Pages also has a great real-time auto-save function. It has a decent spell checker, word count, and track changes with a comments option. All the fonts, text formatting, and editing tools are easy to find. The page layout view is extremely easy to work with. Apple Pages can do everything you need to do.
You are a Mac user, and all you need is a free word processor it’s easy.
It is usually enough storage space for most writers.Īnother advantage is that you can also set up Docs to work offline if you prefer. Writing projects are stored and saved to Google Drive. It is also fully compatible with importing and exporting docx documents. Many writers, including content article writers, use Google Docs due to the ease of sharing documents and collaborating. The user interface, menus, and formatting options are almost the same.ĭocs has a word counter, so it’s easy to keep track of your writing goals.
If you know how to use MS Word, you will adapt to Docs in no time at all. The big contrast to MS Office, of course, is that Google Docs is free.
To get you started, here are ten free word processors to choose from. Try some of these free Microsoft Word alternatives to see if one is just right for you and your writing needs. Changing word processors is also a great way to view your writing in a different way.ĭo you want to move away from using Word? Add a little formatting and save your work.Īlmost any free version word processor can do this.
You can download free word processor software, or you can use web-based and cloud-based applications.Īll you need is a blank document. Read our article that lists the best free and paid book writing software choices for you if you plan on writing a book.įree alternatives to Microsoft Word – You have lots of choices
You need to use software designed to handle the big job of writing a novel or a book. Long manuscripts can cause a lot of problems with any word processor, including Word. CompletelyNovel is an online publishing platform and author community that aims to make book publishing simple through use of online tools.A word of warning for authors.Word processors are not the best programs for writing a book. Sarah Juckes is Communications Manager for CompletelyNovel, where this post first appeared. > 10 Proofreading Tips for Self-Published Authors, by Anna Lewis > The Hows and Whys of Metadata for Authors, by Sarah Juckes > 7 Social Media Tips for Authors to Connect Over the Holidays, by Sarah Juckes > 10 Essential Non-Writing Tools to Help Writers Write, by Sarah Juckes It’s a good place to start, but don’t rely on it to give you the same level of detail that a human editor can, if that’s what you’re after. All you need to do is to paste in the text and Hemingway will automatically highlight problems in your writing, such as hard-to-read sentences, complex phrases and passive voice. If you find editing tiresome, Hemingway can make it easier and quicker. You can then edit together at the same time, as you might do with a Google Doc. You upload or paste the file you need to edit, and share with whoever you want. Need feedback from others on plot devices, characters or editing? Poetica was created to make collaborative editing much more effective. Great for those of you who spend more time than is necessary worrying about what font to use for your characters’ handwriting instead of getting words down on paper. It’s free and works across Windows, Mac and Linux. You can set timers, alarms, writing goals, spell-checking or statistics. For distraction-free writing: FocusWriterįocusWriter is a document creator like Microsoft Word with a stripped-down aesthetic that is distraction-free, whilst still providing all of the functions you need. It costs $45 so it’s slightly more expensive than the other apps on this list, but then again, it’s much more involved.Ĥ. Perhaps the best feature is the keyword search - no more wasted time trying to find that well-hidden folder with initial ideas in the depths of your computer. It has a plenty of effective tools to organize your research, notes, storylines and much more.
Scrivener is a well-known writing software that works for both Windows and Mac.