Automatic Text Analysis
ProWritingAid automatically analyses your text using various statistics and its proprietary algorithms. The analyses are based on proven guidelines for writing which can be evaluated. You should use adverbs in a limited amount, be extra cautious with transitions, use fewer pronouns or glue words, etc. If you’re interested in quality writing, you’ll likely adhere to these rules more or less in your head. ProWritingAid makes it systematically visible.
Realtime lets you edit quickly any mistakes in grammar, spelling or style.
Once these mistakes are fixed, you can proceed to individual reports for detailed editing. These will allow you to examine your word choices and sentence structures as well as repeated words. To find out which areas you should focus on to achieve the greatest improvement in the fastest time You can conduct a Summary Report.
How to Utilize it
ProWritingAid can be downloaded in a variety of formats. You can use their Web Editor for editing documents within your browser. Also the browser extensions permit quick grammar fixes for sites like Twitter as well as Facebook. Word addins for Windows, Mac and Windows allow you to edit Word documents right from the start.
Today, we will be focusing on the Desktop App that can be used to work on Ulysses documents.
ProWritingAid.com Registration is necessary to access the tool. There are a variety of options available for working with Ulysses documents. Ulysses writers have two choices: the web-based Web Editor is free, or you can download the desktop application. You’ll need a premium license to edit over 500 words at a time or download our desktop application.
The desktop app supports eight file types, including Markdown. Markdown File can be used to export Ulysses text. ProWritingAid will then edit the text, and you can then import it to Ulysses to further process. It’s quick and easy however you’re not given the option to save your images and attachments (e.g. writing goals). After some play using the app, it was a great fit for my workflow.
Open ProWritingAid.
Go to Ulysses, select a text paragraph, and use the Copy as Markdown command in the Edit menu.
Paste into ProWritingAid.
Review each report one at a time and then edit it in ProWritingAid.
Once you are satisfied you are satisfied, copy the text you have edited.
Paste back to your Ulysses sheet, replacing the previous version of the text passage and then select the “Paste from Markdown” option from the Edit menu.
The Reports
In each ProWritingAid report, issues that you have identified in your report are underlined. If you move your cursor over a text that is underlined and you’ll receive an explanation or suggestion. You can click on a suggestion if it is applicable, e.g. Click on the suggestion to see the word in a simpler form, or an equivalent.
The reports come with a brief explanation, and the ProWritingAid’s extensive details. To give you an idea of what to expect, I’ll go into detail and provide some examples.
Writing Style Review This report was designed to improve your writing style. The report focuses on passive voice usage in your writing. But, sentences written using active voice are more interesting. Writing Style Check also highlights adverbs, repeated sentence starts and offers suggestions for readability enhancements.
Overused Words Check This report will identify words that are so commonly used that they’ve lost their significance and are no longer relevant in everyday life. ProWritingAid can help you identify those words that have been used to excessive extent.
You can check the length of your sentence
Texts that have sentences with different lengths can make texts more interesting to read. The report shows your sentence lengths in a bar graph, to let you know in a glance whether there’s room to improve. Additionally, the report will identify particularly long sentences, as they tend to render a text difficult to comprehend.
Pricing
ProWritingAid provides an online tool that’s completely free. While it’s more difficult to use and does not provide access to all reports, it can be useful for creating a first impression. You can get a premium membership that allows users to access the desktop application and many additional features for $79/year or $399 per lifetime license. ProWritingAid comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee, which means you can take your own time to decide whether ProWritingAid suits you.
Final Thoughts
ProWritingAid does not replace a human edit. The tool highlights particular measurable aspects of a text and performs a thorough job. While you will still need to make changes to your text, ProWritingAid can speed up the process and improve it.