Updated: January 2021
Whether you want to fill a spare moment with a bit of creative fun, or need inspiration for a writing project, here are five creative writing apps that could help.
They’re all free to use, and I’ve included a mix of iOS and Android options. I have an iPhone myself, but also a handy emulator on my laptop which lets me try out and enjoy apps designed for Android devices.
So, to the apps themselves. Here are the five creative writing apps I’ve been exploring lately:
For Android and iOS
Paperblanks® Journal Prompts
This attractive app offers a mix of self-reflective and story prompts, so you can use your writing time for self-discovery or to unleash your imagination. You can tailor the type of prompts given to you by choosing from a range of categories, including Personal/Introspective, Story-A-Day and Just For Fun. Or you can enable all categories to enjoy a pot luck approach! Save the prompts you particularly like using the favourites feature and return to them with fresh eyes later.
For Android devices, visit Google Play to find out more about the Paperblanks app.
For iOS devices, visit the App Store to learn more about the Paperblanks app.
Call of Writing
Popular in Android and new to iOS, Call of Writing invites you to ‘say goodbye to writer’s block’. Gain inspiration from numerous writing prompts or flex your writing muscles with the various challenges available and daily writing reminders.
For Android devices, visit Google Play to find out more about the Call of Writing app.
For iOS devices, visit the App Store to learn more about the Call of Writing app.
For iOS only
CreativeWriter
In the free version of this app, you can create poems and experiment with word combinations using the clever predictive keyboard. It feels a bit like solving a poetry puzzle. Which words fit together and where will they take you? Switch to the normal keyboard when you want the freedom to insert your own text. While ‘poetry’ is the default mode, you can pay to unlock other packs including Classics, Quotes and Lyrics. You can also install a Dictionary, and there’s a talking robot too!
Visit the App Store to find out more about the CreativeWriter app.
Writerly
Boasting an impressive range of writing activities and lots of useful advice, this app describes itself as a ‘one-stop creative writing toolkit’. When you launch the app, you’re taken on a journey through various warm up exercises, onwards to character development exercises and finally through to some sample writing prompts. You can complete each exercise in sequence, or jump between them via the navigation menu. When you’re ready, you can pay to unlock even more content, including ‘A Year of Prompts’.
Visit the App Store to find out more about the Writerly app.
For Android only
Rhyme Builder
This app is a handy rhyming dictionary and notepad in one. Type out a line and the dictionary will provide a whole host of rhymes to choose from. You can keep on matching rhymes until you’ve found a combination that you particularly like. Then save it and start afresh. I found myself saving a few separate rhymes in the app itself and then bringing them together in one place (my notebook) later on.
Visit Google Play to find out more about the Rhyme Builder app.
I hope you enjoy trying out some of these creative writing apps. Let me know how you get on. For even more inspiration, check out the writing ideas section of this blog.