8 Essential Writing Tools Every Writer Needs to Succeed
As an online writer, there’s a lot of competition. While the market of writers might be somewhat saturated, high-quality writers are few and far between. Whether you’re a freelance writer or writing exclusively for an online publication, some essential tools can help refine and aid your writing chops.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at eight essential writing tools every writer needs to succeed. From the humble Google Docs to correcting grammar mistakes with Grammarly. Each tool in this list can really help to improve your writing skillset, as well as help streamline your efforts and make them more productive with the time you have available.
1. Google Docs
It’s a platform that has become widely used due to its accessibility and for those who are in need of an online word processor. Google Docs has become one of the most useful writing tools for writers to use, with many preferring it to Microsoft Word.
With Google Docs, you’ve got the advantage of accessibility as mentioned above. It’s something that you can use on all of your devices, so long as you’ve got internet access. You can also work on documents offline.
It’s a free version that comes with a variety of features, from organizational features to the ability to structure your document. The platform is also very easy to use, making it a really useful one for those who need something for their writing.
2. Grammarly
For AI writing tools, one of the most well-known to the internet and writers in general is Grammarly. This is a writing app that offers a grammar check service in its most basic form, but it also provides more than just that.
Consider it as a writer’s assistant that helps you with everything. From sentence structure to tone adjustments to the text you’ve written. It’s also useful for helping to write content. While AI has come under some scrutiny and is perhaps not to be used exclusively for the purpose of content writing, it does have its uses.
Grammarly is a good one for helping catch grammatical errors and human errors in general when it comes to spelling mistakes. It helps in making suggestions to improve the flow of the text, as well as providing clarity in your writing, whether you’re a creative writer or working on a white paper, for example.
3. Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is also a good word processor for writers around the globe. While Google Docs is a popular online option, MS Word remains one of the top choices for many writers who need a reliable platform to work on.
MS Word has a simple interface and features that help all kinds of writers. Its key features include sentence structure suggestions and grammar checks. It ensures a high standard of writing is therefore always maintained.
With Microsoft Word, you’ve got the ability to assign tasks and create to-do lists, which is great for those who struggle to keep on top of tasks that need doing. There are other advanced features like real-time collaboration, which is helpful for those who are working with other writers, editors, or individuals on the project in question.
4. Hemingway Editor
Hemingway Editor is one of the essentials when it comes to writing tools. Whether you’re looking to improve the readability of the text written, or you’ve got a habit of repeated words that needs addressing.
The Hemingway Editor is named after the famous author Ernest Hemingway and designed to help you write in a clear and straightforward style. The editor analyzes your text and provides helpful results when it comes to readability grade and alternatives to make the writing more concise.
For those who are aspiring writers or creative writers, this editor is a useful one for those who need a helping hand in the content creation process. Whether you’re a proficient writer or you need that extra bit of help, the Hemingway Editor is a worthwhile choice to implement.
5. Turnitin
It’s good to explore the variety of tools that are available for writers so that you’re getting the most out of your content creation.
Turnitin is a text-matching software that’s helpful for educational institutions to check for plagiarism in student work. It’s worth knowing about Turnitin vs Grammarly: AI Tools for Different Needs, so that you can get value from both tools if it’s needed.
With Turnitin, as a writer, you can use this tool as a way of checking your content to make sure that it doesn’t have any AI-written content in it. The problem with some AI tools that analyze text for plagiarism, will sometimes find commonly used phrases or sentences that sound like AI.
Therefore, it’s good to use an app like this so that you can make your writing sound as human as possible. There are other plagiarism checkers out there that are worth trying out too, if Grammarly or Turnitin aren’t quite right, like Just Done for example.
6. Reedsy Book Editor
Reedsy Book Editor is a good one if you need specialized writing software specifically for authors who are working on writing novels and other book-length projects, such as case studies or research papers.
This writing tool offers an intuitive interface that’s easy to use and makes the writing process one that’s more enjoyable. Some of the key features that make this editor so beneficial to use are its ability to organize chapters and make it easier to structure the book as you continue to write.
The tool also provides the ability to format your manuscript so that it’s ready for publication. This helps to save time and effort during the whole process. If you’re looking for a great tool that helps with book writing and publication, then this is an editor worth its weight in gold.
7. Trello
Trello is used across many industries as a useful writing tool for organizing any writing projects that you might have on the go. You may have multiple writing projects on the go, which is where Trello can come in handy to help manage them all for you.
Whether you’re writing a series of blog posts or helping with a writing project as a freelancer, Trello is a useful tool to help stay focused and to keep yourself on track. The tool is also good for collaborative efforts, especially if you’re working on group projects or being used as an external resource by a company that actively uses Trello too.
8. Buffer
Buffer is a helpful app and tool to have when it comes to helping those who are required to schedule content as part of their job.
Used by many social media managers and marketers, Buffer helps to pre-schedule all of the content you have so that you don’t need to be at your computer when the time comes to click publish.
With these essential writing tools, you’ve got everything you need for your writing success in 2025.
About the Author: Garlak Theodorakis
My name is Garlak Theodorakis, I am graphic designer with almost 10 year experience in the field. Founded Tooft.com in january 2010 with idea to share my knowledge with the world.
