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4 iPhone/iPad Apps For Brainstorming Writing Ideas

October 15, 2012
4 iPhone/iPad Apps For Brainstorming Writing Ideas

The Importance of Pre-Writing for Story Completion

A significant number of writers recognize that engaging in pre-writing activities is crucial for initiating and ultimately finishing their creative projects. This preparatory phase, encompassing tasks like brainstorming ideas, developing plots, and crafting characters, effectively stimulates the writing process.

Without a defined plan or outline, stories and novels can easily remain incomplete. A clear roadmap helps maintain focus and direction throughout the writing journey.

Utilizing iOS Apps for Pre-Writing

While traditional methods like pen and paper remain viable, several iOS applications can enhance the pre-writing experience. These tools offer unique functionalities to aid in plot discovery, character development, and note organization.

Four particularly useful apps include Writers App, Werdsmith, Name Dice, and Writer Lists. Each provides distinct features to support different aspects of the pre-writing process.

  • Writers App can assist with structuring and organizing long-form writing projects.
  • Werdsmith offers a distraction-free writing environment ideal for initial idea generation.
  • Name Dice is specifically designed to help generate unique and memorable character names.
  • Writer Lists facilitates the creation and management of various lists related to your story, such as plot points or character traits.

These applications can be valuable resources for writers seeking to streamline their pre-writing workflow and increase their chances of completing their stories.

Writers App

Writers App, priced at $0.99, functions as a comprehensive application designed for the pre-writing phase. It facilitates the organization of essential story elements.

These elements include the story's title, a concise synopsis, the underlying premise, the plot structure, detailed character traits, descriptions of settings, and any accompanying general notes.

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Stories are managed as individual projects, each containing a dedicated list of its constituent parts. The application’s home screen displays all active story projects.

Within each project, designated areas are provided for storing and accessing notes related to that specific story.

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Users have the ability to customize the font style and size. However, the export functionality is limited to email transmission.

Automatic backups to iCloud are not currently supported by this application.

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Primarily, the Writers App serves as a valuable tool for brainstorming and capturing ideas. It is particularly useful during commutes on trains or buses.

The app also proves helpful when inspiration strikes in relaxed settings, such as while resting in bed.

Werdsmith: A Writing Companion

Werdsmith is a complimentary application designed for use on both iPad and iPhone devices. However, expanding storage capacity beyond seven ideas and projects necessitates a purchase of the professional version, priced at $2.99.

Fundamentally, Werdsmith functions as a dual-component note-taking application.

Core Functionality

The app is divided into two primary sections: one dedicated to the development of writing endeavors, and another for general note storage.

Users are also able to define personal word count objectives, with the application visually representing their advancement as a percentage.

Additional Features

Furthermore, a writing schedule—essentially an alarm—can be configured to prompt dedicated writing time each day.

iCloud backup is integrated within Werdsmith, alongside the capability to export both projects and notes through email.

Project Management

Completed projects can be conveniently archived within the application’s designated Portfolio section.

This allows for organized storage and easy retrieval of past work.

A Resource for Authors: Lists for Writers

Lists for Writers, available for both iPhone and iPad at a price of $1.99, functions as a comprehensive collection of lists pertinent to storytelling and novel creation.

These lists cover a wide range of story elements, including character names, settings, plot structures, clothing descriptions, and grammatical components, among many other aspects.

Inspiring Creativity

While lists alone do not automatically generate narratives, they can serve as a valuable tool for sparking creativity and facilitating the brainstorming process.

The application can be particularly helpful when seeking inspiration or overcoming writer's block.

Seamless Note-Taking

Users can easily add items from the lists to a dedicated Notes page with a simple tap on a name, plot concept, or character detail.

This eliminates the need for manual copying and pasting during idea exploration. The notes created within the app can then be conveniently printed or shared via email.

Name Dice

For writers facing the challenge of finding suitable character names, the application Name Dice offers a focused solution by generating random name combinations.

A simple tap or a shake of an iPhone or iPad initiates the process, presenting users with a newly generated first and last name pairing.

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Although this writing tool for iPhone would benefit from expanded functionality, such as gender-specific name selection, its current simplicity is noteworthy.

The inclusion of separate name sets—one for male and one for female characters—would further enhance its utility.

However, being a complimentary application, Name Dice can still prove valuable in stimulating creative naming concepts.

While these applications cannot compose narratives independently, they present intriguing avenues for idea generation directly on iOS devices.

We invite your feedback on these pre-writing tools, and welcome any recommendations for comparable applications you may have.

Further exploration of writing applications can be found in these related articles:

  • 7 Apps That Will Help You Use Your iPad For Writing Projects
  • 7 Apps That Will Help Motivate You To Write More [Android]
  • 6 Apps Every Aspiring Poet Should Have On Their Device [iOS]

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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