Why Evernote is Great for Writers

Photo credit: Johan Larsson on Flickr
We live in a world inundated with technology. Laptops, desktops, tablets, e-readers, iPods and smartphones have become a part of our daily lives, and as these various devices become more accessible and economical, the trend will only continue.

Chances are you probably have at least two of the devices I've mentioned above, which brings up an interesting situation for writers who like to use these devices to write on the go—how to sync your work across devices.

There are many different methods and applications—both easy and cumbersome, free and paid—to help people synchronize their work or share documents across their devices, or from a public computer to a personal one. My method of choice, as you could probably guess from the title, is Evernote.

For those of you who don't know, Evernote is a note-taking application with free storage up to 60 MB a month for computers, tablets and smartphones, and it's quickly become one of my favorite note-taking apps.

I know I don't normally talk about technological things here, but with NaNoWriMo less than a month away, I'm willing to bet many of you are preparing for the big event with brainstorming or plotting or whatever it is you like to do in anticipation of a new WIP—and Evernote is a fantastic tool for recording and organizing those preparations. And for the record, I'm not being paid to write about Evernote —I'm just sharing this tool with you guys because I enjoy using it.

So why is Evernote so great for writers? One word: synchronization.

Most writers are not just writers, and even when individuals do write for a living, there are still life things that pull them away from the computer, and thus, from their writing. People often suggest that a writer should always carry a small notebook around so that they can record ideas and inspiration that hits them while they're away from home, and it occurred to me recently that you don't necessarily need to carry around a physical notebook as long as you have a smartphone, tablet, or some other portable device that you carry with you throughout the day.

You see, Evernote can act as that notebook—it's a virtual storage bin accessible anywhere as long as you have a portable device, and even if you don't, the website version is still accessible on any computer with an internet connection, public or otherwise.

So maybe you get up early to get some brainstorming in before you leave for work or school or whatever engagement you have for the day, but you don't finish as much as you would have liked. If you write your brainstorming in Evernote, you can access it later and write more while you're away from the computer. The beauty of it is when you return home, the note will synchronize automatically, so your updates are there to continue off of at home.

It's a wonderful thing, and it's helped me tremendously with completing blog posts, organizing notes and keeping track of various ideas for WIPs and otherwise, all accessible to me away from my computer.

It's simple, it's easy, and I can't recommend it enough to writers. If you haven't already, I hope that you check it out.

What tools and applications do you use for writing tasks, on the go and otherwise? Any recommendations?

34 comments:

RaiscaraAvalon said...

I love Evernote so much! It's also the perfect research tool, as you can keep all those little details that matter so much. I also use Springnote...yeah, I'm a nerd! :)

Liz Parker said...

This sounds awesome. I had only heard the name before but didn't know anything else. Thanks for sharing!

Daphne Gray-Grant said...

I agree. Evernote is a fantastic tool. I recommend it to anyone who has to use or coordinate any kind of research. Ava, you asked about other tools as well. I also highly recommend TextExpander. This software allows you to create short codes that have text associated with them. For example, I have a code to spell out my rather long name AND another one for my email address. This makes my day-to-day life much simpler and faster.

Ava Jae said...

Great point about using it for researching--it really is a multi-functional tool. Haven't heard of Springnote before...is that like Evernote?

Ava Jae said...

Absolutely! Let me know what you think of the app if you decide to use it. :)

Ava Jae said...

I just looked up TextExpander and it looks like a very useful and clever program. Thanks for the recommendation!

RaiscaraAvalon said...

Yeah, it's very similar. It has some nifty features for groups too.

Ava Jae said...

Good to know! Thanks for sharing! :)

Lauren Shearer said...

I haven't tried Evernote (although I've heard so much about it) but I do use Nebulous notes, which I like because it connects straight to Dropbox (which I use a lot for writing).

Ainsley said...

I haven't tried Evernote. I'll have to check it out. I use "My Writing Nook" app. It's easy and convenient. Thanks for the tip.

Grace Robinson said...

I love Evernote! With the complex epic stories with huge casts of characters that I love to write, Evernote has really simplified things for me. It's less cumbersome than 2 or 3 large notebooks and stacks of sticky notes, like I used to use. And I love the synchronization ability. I make notes on my phone as ideas come to me, then when I get home I can sit down and organize and write without having to wonder where that sticky note I wrote while I was in the car went to...

Daniel Swensen said...

I use Zim and Dropbox to sync my files across computers. Since i have a desktop, two netbooks, and a tablet, that means my writing is backed up across no less than four computers, plus the cloud. I call that pretty secure. Both are free, so that's the main bonus for me, although I've recently become really enamored with Scrivener and its features.

