You know those moments when you find something really awesome and then you just want to keep it to yourself? It’s really selfish, I know, but I’m coming clean. Hemingway (no, not that one) has been my right-hand man for months and I haven’t told anyone.
Hemingway is the writing coach app the Internet has always needed. (I’m a huge nerd when it comes to grammar, so please excuse me while I step onto my soapbox for a moment.) Word processing programs never do a great job of proofreading. An OK job, sure, but not great. Not only do they haunt users with glaring red underlines, but the errors are often unclear and the solutions can be even hazier. And sometimes they miss stuff!
That’s not OK, even if you’re not a stickler. Word processors should be intuitive, offer clear solutions and help you become a better writer. In 2014, there’s no excuse for technology to be so far behind in something as important as writing! (OK, getting off my soapbox now…)
Hemingway is an app meant to change all that. In one fell swoop, you can use it to check your writing for wordy sentences, unnecessary adverbs, passive voice and dull or complicated words. It color-codes each type of error, so you can easily spot weaknesses. The Hemingway app reminds me a lot of my former teachers and editors. It pushes me to try over and over again until my words are more readable, and I get to learn in the process.
The app’s creators, Adam Long and Ben Long, first released Hemingway as a web app. Last week they released a desktop version for $6.99 so you can use Hemingway on the go. As a blogger and a freelancer, it’s an app I simply can’t live without. // susannah
(Photo // Unsplash)
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