Put an end to having bits of paper everywhere! These six writing apps for organizing your notes will bring order to your creative chaos!
With summer ending a frenzy of activity returns to our writing rooms. Ideally summer wasn’t just full of sunny days for you, but also filled with new ideas. However, ideas need to be jotted down, otherwise they are just as fleeting as a summer’s day. Dictaphones, notebooks or sticky notes, which famed poet Dylan Thomas carried around in his pants’ pockets, are part of every author’s essential toolkit, but they are not always at hand when one needs them. Moreover, they can lead to more chaos than order, if one uses them without an organizing system. A bunch of sticky notes are more akin to Neville Longbottom’s “Remembrall”: the glass orb from Harry Potter reminds you that you have forgotten something, but won’t tell you what it was. These six writing apps for the organization of notes will show you how to not only save your best ideas, but also how to sort and organize them.
Six writing apps for organizing your notes
Evernote
With more than 8 billion notes from over 225 million users worldwide Evernote is one of the, if not the best-known app for mindmapping on the market. The founder and inventor of Evernote, Stepan Pachikov, even calls it an extended brain, as it is based on three key principles of the human brain: it preserves past knowledge, creates cross-connections and links them to new ideas. Available for all major computer systems and as an app, Evernote offers the following options: Not only can you use multiple notebooks, but you can also fill them with pictures, audio files as well as links and bookmarks. You can therefore save texts as well as inspiring pictures and videos, which might broaden your thinking patterns. Moreover, the dictation function offers incalculable value: If you have your hands full with something else, your creative ideas can be preserved in an audio recording, which you can later use to expand upon your initial thoughts. Try it! The basic version of Evernote is free of charge.
Google Keep
This free Google tool is a great compromise if you want to avoid additional monthly costs. You can even sync your smart phone with their compact app. Google Keep organizes and sorts thoughts to well-proportioned notes, which can be color-coded and made to include reminders – depending on your needs. Moreover, Google Keeps offers a function for audio recordings, which can even be transformed into transcripts!
OneNote
If you are a nostalgic person and still can’t let go of handwritten notes you should choose Microsoft OneNote. This free application is part of the Microsoft Office Suite and guarantees compatibility with all Office tools. Video, picture and audio files can be saved and shared without any issues. A special feature allows you to write ideas via finger, mouse or tablet pen in freehand and convert them into computer font. Therefore, you can edit and print your hand-written texts easily.
Nimbus Note
Nimbus Note is the perfect tool for finding inspiration before starting the writing process. With the web-clipping-tool not only websites, but also parts of them like videos, textual elements or pictures can be saved. Moreover, to-do-lists can be created, with which your first idea will quickly be transformed into your first draft.
Simplenote
Simplenote tells you everything you need to know with its name. The focus of the application is on notes with text. The design is minimalistic, the interface of the app as well as the web-version self-explanatory and easy to use. The free program also offers an indispensable tool: notes cannot be overwritten. The so-called version slider functions like a time machine and recovers previous versions of your original notes. A great idea for authors who tend to edit overzealously.
Workflowy
Workflowy offers maximal effectivity with minimal effort. Easy to use concepts like the Infinite List Maker help to order even the most spontaneous of ideas. The structure of this application is simple, but that’s exactly what makes it so effective. Moreover, your thought processes can be shared with writing mentors. Even a bestseller has already been written using this app: Author Nick Bolton apparently used the program to write “Hatching Twitter”, which charted on the New Yok Times Bestseller List.
Still looking for methods to improve your writing style? Learn from the pros here!
With which writing or editing programs have you had positive experiences? Leave us your insider tips in our comments and help us to grow our list of applications for organizing notes.
Let your hands roam freely over your keyboard!
Your novum publishing team
This I thought is worth looking at but I gave up. Too much info all jumbled together. Reads like all my many bits of paper all over the place
Why is the phone speaking Spanish with no option to have English? I sent my manuscript via email almost a month ago with no further communication no what may be happening. If this is a prank let me know now so I can move on.
Dear Elaine, we are very sorry that you have not yet been able to reach us by phone. May we ask you when and via which email address you contacted us? As soon as you have told us, we will urge your request to our team and ask for feedback as soon as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience and wish you a Merry Christmas.
Kind regards,
novum publishing
I thought this was very helpful…