Here is a word processing app that challenges you to write simply, like the Nobel Laureate it is named after. The Hemingway Editor app “makes your writing bold and clear”. Visit its website and type in matter, or copy-paste work you have already finished. Then let the software tell you how to make the text reader-friendly. It highlights portions that are hard to read in yellow, those that are very hard to read in red. Violet marks the passages that have a simpler alternative, and blue shows up the moment you use an adverb. The app also has low tolerance for the passive voice, which it marks green. A bar on the right-hand side of the page measures your prose’s readability, which yours truly has so far managed to keep at 8 (Good), after significant editing. But with that last sentence she has invited a red mark for constructing a very hard to read sentence. This app tests your writing skills and reveals redundancy like a seasoned sub-editor. Of course, such writing may not be suited to an aspiring novelist. But it is ideal for everyday purposes like composing emails, blogs or checking school work. Controls at the top of the page allow the writer to format text. An updated version even allows the writer to export text from word files and also to the web. The colours let you identify errors immediately but unlike Word it does not suggest alternatives. And here, I smugly sign off after maintaining an 8 overall despite a colour palette on my screen!
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