Hi guys, Kat Clay here today.
I am going to talk about one of the pieces of software that I use pretty
regularly in my writing process. It's called ProWritingAid and at the surface,
it's a writing and spelling checker that I use integrated with Word,
but you can use it with a whole bunch of different apps, including Scrivener.
So I want to talk a little bit about my process with ProWritingAid,
how I use it, whether it's worth your money.
And what are some of the benefits and disadvantages of the software.
So, like I said,
I'm going to talk about it specifically about the Word integration,
because that's what I use it with. Most,
you can use it with all sorts of things like your emails.
You can use it with Scrivener, any kind of piece of writing.
There's also online tool, but for me, I use it with Word because I write big,
big, big manuscripts, 80,000 word manuscripts. So for me,
it's really important that it integrates with Word.
And that's really easy to do so you just go to their website,
you pay for the software, you download it,
press the installation file and voila. It will work in Word,
and it comes up with a little ribbon, um,
with all the tools that you can possibly use for it.
So your writing style checks, your grammar checks, your cliche checks.
There's a long list of checks that you can possibly do on your piece of work.
And the first thing that you need to do when you set it up is to set it on the
type of writing that you use. So for me, I do a lot of creative writing,
but I also swap to web copy.
So I make sure that the software is on the correct setting before I
start. So for me,
the biggest advantage of ProWritingAid is that it speeds up the process.
I go to ProWritingAid for just about anything to do a first pass.
And as you can see, like, I really love this software. Yes,
there are faults to it, which I'll get into a sec, but overall,
I think it really is worth the money. And it does save me a lot of time.
For instance,
I was trying to get an agent for a long time and my manuscript
was good, but just not quite getting there. And so for me,
I did a second pass over the book and that really helped.
And part of that process was, look, I found this software, I'll give it a go.
I'll use it to tighten up the manuscript.
And one of the best things that ProWritingAid does,
especially in the writing style check is shows you where you can omit words
where you're using too many words,
where you can tighten up your use of language. So for example,
using a stronger word versus a weaker word,
using more active verbs rather than like passive verbs,
that kind of thing. And I feel like that really helped.
And although that wasn't the reason that I got an agent,
it really helped in editing the book so I could get an agent.
The other checks that I use, a lot are the overused words checker.
There's a few words that I use a lot.
That some people will say maybe gloaming and crinoline are in my books a little
too much, maybe a bit too much moonlight. Look, I get that.
So I use an overused words check. I also use the readability check,
especially on things like web copy.
So I can get an idea of if I'm using too chunky sentences,
if I need to break them up so they're easy to read. For the most part,
the grammar check is helpful for checking a lot of my clauses and my incorrect
comma usage. I have a comma problem. I've been told this.
So there are some of the big advantages and the things that ProWritingAid does
really, really well. For me,
the thing that ProWritingAid doesn't do so well is deal with large
documents. So like I said, I write big books. I cannot lie.
But what happens is that the ProWritingAid can only deal with this,
maybe a chapter at a time.
And that's understandable because it is a resource heavy software
and breaking it up by chapters to edit is actually really good way to get
through the book and say, I'm going to do three chapters today.
So that's what I do. I highlight the chapter. Then I look through it,
do one check at a time. So I do three different passes.
Like I'll do a grammar check, I'll do a readability check.
I'll do a writing style check.
And that way you're looking for different things each time and progressively the
book gets better and better.
The other thing that I think could be improved about the software in terms of
the actual software itself and the integration with Word is that I would really,
really,
really love to have some shortcuts in the software so that I can skip
between the different highlighted words.
And that would really help for me because often,
like I don't want to be clicking around the manuscript.
Having said that the software does save me a lot of time and picks up things
that I wouldn't actually get. So should you use ProWritingAid?
I think so.
I really love this software and I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't use it all
the time, it really has transformed my editing process.
And I just love the fact that it will pick up so many things,
especially that omit words button.
It really helps tightening things up and making things more readable,
which is what we want in the end. We want people to enjoy our work.
So I heartily recommend ProWritingAid.
I hope this video has been helpful for you in making your decision on whether
you get the software or not. Just remember, you know,
every editorial choice is your choice. It is your book.
But we certainly do love the things that can help us along the way.
So please hit subscribe, say hello in the comments below. I'm Kat Clay,
and hope you have an awesome day.