Automatic Text Analysis
ProWritingAid analyses your text with a variety of metrics and its own algorithm. The analyses are based on established guidelines for writing that can be assessed. You should use adverbs sparingly, be more careful with transitions and use fewer pronouns, glue words, etc. If you’re committed to writing effectively and are a serious writer, you’ll likely attempt to follow these rules subconsciously. ProWritingAid makes these guidelines visible.
Realtime lets you quickly work through documents.
After the errors are taken care of and out of the way, you can move on to individual reports to edit in depth. These reports allow you to look at your word choices, sentence structure, repeated words, and other aspects. You can also run the Summary Report to find out where you need to focus to make the most improvement in the most time:
How to Utilize It
ProWritingAid is available in a variety of formats. You can make use of the Web Editor to modify your documents. Their browser extensions allow you to fix grammar issues quickly on sites like Twitter, WordPress and Gmail. The Word add-ins are available for Windows or Mac that allow you directly to modify the content of your Word documents.
Today, we’ll focus on their Desktop App. This app is perfect for working using Ulysses documents.
ProWritingAid.com registration is required to access the tool. You have several options to work using Ulysses documents. Ulysses writers can either use the free online Web Editor or download the desktop application. It is necessary to purchase a premium license in order to edit more than 500 words in a session or make use of the desktop application.
The desktop program can read and write eight types of files, with Markdown as one. You can therefore export the Ulysses text to a Markdown File, conduct the editing process using ProWritingAid, and import back into your Ulysses‘ library for further processing. It’s fast and easy however you can’t save images or sheet attachments like writing goals. After testing the app, I used the following as my preferred workflow:
Start ProWritingAid. Create Markdown files. Markdown file.
Open your Ulysses sheet and select the text section. Next, use the Edit menu’s “Copy as Markdown” command.
Paste into ProWritingAid.
Now, go through each report one by one and edit within ProWritingAid.
If you are happy, go ahead and copy the edited text.
Paste the text back onto your Ulysses sheet, replacing the previous version of the text passage and using the “Paste from Markdown” option in the Edit menu.
The Reports
ProWritingAid reports identify the problems in your text. When you hover your mouse over a paragraph that is underlined and you’ll get an explanation and/or suggestion. Simply click on the suggestion, e.g. To make use of it, click on an idea (e.g.
The reports include a short explanation as well as a link to comprehensive details about the report’s topic on the ProWritingAid website. There are a few examples to give you an understanding of the depth and breadth of my explanation.
Writing Style The purpose of this report is to help improve your writing skills, which is based on a variety of rules that are essential to excellent writing. For example it will help you identify passive voice in your writing, which could make your writing difficult to comprehend. Sentences in active voice are easier to read. Writing Style Check also recommends readability enhancements.
Overused Words Check This report will identify words that are so commonly used that they have lost significance and no longer have any relevance in everyday life. ProWritingAid might not be able to tell the frequency with which you use them in excess.
Verify Sentence Length
Texts with sentences with different lengths make text more interesting to read. The report will display the length of your sentences in bar graphs to help you see quickly if you need to work on improving. Additionally it will highlight particularly long sentences, as they tend to render a text difficult to comprehend.
Pricing
ProWritingAid is accessible online for no cost. While it’s less user-friendly and doesn’t offer all the reports that are available, it could help you get a first impression. You can get a premium membership that allows users to access the desktop application and many add-ons for $79/year or $399 per lifetime license. ProWritingAid comes with a 14-day money back guarantee, so you are free to take your time to decide whether ProWritingAid is the right choice for you.
Last Thoughts
ProWritingAid can’t (and isn’t intended to) replace an editor who is human. The tool highlights particular measurable aspects of a text and does a thorough job. It is still necessary to edit your texts on your own, however ProWritingAid can improve this process and make it faster.