Today’s writers benefit from an incredible assortment of digital tools from which they can draw inspiration and productivity. Although some writers prefer to stick to old-fashioned pen and paper or even typewriters, there’s a vast population of others that are happy to take advantage of all the new tools out there.
Some of the brightest of these tools can be found on the Apple iPad, and we’ve highlighted 32 of them here. Whether you’re looking for a place to scribble ideas, organize plotlines, or just find your zen before sitting down to write, these apps have got you covered.
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Adobe Ideas
Keep this app handy for moments of inspiration. You can scribble notes, write on images, and create sketches to make your vision come to life.
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Manuscript
This app will walk you through the steps of writing to create a publication-ready document. You’ll flesh out your pitch synopsis, chapter outlines, and finally, the content. The app also offers the option to create storyboards, organize your blog, track page and word count, and more.
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Clockwork Notebook
This super simple doodling app is great for typing notes, doodles, and more, with stickers and even an option to paste photos from your photo library. Notes can be exported as PDFs.
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MaxJournal
Write a daily diary, write down notes, and create outlines with this iPad journaling app. You can attach tags for easy organization, as well as attach a few photos. Then, bring it all together on your computer by exporting entries as a PDF, text, or email.
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Chapters
In this app, you can simply organize your chapters, journal entries, notes, and more. Chapters allows you to search, autosave, and even protect private notebooks with a passcode.
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Pages
Although this app comes with a high price tag, writers say it’s worth every penny for all of its useful features. You’ll find formatting options, printing support, and the ability to save your document in a number of different formats.
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iZen Garden
Go to your happy place and allow inspiration to find you with this tabletop zen garden for the iPad.
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My Writing Spot
For a distraction-free writing environment, this app can’t be beat. But this app isn’t bare bones: it offers word count, password protection, dictionary lookup, spellcheck, and more.
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PrintCentral
Get your notes and writing off your iPad and physically into your hands with this app. Find the best printer, and print via Wi-Fi, 3G, or even EDGE.
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Clean Writer
Created for writing minimalists, Clean Writer has a zen interface with precious few features to distract you from the task at hand.
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Kindle
Although this app is not for writing, reading is an important task for any writer. Find free classics, download new favorites, and sync it all up with this app.
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Dragon Dictation
If inspiration strikes, but you can’t stop to type it all out, this dictation app will come in extremely handy. Turn your words into text lightning fast, and you’ll be amazed by its accuracy.
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Due
Use this timer app to encourage short bursts of intense writing and get your book written in no time.
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Writers App
Get your ideas out and organized with the help of this app. You can use it to collect your plot, chapters, characters, and more, all in one handy spot.
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GoodReader
This app is perfect for annotating PDF documents on your iPad. Highlight, comment, and make notes all over to get your thoughts in order.
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QuickVoice Recorder
If you need a quick fix for getting your ideas down in spoken word, this app will do it for you. Record audio clips, email them to yourself, and use them to remember all of your great ideas and inspirations.
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Chronicle
Find a home for your stories, life events, and ideas in this journal. The app offers password protection, cloud backups, and event the option to export your journal as a website.
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miTypewriter
If you’re longing for the old days of typewriters, this app can help you reminisce. It’s simply an easy way to use a typewriter interface for writing on the iPad.
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iA Writer
This super simple text writer can help you get your ideas out onto paper with minimal distractions and plenty of ease of use.
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Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus
This app combines the power of a dictionary and thesaurus, both available offline any time you need help finding the right words.
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Whiteboard HD
Capture your brainstorming sessions in style with this app. You can write notes, sketch charts, and even make simple freeform drawings.
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Grammar App HD
Find tips, rules, and other great resources for cleaning up your grammar right on the iPad with this app.
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Colorful Aquarium
Find relaxation and entertainment in this colorful aquarium. You don’t even have to clean it!
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Wikihood
For doing quick research on settings, Wikihood is a great option. The app will show you all of the Wikipedia entries for any given area, sharing the history, politics, and culture that can be reflected in your work.
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Dropbox
Make your novel available to you anytime, anywhere by putting it on Dropbox. Access your photos, documents, and notes easily with this app that saves them all automatically to all of your devices.
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Notepiler 9
Using N9, you can capture media-rich notes, with an easy to find visual catalog. Record audio notes, annotate photos, map points of interest, and more, all in one app.
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Todo for iPad
Stay on top of your to-do list with this app, which keeps your tasks up to date and synched between all of your devices. You can even take advantage of the app’s GPS capability to get reminders based on where you are.
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Index Card
TV writers love this app for thinking through and organizing scripts. It has an easy to use, attractive interface that makes writing more fun.
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Fancy Pages
Using this app, you can create graphics-rich documents including presentations or even a children’s book.
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Infinote Pinboard
Similar to Index Card, Infinote Pinboard allow you to create note cards to pin to your message board. You can share them, print them, and order them by date, color, or even deadline.
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Evernote
Evernote is a super capable writing app that pretty much goes everywhere. You can update notes and documents on your iPad, then have them synched up to work on your iPhone, computer, and more.
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SimpleNote
A lot like Evernote, SimpleNote syncs your notes online for access anywhere. This app also allows you to go back and recycle pieces of text from previous drafts, and shows the word count of your document.