New Places to Write

If you’re in school, you’re likely aware that the next couple of weeks are devoted to finals. Depending on what kind of classes you’re taking, you may have papers to write.

If you’re not in finals mode, you’re probably still writing in some way, like if you’re jotting down quick ideas, journaling, or creating to-do lists. Writing for organization can help reduce anxiety by having a space for everything that you want to achieve laid out in front of you. For others, writing is therapeutic, where you can have a private space to write about how you’re feeling that day or over a certain period of time.

The classic journal is always an option for scribbling down thoughts and ideas, but in the technological age, the convenience and the fact that we spend so much time on our electronic devices already can make computers and cell phones much more ideal options. Another classic is Microsoft Word, which for some, can feel like the only option to get things written down. Unfortunately, while effective, it may not be the best fit for all of us, or we may be so used to it that we feel like we’re not getting the best results. Some may even associate Microsoft Word with school and graded assignments and feel anxious or intimidated by working in it.

The spaces where we work can make a huge difference, whether it be our physical location or where we’re staring for hours on end. If you’re looking for something new, here are a few writing systems you can install, and the best part? All of their main features are free, and are available as phone apps too!

Google Docs You’ve likely also used Google Docs at some point, since Google Drive is pretty much the Gmail equivalent of Microsoft Office. It can be really convenient, since everything syncs up to your Gmail and you can access it on all your devices. It’s also great for collaborations and group projects, since you can add others to read and edit the same document too.

Evernote Evernote is also a cloud, letting you access anything you’ve written on all your devices with the same login. You can organize similar documents under the same folder to keep things de-cluttered, and Evernote is also connected to Google and Siri so you can update things using your voice.

Bear Like the other two, Bear can be used for a variety of things, from checklists to prose. Te variety of things available from Bear can seem endless too: you can change color schemes, link notes together, and use a markup editor. You can also have the app take over the entire computer screen so you’re not distracted by other things too. Unfortunately, however, it’s only available for Apple products.

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Do you like to write? How do you think writing, whether for fiction or nonfiction, can help with mental health? Do you have any other recommendations for writing apps?