User talk:Tiffany Hesser
Essay Writing Apps: A Student's Comprehensive Guide
I've learned to value essay writing apps as a student who has to balance many classes, extracurricular activities, and even a part-time job. In various academic situations, these digital tools can be very helpful:
— Tight deadlines: These apps can help you get your writing done faster.
— Complex topics: Some apps have study tools or AI that can help you with tough topics.
— Language barriers: Some apps offer language help and translations for people who don't speak English as their first language.
— Improving writing skills: A lot of apps can help you get better at writing by giving you feedback and ideas.
— Managing multiple assignments: Organizational tools can help you handle many articles at once.
— Collaborative projects: Some apps let you work together on papers that you all share.
— Overcoming writer's block: These apps offer ideas or tools for organizing your thoughts to help you begin.
— Enhancing creativity: Some writing apps have tools to help you think of new ideas and be more creative.
Now, let's explore a comprehensive list of writing apps that helped me a lot in different situations:
ProWritingAid: Advanced Editing Assistant
ProWritingAid does more than just check your language and spelling:
— Reports in detail on writing style, sentence variety, and how easy it is to read.
— Gives advice on how to choose better words and get rid of clichés
— Works with a number of writing programs, such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs
ProWritingAid really helps me with longer essays, where it's important to keep the style constant and the writing interesting.
Mendeley: Reference Management and Academic Social Network
The useful tool Mendeley is for writing with a lot of research:
— Helps you organize and make notes on study papers
— Makes references and sources
— Lets you talk to other researchers in the same field
I do a lot of my literature reviews and work on papers that need a lot of sources on Mendeley.
MindMeister: Visual Brainstorming and Outlining
It can be very helpful for people who think visually to use MindMeister to plan their essays:
— Makes live mind maps to help you come up with ideas
— Mind mapping can be done together for group projects
— Saves your mind maps as text sketches
MindMeister is where I often start my writings because it helps me organize my thoughts before I start writing.
Freedom: Productivity Booster
Freedom isn't really a writing app, but it's become an important part of how I write my essays:
— Blocks websites and apps that could be annoying while you're writing
— Syncs between devices to get rid of any hassles
— Schedules blocks of time without interruptions
Freedom helps me stay on task and avoid taking a break to check social media when I need to be working.
How to Pick the Best Apps for You
It's important to find the right mix of apps for your needs since there are so many to choose from. Here are some things to think about:
Your writing process: Do you like to make a detailed plan first, or do you like to get right to writing?
The types of essays you typically write: For example, research papers might need different tools than tasks for creative writing.
Your budget: Even though a lot of apps are free, some of the more powerful ones cost money.
Your tech savviness: It takes longer to learn how to use some apps than others.
Compatibility with your devices and other software: Make sure the apps you pick will work well with how things are set up now.
How to Use Apps in Your Writing Process
To get the most out of these apps, you might want to set up a writing method that uses different tools at each stage:
1) Research and Brainstorming: To collect and arrange data, use Evernote or Roam Research.
2) Outlining: Use MindMeister or Notion to make a plan for how your writing will be organized.
3) Drafting: Use Google Docs or Scrivener to write your first draft.
4) Editing: To make the first changes to your essay, run it through Grammarly or ProWritingAid.
5) Refining: To make your work easier to understand, use the Hemingway Editor.
6) Citing Sources: Use ZoteroBib or Mendeley to make a citation of your work.
7) Final Review: Add all the changes and ideas and do one last check in Google Docs.
Remember that these apps are meant to help you write better, not make it harder. Start by using just one or two apps at first, and as you get used to them, add more. With practice, you'll build up a set of tools that will make writing essays much faster and better.