Writing software and apps

I received an interesting email recently asking me for my thoughts and advice on the use of software and apps to help with writing.  I think Grammarly is the kind of thing that was being asked about.  Before I post my reply, I'm genuinely curious to know if any of you use / have used such software and what your experience has been.  Is it helpful?  What would you recommend and how would you recommend using it?  

I look forward to reading your responses...

Comments

  1. Unknown13 July 2021 at 16:53

    I know friends who use grammarly and they recommend it. At least for proof reading a written piece.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Phillip14 July 2021 at 01:37

    I use a writing tool called grammerly so far, its flaws are it doesnt understand "this", or "these", always recommends active style, which would be annoying if i need to write results in passive style, and it does not help me organise my thoughts. The benefits is to just prompt you to think about some sentences grammar structure.

    For writing tools I am considering is Scrivener or Dabblewriter. Scrivener helps edit and organisse content so i can shuffle the data around, although my supervisor wont be able to comment on anything, and he would have to adjust to a learning curve. The next tool I am thinkin about is dabblewriter, an online tool that my supervisor wont have to install, while still giving me the ability to shuffle things around, although commenting functionality is in beta.

    The best tool so far is Larry, as he understands the structure of text, help me see possible structures that I could not previously, so I can improve.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mark14 July 2021 at 02:25

    Thank you Phil and "unknown" (I know who you are!). I will respond more fully later, but I can't help laughing at Larry being described as a tool. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip14 July 2021 at 02:29

      I thought you would like the play on words to cheer you up. Larry is a something positive

      Delete
  4. Chizoba16 July 2021 at 16:07

    Grammarly has been a helpful software application to me. I use it to correct punctuations,spelling errors and also proof read. I recommend the use of software applications to assist with writing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip21 July 2021 at 16:35

      Thank you. As I am learning to critically write this comment does not help me beyond what mark has written. Can you suggest one thing that could help that he did not help? E.g. provide one reason or evidence mark has not provided

      Delete
  5. Vivian21 July 2021 at 14:54

    I find grammarly really helpful but I wouldn't go out of my way to pay for it. I find that the free version helps me with grammar checks, and suggests word variations that I could use. However, you'd need to exercise caution with the use of such apps as they sometimes recommend changes that may alter the message a writer is trying to pass across to their readers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip21 July 2021 at 16:38

      Hello Vivian,

      I have experienced the same problem. Through tiredness, I may have even accepted some of these arguments ;-)

      Delete
    2. Phillip21 July 2021 at 16:41

      Correction.. its not arguments as they are not cited sources, but suggestions that understand little about context

      Delete
  6. Mark27 July 2021 at 13:55

    I promised a contribution to this thread. I'm not sure I've seen any real examples of concrete IMPROVEMENTS brought about by apps like Grammarly, though I can imagine how it can FEEL as if it's helping.

    From my perspective, I would never recommend anything beyond the spelling and grammar check in software like MS Word. MS Word will highlight anything that it considers to be problematic, but it won’t tell you it’s wrong or suggest a correction, so you have to think about WHY it’s highlighting something, WHAT the problem might be, and HOW you might fix it, as well as EVALUATING whether or not it’s a genuine problem. As a writer, therefore, you are an active participant in the editing / correction process, and I think that you develop as a result. Some of the more ‘intrusive’ software I have seen, like Grammarly, promises things that it simply cannot deliver and gives advice that I find questionable; my concern with those kind of apps is that they take you out of the writing process and make suggestions and changes that won’t necessarily improve either your writing or your ability to write.

    There's a different category of writing app, however, which Phil has referred to, and that's the 'writing tool' app which is designed to facilitate the writing process for writers. I use one of these, Bear, for note-taking, and another, Ulysses, for writing longer pieces. I love both apps, though I'm not sure how I justify paying for them (maybe my choice of the verb "love" suggests that justification is not necessary). They basically strip out all of the extras of word processing software like MS Word, and give you a clean-looking page, beautiful fonts, and simple ways of organising texts and parts of texts. For some reason the beauty of the application makes writing feel more tactile and satisfying, and going to the app feels like going to a writing retreat: I want to be there! I'm not necessarily recommending these apps, however. It's all about what works for you. What feels right.

    ReplyDelete

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