When it comes to unleashing your inner wordsmith, your Mac can be a powerful tool and your trusted ally. Whether you are composing a persuasive email or crafting an engaging novel, knowing how to use your Mac to enhance your creativity and productivity is essential. Also, it is essential to keep in mind that writing involves much more complex steps than putting words on a page. It is a combination of impeccable research, structuring, grammar, and organization. In this guide, you will learn some effective tips and tricks to write better on your Mac. Take a look.
Embrace the Power of Writing Apps
Most of you will be choosing a Google Doc or a standard word processor like MS Office without even thinking of other options. We’ve got news for you! There are several amazing writing apps available for Mac that are packed with features to enhance your creativity and efficiency.
One of the best writing apps for Mac users is Pages. It is specifically for casual writers and those who wish to craft visually stunning documents. The app comes with powerful layout tools and numerous templates so you have everything that is required to create a document that is not just well-written but also looks attractive.
Do you get easily distracted while writing? The problem with most word processors is that when you type, you are constantly reminded of things like typing errors. This can be highly distracting, and you might find yourself busy with menus and fonts instead of writing. This is where Ulysses comes in handy because it is a user-friendly, clutter-free word processor. Another excellent option is Bike. This app offers a text-only environment so you can focus on your writing without any distractions.
Most writers suffer from writer’s block but with Elephas you can overcome your writer’s block in a jiffy. This is an AI software for Mac that helps in creation of emails to presentations and everything in between. Moreover, it can create Excel formulas and GSheet.
Leverage Grammar and Style Checkers
Tools like Hemmingway Editor and Grammarly integrate seamlessly into the Mac’s writing environment. They offer real-time feedback on clarity, grammar, spelling, and readability. These tools also offer suggestions and recommendations to help you polish your writing and refine your style.
Conquer the Chaos
A chaotic and cluttered digital workspace is not ideal to get your creative juices flowing. Hence, before you start writing, it is essential to organize your writing projects on your Mac.
Create a clean digital workspace by decluttering the desktop and neatly organizing the documents into folders and files. You can even use the built-in Stacks feature to visually organize the desktop. If you have research materials on your Mac, you can also organize them into folders and sub-folders.
This is important so that when you finally sit to write, you know where all the files are stored.
Remove Distractions
Writing is an activity that requires unwavering focus. One surefire way to get things done on time is to remove all distractions. You can do so by turning on the Do Not Disturb mode or Focus mode. This will tame the notifications sent to you from various applications.
Also, you can avoid distractions while writing by using full-screen mode. This will hide the toolbar in writing apps.
If you are still struggling to stay focused, you can use distraction-free apps like HazeOver. This application highlights the foremost app window and masks the others in the background so you can focus solely on your writing.
Use the Built-in Dictionary
Using your Mac to write means you don’t need to keep a dictionary close by or even switch windows to quickly ask Google for the meaning of a particular world. You can simply use the built-in Dictionary application in macOS. This is a powerful tool for searching definitions.
The words can be searched for manually or you can point to a word and press Control + Command + D. This command will open the dictionary panel and you’ll have the definition in front of you.
The Dictionary application can be customized to make it more robust using Terminology for Mac. Besides joining word forms, it makes specific senses of the word. It also labels the semantic relations among words.
Open the Dictionary application to use Terminology for Mac Dictionary > go to Settings > check the Terminology box.
Leverage the Power of Dictation
If you are brimming with ideas but your fingers are tired and cannot keep up, you can use the Dictation feature on your Mac. Go to the Apple menu > System Settings > click Keyboard > Dictation > turn it on > click Enable. Then, you can start dictating text, and the words will be converted into written words. You can even enter punctuation marks or emoji by simply saying their names.
Summing Up
So, use these tips and tricks to take your creativity and writing prowess to the next level. Use apps that work for you and utilize the built-in Dictation and Dictionary app to speed up the writing process on your Mac.