Get Help with Your Writing

What kind of tools and resources are available for writing help?

Realizing there are many people out there who would like assistance with writing and editing, but don’t necessarily want to pay someone – or maybe only have a small issue that they’re dealing with – I wanted to provide some suggestions for tools that can help. The ones I’m going to suggest are free, although some will have paid versions that offer a wider array of features.

 

First up are some resources to help with writing in regard to spelling, grammar, style, etc.

 

Grammarly

https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check

Grammarly offers an array of free extensions – tools you download to work in tandem with your desktop, iPhone or Android, internet browser, Microsoft Office, etc. – that will review your text and provide suggestions on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style. On the “Grammar Checker” webpage, you copy and paste your text, and then hover over the underlined word or phrase to view the suggested edit(s). With the extensions downloaded and turned on, such as the desktop extension, you’ll see the Grammarly icon as well as highlighted words, phrases and sentences in your writing. Click on the icon and you can review the suggested edits. The Grammarly Premium version is available for $12 per month when paid annually, and offers additional features like a plagiarism checker and a citation generator (with options for APA, MLA or Chicago). 

ProWritingAid

https://prowritingaid.com/grammar-checker

Provides assistance with spelling, grammar, and style with a focus on creative writing (versus business writing). On the “Grammar Checker” page, you copy and paste your text, then hover over the highlighted or underlined word/phrase to view the suggestions. It also has extensions, similar to Grammarly, that you can add to Microsoft tools or to your Chrome desktop for online writing. Plagiarism Check is another feature available for an array of fees, depending on how many checks you want to run, from $10 to $200.

 

Hemingway Editor

https://hemingwayapp.com

Focuses more on style than grammar when compared to the first two tools. The free online version offers suggestions on improving complex or wordy sentences and can point out passive voice or alternative words. On the homepage, you can simply copy and paste your text over the sample text you see on the screen. From there, you can click on the highlighted word or sentence to see the tool’s suggestion.

 

An app is available for your desktop for a one-time fee of $19.99, or the Editor Plus app is available for a monthly or annual fee.

 

Another form of help can be found in artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots such as Google Gemini or ChatGPT. If, for example, you’re having trouble creating a sentence or coming up with the “right” word or phrase, these tools can provide suggestions.

https://gemini.google.com/

https://chatgpt.com

 

However, a word of caution about relying on AI. As someone who has been working to generate and edit content for these AI chatbots, you want to be cautious about being dependent upon its suggestions. They are not perfect tools: They still have limited understanding; can prompt you to unknowingly commit plagiarism; and can offer seemingly factual responses that are fabrications (referred to as hallucinations). They can be great help with spurring ideas and getting you over that writer’s block, but don’t rely on them to create your content for you.

 

As always, reach out if you need editing or writing assistance.

https://www.norriseditorial.com/contact/