In today’s modern world, there are a million distractions that can get in the way of writing. That being said, there are also all sorts of tools to keep you focused and help achieve your writing goals. No matter what your writing grievance is—there’s an app for that.

For the author who needs help not getting distracted—Self Control
Self Control is more than just a website blocker. You can choose which websites to block and how long you need to focus. Once you click start, all of those sites are blocked for the time period, no matter what you do. Even if you delete the app or restart the computer, you will not be able to access those sites on that device until the timer runs out.

For the author who always has ideas on the go—Evernote
If you’re the kind of writer who find theirself with ideas or inspiration whenever they’re not sitting at a desk writing, Evernote is for you. Think of it as the modern equivalent of a bullet journal. Easily make lists, jot down ideas, and save stuff you find online so that you can access it later—even on another device.

For the author who keeps running into writer’s block—Brainstormer
Writer’s block, begone! To help you fight even the worst bouts of writer’s block, this app has wheels you can spin to create a new prompt, almost like a digital plot bunny. You can even customize the wheels with your characters, settings, and more to create prompts specific to your work.

For the author who gets distracted by playing with the format—FocusWriter
Now is not the time to decide what font this section should be or if/how a section should be offset. FocusWriter takes all of your formatting options away so you can focus on the actual words you’re putting on the page.

For the author having trouble remembering what was submitted where and when—Story Tracker
If you’re writing tons of stories and submitting them all over, you’re going to need a some sort of system to keep track of who is taking the stories, where you’ve already submitted each story, and if you can do simultaneous submissions. Story Tracker keeps track of all that for you and more.

For the author who has their best ideas when their hands are full—Dragon Dictation
Just because you’re driving or cooking or clay throwing or what have you when you’re inspired doesn’t mean you can’t get the idea down. With Dragon Dictation, all you have to do is say what you would write aloud and it will transcribe it for you.

For the author who doesn’t like outlines but needs structure—Writers App
This app doesn’t just a template for an outline. It allows you create a comprehensive blueprint for your story, perfect for longer works like novels with complex themes. It helps with everything from establishing a premise to organizing plot points to developing a setting to diving deeper into your characters.

For the author who likes to edit on the go—Goodreader
Turn your pages into a pdf file, and then take it on the go! This app allows you to mark it up with highlights, edit, leave sticky notes, and more. This can all be done from your phone/laptop/tablet, so no need to lug around a heavy printed manuscript. Perfect for long train commutes.

For the author lacking in time management skills—Pomorodo Timer
This handy app tells you when you can stop writing. You decide how long you want to focus for, and how long your short breaks and long breaks should be. It’ll alert you when it’s time for a break and when it’s time to go back to writing. You have to earn your long breaks—major productivity boost.

For authors who struggle with word choice and/or spelling—Miriam Webster Dictionary
As one of the most well-established American dictionaries, Miriam-Webster is a go-to resource—and now, there’s an app for that! The free version’s thesaurus is limited, but the $3.99 version’s is expansive. In the $25 version, there’s a very forgiving wildcard search for when you need to look up a word you don’t know how to spell.

What is your favorite app that helps you write? Let us know below!