 GB (Plus)

10 GB (Premium)

10 GB for personal notes + shared 2 GB per user for business notes (Business)

Number of notes:

100,000 personal (Basic, Plus, Premium)

100,000 personal + 500,000 business (Business

On any of the plans, you can create up to 250 personal notebooks in which to organize your thoughts. For authors, this is especially handy in organizing research topics and resources. Install the widget for your preferred internet browser, and you can clip anything straight from the internet to a notebook in various formats. You can choose to save the full article, simplified article, page, bookmark, or screenshot. It all depends on your needs and intent.

If you’re surfing the internet on your mobile device, simply use the ‘Share’ button and select the Evernote app to clip it to a notebook. It’ll sync with your computer back home, so you can keep going with your busy life! It’s very fluid and convenient for keeping track of your thoughts in a fast-paced environment. You may even consider using it for other aspects of your life like home organization and vacation planning.

Graphics & Covers

Canva

Available on: PC or Mac web browser, iOS (iPhone & iPad)

Price: Free (w/ in-app purchases & upgrades)

Canva is fast becoming the best graphic design app for blogs and up-and-coming writers. It’s sleek, easy to use, and offers a great range of templates that you can easily manipulate to your liking. Consider Canva a cheap and easier alternative to Adobe Creative Suites. It makes it so easy to lay out graphics and create striking images quickly and effectively; you have no reason not to try it. Using it on a phone can be a little tricky because of the small screen, but it’s perfect for starting a template to be perfected later on a desktop computer.

When you start using Canva, you will be given a list of template options to choose from. Most of these are perfectly sized for social media layouts and are labeled accordingly. You also have the option to create a custom-sized layout if you need it. Canva even has templates for a Wattpad cover! Once you’ve selected a template, suggestions will immediately populate to give you an idea of your theme and layout. You can scroll through the layouts until you find one to your liking.

Once you have a layout selected, you can begin to manipulate individual elements in the layout by changing the typeface and size, replacing images and colors, or adjusting image filters. Within the Canva resources, there are free images, shapes, and animations that you can use to create your entire graphic. The free items do have have a watermark and can be downloaded and shared as often as you like. However, if the free stock images aren’t satisfying your needs, you can also remove the watermark from premium elements by paying $1 per element. This purchase is good for a one-time download to be redeemed within 24 hours of purchase.

Another option is to upgrade to Canva for Work to have access to additional premium content. Canva for Work allows easy resizing of graphics so that you can unify your brand across all of your social media pages. It can even store brand colors and fonts so that you can always find them as you create a new graphic. You can expect to pay $12.95/month if doing a monthly subscription or a total of $119.40/year ($9.95/month) if billed yearly.

Adobe Spark

Available on: PC or Mac web browser, iOS (iPhone & iPad)

Price: Free (w/ in-app purchases & upgrades)

Much like Canva, Adobe Spark is specifically designed to be a quick and easy way to create social media graphics meant for sharing across multiple platforms. The products that you can create as an amateur are simply incredible. There are definitely benefits to this app over Canva, but there are also some annoying drawbacks.

The biggest drawback is that your post will always have a hashtag for Adobe Spark in the corner. It looks like they are working on a way to remove this mark by paying a one-time fee, but it’s not currently up and running yet. The other drawback is that you feel like you have less control over the design because it automatically shuffles things around for you as you go through the options. If you’re okay putting your trust in Spark to make the spacing decisions for you, this feature is great. If you’re more of a control freak, you will definitely get annoyed.

On the other hand, Spark will resize your graphic for other social media banners completely free! This is an awesome feature for anyone wanting to unify their brand, and it’s an acceptable usage of the automatic text spacing and sizing that might drive some people crazy. Just keep in mind that the Adobe Spark hashtag will still be in the corner until they release the upgrade.

Another plus: if you’re looking for some added graphic animation, Spark has the edge on Canva by offering simple graphic movements that will stand out on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The animations are closer to what you can do in a PowerPoint presentation than a real video, but it definitely adds interest to an otherwise static image.

Spark’s intuitiveness for color coordination and layout makes it really hard to make anything that looks bad. You will almost always end up with a high-quality product that you are proud to share online to promote your material. Even if you have no graphic design experience at all, it’s worth giving Spark a try to see if you enjoy it.

Thanks for reading along and feel free to check out my products from using these apps in my weekly story “Dogwood”, available on Wattpad and on my blog HERE. You can also opt to sign up for e-mail updates on any new posts.

If you know of an app that’s useful or want to provide a review about one of these products, please leave a comment below so that other writers can benefit from your experience! Cheers!

J. M. Helderman

Written by

J. M. Helderman is a science fiction author looking to generate awareness of the universe around us and promote funding for space exploration.

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