My Digital Writing Toolkit

If there’s one weird cross-section of the world I exist in, it’s the small niche of tech-enthusiast / fiction author. I find myself constantly trying to better equip myself with apps, tools, and services that align with my need for highly useful tech in an effort to further my writing goals, and over the years, I have developed a fairly functional toolkit. I figured I would share what I use to see if it helps anyone else avoid the long road of testing that I have gone on.

With that said, this post will be a series of quick overviews on my favorite apps and services that I use. I’m not going to go super in-depth about how to use them, as for apps like Scrivener alone, you could write a novel. So, if you’d like more than just my general thoughts, please let me know, and I’ll either shoot you a message back or maybe do another post if it warrants it.

 

 

Anyways, here we go:

Scrivener

Scrivener is an all-in-one writing platform designed for long-form projects such as novels, screenplays, and academic work. It lets you break your writing into scenes or chapters, organize everything with a built-in Binder, and store all your notes, research, and references within the same project. You can outline visually using index cards on the Corkboard or get a structured overview with the Outliner. Scrivener supports custom metadata fields, such as character POV, status, or dates. ( More on that later with Aeon Timeline ) Scrivener also allows you to use color-coded labels, keywords, and tags to track themes, revisions, or anything else you need. You can set word count goals, take snapshots of drafts before editing, and export to various manuscript formats. With cross-device syncing and distraction-free Composition modes, Scrivener offers powerful tools to keep writers organized, focused, and in control from first draft to final touches.

To be blunt, I’m not sure there’s a way to accurately describe my undying love for Scrivener. It is an absolute masterpiece work of art, as far as software is concerned. It is a program dedicated entirely to making the process of creating large works of writing easier to manage. Its developers, Literature and Latte, embrace their responsibility as a pillar in the writing app space, hosting webinars and other learning opportunities for writers. They have also balked at the notion of a software-as-a-service subscription model. You pay once, and you own it. It’s a refreshing breath of air in this crowded subscription-based world we live in today.

With that said, no good thing comes free. At the time of writing this, a single Mac or Windows license is $59.99, with a discount available for Students and Academics. I personally use Scrivener on multiple devices synced via its dropbox integration and you do have to pay for extra licenses. They offer a bundle that provides a license for both Mac and Windows for $95.98, but you need to purchase an iOS license separately for $23.99. So, all in for Mac, Windows, and iOS, you’re looking at about a $120 investment for what will essentially be the last writing software you ever need. If you are a professional writer or someone who finds that Google Docs just isn’t able to handle all the work you want to throw at it. I cannot suggest Scrivener highly enough.

Bear Notes

Bear Notes is my absolute favorite Notes app. This is coming from someone who has tried quite a few of these apps. I mean I’ve tried Evernote, Ulysses, One Note, Notion, Google Keep, Simple Note, Obsidian, Apple Notes, the list continues longer than I would care to admit… but I have found that the simplistic setup, markdown support integration, and the tag-based organization system help keep me focused on what it is I am trying to get down quickly. It’s very easy to get into the note and start working, and to find it months later when you need it. Pro tip: Use nested tabs for further organization bliss. An example would be blogs/ideas, for instance, to provide a dropdown structure to help you hone in on what you’re looking for.

Now everyone’s needs for a Notes app will differ based on software choices – Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, even – but I am pretty deeply into the Apple ecosystem (with the exception of my gaming PC), so just know where this is coming from, as I am an avid iOS user. For the longest time, this app has been available only for iOS and macOS. However, it has recently released a Web version, which is currently in beta. I’m enjoying the beta so far. I actually wrote this post using it.

With that said, to get the most functionality out of Bear Notes, you do have to buy into the Pro subscription. I think it’s worth it for the extra features it includes, such as private iCloud sync across devices, advanced export options, note encryption, themes, custom icons, OCR search, and custom fonts. Its current rate is $29.99 per year, which I think is reasonable. However, I can’t comment on that rate, as it appears I have been grandfathered in at the old $14.99 yearly rate for the last few years, which to me is a steal at that price point. The value is there at $29.99, but for older users to be grandfathered into the old rate as long as they maintain their subscription is an awesome way to support their longtime users. Good on you, Bear!

 

Arc Browser

I’ve daily-driven quite a few web browsers over the years (Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Opera GX, Brave, Puffin, Safari). Still, none have quite had the effect on how I view the internet such as the Arc browser has. Their style of tab management, easy space separation, pinned bookmarks, and an extensive array of other features really make you realize just how far the internet has come over the years. How we use the internet is drastically different now than it was when Chrome first became the dominant browser it is today. I think that shows in Arc’s differing approach and unique design choices, which I imagine will be slowly copied by other companies. With that said, it’s still a Chromium-based browser, so all your favorite Chrome extensions should still work with Arc.

Okay, so it’s a cool new Browser, how is that helpful for writers? Well, to me, a fundamental part of writing is research. Being able to manage numerous tabs and trains of thought effortlessly is a thankless task that my brain no longer has to concern itself with.

(Edit note: Since writing this I’ve learned that the Browser Company is no longer actively developing Arc. This is a shame as they were pushing envelopes with their feature set. However, it doesn’t stop Arc from being a recommendation here as far as I’m concerned.)