Margaret Alexander said...

Pretty nifty! I hadn't heard of it, but I'd often take notes on my iphone and then have to refer back to them if I was at my laptop. Good way to synch!

Ava Jae said...

I haven't heard of Nebulous notes, but Dropbox is another great one. Very useful for backing up files and sharing them with multiple computers.

Ava Jae said...

Sure thing!

Yesenia Vargas said...

I'm also a huge fan of Evernote, Ava. I have a notebook for every different thing, from writing research to blog post ideas to cool resources. I also like to use the Web Clipper thing for when I find neat things online.


It's also a great way to backup your work. Just copy and paste into a new note or save as a PDF and right-click, "Open with Evernote." :)

Ava Jae said...

Having all of your notes in a centralized location that you can access across devices definitely simplifies the process. As a bonus, you can't lose your notes (or forget them in the car). :)

Ava Jae said...

I haven't heard of Zim, but I also use Dropbox to file synchronization across computers and as a backup. I also tried out Scrivener before my last computer died--it definitely seems like a great program for organizing, plotting and writing. I intend to try it out again in the future.

Ava Jae said...

If you already take notes on your iPhone, I highly recommend Evernote. The synching capability is absolutely fantastic. :)

Ava Jae said...

Great point about using it as a backup! I tend not to only because I don't want to use up all of my free space, however it's definitely an option. :)

Gene Lempp said...

Evernote is my favorite app, actually has two screens all its own on my smartphone. Not to mention on the desktop. Two laptops. A netbook. A couple of iPads. Love the cloud. Love Evernote :)

Fallon said...

I've been using Evernote for about 2 months now and love it. Use it mostly for my daily to-do lists, and it's so much easier than doing those on paper. Plus, when I'm away from the computer and get an idea, I can jot down those idea on it.

Ava Jae said...

With so many devices, I can definitely see how Evernote would be particularly useful to you. It's a great program and I'm very happy I decided to give it a chance. :)

Ava Jae said...

Evernote is one of those applications that is ridiculously simple and easy to use and can be used in many different ways. It's ability to synchronize really makes it a fantastic multifunctional tool, and I have to agree that it's in many ways easier than jotting those notes on paper.

Noe said...

Since you posted this a few days ago, I got Evernote, and it seems like a combination for what I've been using Scrivener and various private online journals for. It's really nice, though I have mixed feelings about the only-online sync for mobile devices, not to mention that I haven't figured out how to write quickly on a phone...

Zach Harper said...

If you prefer simplicity and pure text, I recommend simplenote for iOS and notational acceleration for Android. Evernote is the middle ground where raw thoughts go to be sorted and have rich media added for me, while notational acceleration is how I capture a fleeting idea.

Ava Jae said...

I think the ability to write quickly on a phone varies person to person--for some it comes naturally, for some it takes practice and for some it just doesn't happen. If you have dictation on your phone, that can be very helpful. Otherwise, it can still be useful for jotting down quick notes rather than long paragraphs.

Ava Jae said...

Interesting! So Simplenote and Notational Accerlation are like Evernote, but only text?

ravencomeslaughing said...

I love Evernote. I clip a lot of snippets and images from web pages for research for my books to there, because I can have a note for each topic. I am writing a mystery, so I have notes full of info on things like Digitalis, knife wounds, police procedure, local landmarks, character traits, etc. Very very useful. I keep an updated backup copy of the work to date in Dropbox so I can actually write if something inspires me while away from home.

ravencomeslaughing said...

I adore Scrivener. I just got it a few weeks ago, and it in amazing! I love the "Corkboard" where you can move scenes around and such. The compiler makes my final stuff into one document, which is great for backup versions.

Ava Jae said...

You know, I've just started using Scrivener again after trying it out many months ago before my laptop died on me (taking the Scrivener files with it) and I have to say, I really, really like it. The organization and simplicity really makes it a fantastic program.

Luke Moy said...

I love creating lists and stuff in Evernote! I also recently found Workflowy thanks to this blog (can you tell, I'm kinda obsessed with this; not in a bad or creepy way, I hope, but I'm trying to get the most out of this)! I love using both for different things, and have found Evernote to be a great generator for brainstorming plots, characters, etc.!

Ava Jae said...

How did I miss this comment?? Sorry about that...


Anyway, I agree entirely about Evernote's usefulness. Even now ten months after writing this post, I use Evernote just about every day. It's nice having a centralized note source that I can access off of several devices.

Ava Jae said...

Evernote and Workflowy are both fantastic tools—and I'm glad to hear that you were able to find one of them off my blog. (Don't worry—it's not creepy) :)

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