Top 5 Apps for Improving Writing Skills

Editor’s Note: This is  guest post by Lindsey Harper Mac.  Please read more about Lindsey in the bio footer.

Writing is often a trial-and-error learning experience that not even the best among us can perfect the first time around. No matter how high you begin on the ladder of intellect and skill, there is always something more you could be doing to improve your writing, which is especially important when learning online.

Proper writing will help you communicate with your professors, and convey what you truly mean during your course-work.

Although you can certainly find inspiration by shunning the industrial world and heading over to Walden Pond, embracing technology may actually work in your favor. Apps can often be a writer’s best friend when you get stuck in writer’s block or need a little help in creating a grammatically-friendly piece.

To get the ball rolling on a ten page paper for your college course or for a creative work of your own, check out the following top five must-have writing apps. 

1. Swype

You never know when inspiration might strike, and hauling your laptop around everywhere “just in case” can become bothersome after a while. The Swype app features a user-friendly keyboard that closely resembles a basic laptop keyboard, which makes it a perfect solution for letting all of your inspiration out wherever you might be.

Swype is designed to perfect your spelling errors as well, since all you have to do is slide your fingers across the keyboard and the app will make suggestions about what word you were looking for. After a few weeks of use, Swype will begin to catch onto your writing style and guess the correct word more often.

2. Pages

Pages was the very first iPad app offered at the app store, and has since only gotten better with several updated versions. The app features a wide variety of creative templates for letters, flyers, resumes, invitations, reports, and more, so you can have the perfect framing for whatever document you’re working on.

A Multi-Touch design allows natural writing at top speed, while a Smart Zoom feature automatically zooms in on the portion of the text you’re working on at the moment. This unique and easily navigable app will help you knock out a few paragraphs for your term paper while you’re waiting around in between classes.

3. Vocabology

Nothing enhances your writing quite like a large vocabulary, and the vocabology app helps you establish a strong command of more than just the English language. The app features a word of the day from multiple sources, including Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Yahoo Education, TheFreeDictionary, Wordsmith.org and even Urban Dictionary, so you can impress professors and show off how well-read you are to all of your classmates.

You can even become better acquainted with foreign languages, since the app also features a word of the day in Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese as well.

4. Google Docs

Allowing others to proofread, edit and make comments on your work is a great way to recognize common mistakes and improve your writing for the future. Google Docs makes this possible by offering a user-friendly writing interface that allows you to grant access to other users for editing and note-making purposes.

You can review the edits and notes your friends make in real-time, so you can even proofread a document together and discuss strengths and weaknesses. This app is especially helpful for collaborating on group projects and assignments.

5. Evernote

A good piece of writing is born from a series of carefully written notes and ideas. Evernote provides students with a convenient outlet for jotting down and organizing these ideas as they come to you throughout the day. If you don’t have the time to type out your idea, you can use Evernote to save a picture or voice recording of the idea and add it to the proper area.

Users can tag notes with relevant subjects to find inspiration later with the app’s convenient search function. Evernote is a must-have for students who could use a little more organization and inspiration in their lives.

No matter what your major is, you will be required to contribute a great deal of writing throughout your time at college and most likely in your career as well. With these apps at your fingertips, you can count on getting through the most grueling writing assignments in one piece.