The Folkmoss Logs

tools for writing online (AI-free)

Last modified: 2 weeks ago

I like writing, and I write a lot, be it for work or pleasure. I'm also constantly switching between devices (laptop, tablet, smartphone), so I've mostly written with online tools for well over a decade now. But with the AI scraping practices that may or may not be in action, I'm trying to be more mindful of the tools I use.

To help out more writers/creatives out there, I've put together a list of options you can consider for your own writing practice. These are the tools I personally recommend for the various stages of writing. They're mostly open source, entirely free or have a good free version. This list was originally posted on my Listography, but I feel like it's useful to have it in other platforms as well.

for quick note-taking

When I need to jot down ideas, I need it to be fast and hassle-free when it comes to syncing and opening the app/site/tool. Below are the best I found for this, with the first being my personal preference. And while I do use the last one on this list (Listography) it is kind of clumsy when it comes to sycing between my iPhone and browser, and it doesn't have a native Android app, so maybe just use it for what it is if that bothers you (making lists!).

for writing long-form texts

There are many, countless options out there when it comes to writing online. The ones I list here are simple writing tools with little to no frills; some save your writing locally, some save it on their servers, some don't save at all. Most use Markdown, which is my preferred method to format a simple text (bold, italics, links, lists, titles, tables, etc).

for publishing online

Again, there are thousands of options to publish your writing out there. And again, these are just a few I've personally used and/or seen in action and can vouch for.

bonus

for dealing with word documents

These are the alternatives for a full word processor, where you can set page size, margins and other formatting options.

beware

The rendering of documents between these word processors and Microsoft Office is not identical, and even if you use .docx or .doc format, it's still not perfect. Unfortunately, there's no way to avoid slight inconsistencies in a document when you edit it with other word processors and then reopen it in MS Word. If you work only with content, writing, proofreading or copyediting, it should be fine, but if you need to worry about the formatting, you can really just use one software to avoid discrepancies.

for pdf reading/editing

bonus

#eng #listlog #tools