Automatic Text Analysis
ProWritingAid will examine your text using a variety of metrics and algorithms developed by ProWritingAid. The analyses are based on upon a set of guidelines for writing that can be assessed. You should use adverbs in a limited amount, be extra cautious with transitions and use fewer pronouns, glue words, and so on. If you’re interested in quality writing, you’ll likely try to stick to these guidelines more or less subconsciously. ProWritingAid makes it systematically visible.
Realtime lets you edit quickly any mistakes in spelling, grammar or style.
Once you’ve eliminated these errors, you will be able to move on to the individual report to make deeper edits. These allow you dig into sentence patterns, repeated words, etc. You can also run a Summary Report in order to pinpoint the areas that need improvement the most quickly.
How to Use It
ProWritingAid comes in many formats. It is possible to use the Web Editor to modify your documents. The browser extensions let you fix grammar issues quickly on sites like Twitter, WordPress and Gmail. The Word add-ins are compatible with Windows or Mac which allow you to directly edit your Word documents.
Today, we’ll focus on their Desktop App. This application is ideal to work with Ulysses documents.
To access ProWritingAid.com You will have to register. There are several ways to work with Ulysses documents as well as ProWritingAid. Ulysses writers can either make use of the free online Web Editor, or download the desktop application. If you want to edit over 500 words at once or to use the desktop application, you’ll need an upgrade license.
The desktop program can read and write eight types of files, with Markdown being one of them. Markdown File is a way to export Ulysses text. You can then make use of ProWritingAid for editing and return it to your Ulysses library. It’s quick and easy, but you don’t have the option of saving the images or attachments (e.g. writing goals). After playing around with the app, I found this method to be suitable for my workflow.
Open ProWritingAid.
Navigate to your Ulysses page, choose the text and select the Edit menu option “Copy as markdown“.
Paste into ProWritingAid.
Now, go through each report individually and edit them within ProWritingAid.
Once you are satisfied you are satisfied, copy the text you have edited.
Paste the text back onto your Ulysses sheet replacing the old version of the text passage, and then select the “Paste from Markdown” option from the Edit menu.
The Reports
ProWritingAid reports underline any issues that you may be facing. The explanations and/or suggestions will appear when you drag your cursor over the underlined portion of your text. Click on a suggestion if it is applicable, e.g. It is possible to use a synonym or a simpler term to make it work.
Each report includes a brief explanation and a link to take you to more detailed details on the topic. You will find some examples that will provide you with an understanding of the depth and breadth of my explanation.
Writing Style Review This report was intended to help you improve your writing skills. This report will assist you in identifying the use of passive voice within your writing. The sentences that are active voice are more interesting and easier to understand. Writing Style Check will also identify repeated sentences starts and suggests ways to increase readability.
Words that are frequently used examined This report contains words that are that are so commonly used in daily living that they have virtually lost their meaning. These aren’t words you can avoid, but ProWritingAid will identify when you’ve used them too often.
Sentence Length Verify
Texts with sentences that vary in length are more interesting to read. The report shows the length of your sentences as a bar graph, to let you know at a glance if there’s room to improve. The report can also help you identify long sentences that can make text difficult to understand.
Pricing
The ProWritingAid online tool is available free of charge. It’s not as user-friendly, and doesn’t provide the full range of reports available. However, it may suffice to create an impression. You can get an upgrade membership that permits you to use the desktop software and numerous add-ons for just $79/year, or $399 for a lifetime license. ProWritingAid has a 14 day money-back guarantee, which means you can take your own time to decide whether ProWritingAid is the right choice for you.
Final Thoughts
ProWritingAid isn’t designed to replace the human editor. It can help highlight measurable aspects in a text and does an extensive job. ProWritingAid is not an alternative to editing the text. It can, however, aid in speeding up the process.