What You Should Use to Write

What should you use to write? Literally. Should you use a pencil and paper, or expensive software? I will answer that in this post.

Writing is one of the cheapest hobbies. The bare minimum is a pencil and paper, and you could still earn millions of dollars, or you could use thousands of dollars of writing software. Let me go over your many options. Anything red is a tool I suggest for beginning-level writers.

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1. Pencil and paper: A few cents- Good o'l paper. In schools nowadays, most writing assignments are done on paper. If your writing a small story for yourself, or you're not really into writing then it makes sense. But if you want to give copies of it, you can't use it. Also, your fingers hurt writing a long piece, and people may not be able to read your handwriting. And publishers rarely take handwritten manuscripts.

2. Your Devices Notes App: Comes with device- For this example, I will be using Apple Notes. The main features are a keyboard, bold, underline, and italics. It's the bare minimum I would suggest. Most publishers don't accept notes files, so you'd have to convert it. But with Apple's newly released dark mode, notes is a pretty clean interface, with no jumble or mess. Notes has no word count feature or chapter/scene divisions, and isn't really designed for books. Also, the file will take time to load if you have a big manuscript. Even though, notes isn't a really bad tool.

3. (#1 option) Google Docs: Free!- When I write books, I use Google docs. Mostly because our school Ipads don't have any other word processors, soI can write at school when I have free time. But it isn't all that bad. In addition to the notes features, it had fonts, images, colors, and my 2 most favorite, device syncing and chapter titles. As long as you have a Google account (which you can create for free) you can sign in to your account on different devices and still be able to edit the same document at the same time. Also, there is the "document outline" feature. It shows all of your chapter titles, which is helpful when you're writing a long manuscript. You just click the chapter title and it will take you their instantly. Another thing is the "Suggestions" mode. When you edit, it will show the changes in green for you to accept or deny. If you have other people editing, it is really helpful. But on the cons side, a docs manuscript takes time to load. If you have a really long book it could take minutes, which compared to current speeds is an eternity. And frankly, it just can't beat Microsoft Word. But one thing it has is the price. Free. Google docs is my second favorite, and I highly suggest using it.

4. Microsoft Word: Part of Microsoft Office- Nowadays Word is the king of word processors. I use it for my final draft to format. Word is also a large tool publishers use. One of the reasons is it has a "track changes" feature. Basically it will track all the things people do on your document and is helpful for collaborating. Only problem is you need money. A Microsoft account is free, but an Office account isn't. The prices vary, but it can be really expensive. Otherwise, for other people, Microsoft is number 1.

5. Scrivener: Starts at $40.85 for Windows- Scrivener has all the flashing lights and buttons. There are countless things, and it is designed for writers, unlike the previous options. It also has a great price, compared to other word processors. I have never had it, but a few features involve being able to see your notes and document, having all of your brainstorming things in the same thing, being able to sort out chapters, and countless other features. It's basically a fancy word processor plus an organized ring binder. I currently don't have it, but it looks really cool. The only reason I haven't highlighted this red is that it may be a bit too complicated for a beginner writer. If you are a beginner, I would go with the ones before this. Otherwise, Scrivener is the king of all writing tools.

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So now the only thing left is for you to choose. Remember, the only thing you need is something to write on, a good story and imagination, and the effort to write it.