 

Aeon Timeline

This next one is a deep cut that is probably only relevant for very serious authors who struggle to keep track of all their storylines and timelines. However, I can definitely see it being useful for researchers and students as well.

Aeon Timeline is a powerful planning tool for writers, worldbuilders, and anyone managing complex stories or projects. It helps you build detailed timelines where you can map out events, track character arcs, and keep relationships and locations organized—all in one place. You can customize what kind of information you track, like point of view or a character’s age, and even create your own calendars for fantasy or sci-fi worlds. It’s easy to see how everything fits together over time, filter what you’re looking at, and make sure your story stays consistent. One of the best features is that it syncs with Scrivener, so you can link your timeline events directly to scenes in your manuscript. Aeon Timeline is ideal if your story has a lot of moving parts and you want a clear, visual way to keep it all organized.

Personally, I was struggling to maintain all my timeline information for my work on the Tale of Sarippus series (link), and Aeon Timeline helped me overcome some serious blocks that I was experiencing due to not being able to conceptualize and visualize exactly how my timelines were supposed to be. I cannot recommend this app highly enough for people who are facing the same struggles I was.

Zapier

Zapier is an automation tool that connects your favorite apps and services, allowing them to work together seamlessly without requiring lots of manual effort. It lets you set up “Zaps,” which are automated workflows triggered by specific actions, like say when you get a new email in Gmail, a copy of the attachment is automatically saved to Dropbox, or a message is sent in Slack. You don’t need to know how to code; just choose a trigger and the actions you want to follow.

It takes a bit of troubleshooting to get set up, and your website platform, or what you are specifically trying to achieve, may either lower or raise the difficulty of use. Still, it’s a great tool to at least poke around in to see if it may be helpful for you. For authors specifically, you can use it to automate tasks like adding new newsletter signups from your website directly into your email marketing platform (like Mailchimp or ConvertKit), sending a thank-you email to new subscribers, or posting a blog update to multiple social media accounts automatically.

I personally use it with my WordPress site to log new post details to a Google Sheets spreadsheet, create a duplicate post on Facebook and Tumblr, and notify my Discord that the post has been published. I’ve got a ton of other ideas to try with Zapier, and it seems that lots of people have already thought of many ideas. So, go search through the already-made Zaps and see which ones seem like they might be helpful to you. It’s Free to start, but when you get into more complex multi-step Zaps, there is a $19.99 monthly pro version you would need to upgrade to.

Writhm

Writhm is a web-based writing tool that helps authors improve the rhythm and flow of their prose by visualizing sentence length and structure. It highlights pacing issues, repetition, and sentence variety, making it easier to spot where your writing feels too flat or too choppy. Unlike grammar checkers, Writhm focuses purely on style and cadence—ideal for writers who care about how their work sounds on the page.

It’s a niche tool for authors, but one that I immediately saw the benefit of as someone who is excited about new writing tech. It’s free to use the basic functions, but more advanced features require the Pro subscription, which is currently $8.95 per month. However, at one point they offered a lifetime use of the Pro version with a one-time payment, which I thought was very cool of the creator to do. Many writers and tech enthusiasts dislike the subscription forever model, and embracing it (even if only temporarily) is always a plus in my book. I believe this was a short-term offer, so it may not be available anymore, but I opted for the lifetime option to support an independent developer who is focused on the author space. Can’t have enough of them. (shoutout @dmelhoff)

Notion

I won’t go into this one too much because you can find countless articles on how to use it. Notion is an all-in-one workspace where you can write, organize, plan, and manage everything from notes to full-scale projects. It combines documents, databases, calendars, and task lists in a single program. For writers, it’s especially useful for keeping research, outlines, character sheets, story bibles, and draft sections all in one place.

I personally use it to create databases of information that I need to reference back on. For the Tale of Sarippus, I’ve used it to create a landscape reference table for references to my fictional world. I also use it for a structured to-do list that allows me to label certain items as high priority versus low priority. In the past, I used it to keep track of contest submissions and determine when I could submit a piece to another publishing source. It’s a great free resource for everyone trying to be more organized, not just writers.

Fantastical

This is a more personal one for me, but I’m throwing it in here anyway. Fantastical is a beautifully designed calendar app that makes scheduling fast and intuitive. Its standout feature is natural language input—just type something like “Meeting with editor next Friday at 2pm,” and it instantly creates the event. It pulls in calendars, tasks, and reminders from across your accounts (Google, iCloud, Outlook, etc.) and syncs them seamlessly. It has a free version, but for most of its more useful features, you will need a premium account. It costs $4.95 a month, billed annually. To me, the organization of tasks and reminders into the calendar app is super helpful, though your mileage may vary.

Conclusion

These tools have saved me countless hours and helped me stay focused on what matters most: the writing itself. If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’ve found some useful apps that you can add to your toolkit. If you have any questions about how I use these apps, are looking for apps in other areas related to writing and want to talk about them, or if you think I should cover writing hardware next, drop me a line. I’m always down to talk about writing tech.

Until next time!