Automatic Text Analysis
ProWritingAid automatically analyses your text using various statistics and its proprietary algorithms. These analyses are based upon established guidelines for writing that can be measured. You should use adverbs sparingly, be more careful when transitions are used and use fewer pronouns, glue words, and so on. If you care for quality writing, you’ll likely try to stick to these rules more or less in your head. ProWritingAid helps make the rules visible.
If you want to work through your document in a hurry, the Realtime feature can assist you in removing any glaring spelling, grammar and style issues:
After the errors are taken care of and out of the way, you can move on to the individual reports for editing in depth. These allow you dig into word choices, sentence patterns, repeated words and more. You can also run a Summary Report to determine the areas you should focus on to achieve the greatest improvement in the shortest amount of time:
How to Use It
ProWritingAid has many different formats. You can use their Web Editor to edit documents in your browser. Their browser extensions allow you to make quick grammar fixes on sites like Twitter, WordPress, Gmail and Facebook as well as their Word add-ins for Windows and Mac allow you to modify the content of your Word documents directly.
We’ll focus on their Desktop App this morning, which is ideal for use alongside the Ulysses documents.
ProWritingAid.com Registration is necessary for access to the software. There are several methods to use Ulysses documents and ProWritingAid. Ulysses writers have the option to use the online editor, or the desktop version. It is necessary to purchase a premium license to edit more words than 500 words in a session or make use of the desktop application.
The desktop application can read and write 8 types of files, with Markdown being one of them. So you can export the Ulysses text to a Markdown File, conduct the editing with ProWritingAid, and import back into your Ulysses library to further process. This is fast and easy. But, you aren’t able to save images or other sheet attachments like writing goals. After a few hours of playing around using the app, I discovered the following procedure suitable for my workflow:
Open ProWritingAid to create Markdown files. Markdown file.
Go to Ulysses and choose a text section, and use the Copy as Markdown option from the Edit menu.
Paste into ProWritingAid.
Review each report one at a time and then edit it in ProWritingAid.
After you’re done, select the edited text and copy it.
Paste the text back onto your Ulysses sheet, replacing the previous version of the passage and using the “Paste from Markdown” option in the Edit menu.
The Reports
ProWritingAid reports show your text underlined. Move your cursor to the underlined text, and you’ll be able to read an explanation or suggestion. Where applicable you can simply click on a suggestion, e.g. a simpler word or a synonym, to make use of it.
The reports include brief explanations as well as a link to more detailed information about the report’s subject on the ProWritingAid website. Let me provide an example to help you understand what I am talking about.
Writing Style Check This report will aid you in improving your writing style. The report is based on a variety of guidelines that are beneficial to follow when writing. You can see that the report focuses on passive voice usage in your writing. But writing in active voice tend to be more interesting. Writing Style Check also points out repeated sentence starts and Adverbs. It makes suggestions for improving readability.
Overused Words The report will highlight words that are so commonly used that they have lost meaning and are no longer relevant in daily life. ProWritingAid is able to identify if you’ve used them frequently.
Sentence Length Check
Texts with sentences of different lengths are more readable. The report will show you how long your sentences are in a bar graph. This allows you to see where there is room for improvement. What’s more it will highlight particularly long sentences, as they tend to render a text difficult to comprehend.
Pricing
ProWritingAid provides an online tool that’s completely free. It’s not as user-friendly and it won’t allow you to view all reports. However, it could make a good impression on your first time using it. Premium memberships let you access the desktop application and various add-ons, and is available from $79 for a year or $399 for a lifetime subscription. ProWritingAid lets you take your time, and it offers a 14-day refund guarantee.
Last Thoughts
ProWritingAid doesn’t replace human editors and is not intended to. This tool highlights specific measurable aspects of text and performs an excellent job. You will still have edit your text by on your own, however ProWritingAid can improve this process and make it faster.