As always, I’d like to begin this week’s progress report by thanking all of you awesome people who’ve followed, liked and/or commented on my blog!

This week, I’d like to talk about the different smartphone applications that I use for writing. As with last week, please note that I am not an affiliate for any of these apps, nor am I able to provide any kind of discount for the paid ones. These are just my honest opinions based on my own experiences using them. I currently have an iPhone 8 Plus, so these opinions are based on use on an iPhone operating on iOS.

Dropbox – I know I talked about the Dropbox computer program last week, and this is one of the reasons outside of securely backing up my work that makes me love it. When you download the smartphone app and log in, it allows you to access your work from your smartphone. I do not have the applications or accessibility on my phone to work on my writing this way, but I can absolutely view it. And I do! I write in the morning and often in the afternoon or evening, I like to read over my most recent work to see if it still reads well. It also allows me to access and download any image files for my work, from research and inspiration photos I’ve saved there to cover art and ad images I’ve saved. I just love it.

Event Ticker – If you know me, then you know I love my countdowns. I countdown to important events, concerts, milestones, etc. I believe there is a paid version of this app that lets you have unlimited active countdowns, but I only use the free version, which only allows three (3) countdowns at any given time. But as someone with anxiety, this cap probably saves me from myself a lot. I currently have countdowns to my book release date, a podcast interview I’m doing shortly after my book launches, and of course, the Sonic Temple festival. Hey, a girl’s gotta have fun too, right?!

Forest – I’ve only recently started using this app. I downloaded it before NaNoWriMo began in hopes that it would help me keep my hands off my phone during dedicated writing time. And it worked! You simply download the app and then tell it how long you want to work for and set the little timer. From there, you have to leave your phone alone or the virtual tree you plant when you begin will die. This app is one of two paid apps I use for writing, but it’s a one-time charge of $1.99 and honestly, they not only provide a great productivity tool, but they also work to plant actual trees. With that kind of win-win, it’s now a permanent part of my writing system.

Google Drive – This app functions a lot like the Dropbox app and I use it in nearly the same way. Also, both apps are a good way to check and make sure that when you saved your work that it actually did save into the Cloud.

Writer – This is the second of the paid apps that I endorse for writing. At $2.99, it seems a little steep for a phone app. But I love it. Again, it’s a one-time charge and for that, you basically get a virtual writer’s notebook on your phone. It has the functionality of being password protected, which I love, and it allows you to make notes and categorize/color-code them. I keep a physical writer’s notebook too, but sometimes, it’s more convenient to tap out a quick note on my phone rather than drag out my notebook and write it down.

I highly recommend checking these apps out, but this is definitely not a definitive or exhaustive list of all the apps you could be using to help you write. These are just the ones I prefer for my own projects. If you come across any apps you’d recommend, feel free to mention them in the comments!

And finally, don’t forget to check out my book, Credence! Releasing on March 1, 2019, it is currently available for digital preorder via Amazon, HERE.

Have a great weekend, everyone!