In only a few decades, due to advancing computer technologies, writing tools have evolved from soft-lead pencils to software programs, many of which are free. As detailed in sections below, free software for writers includes information organizers and word processors.

In the early 20th century, typewriters were not really a great advance. A typewriter was much more noisy than any pen or pencil. It consumed more trees because you needed to retype many pages. It demanded intense concentration and precise dexterity. It was user hostile and very unforgiving; if you made an error, you could not fix it neatly. If you wanted to move a paragraph from one page to another, you needed to cut and paste the paragraph physically, using scissors and glue. All remaining typewriters are imprisoned where they belong, in museums.

Free Information Organizers

An information organizer is a software program that helps you plan, organize, and track your writing project whether it is an essay, an article, a script, or a book.

Evernote - Evernote is a free information organizer that can help you write both fiction and non-fiction projects. Evernote lets you easily store information online, retrieve it, reorganize it purposefully, and then use it creatively within your research for your writing projects. Primary Evernote tools are its notes and notebooks:

• Notes – A note contains information that you might need. You usually create each note by typing text or adding web data. You make each note easy to find by titling it and adding tags to it.
• Notebooks – A notebook contains notes that contain similar information. You can create new notebooks as you find that you need them. For example, if you are writing both a novel and a technical manual, you might create a separate notebook for each.

For more information, see the Evernote website.

yWriter5 - yWriter5 is a novel-writing tool that helps you develop characters, scenes, and chapters, and then track any changes you make. For example, if you move a character from one scene to another, yWriter5 automatically updates the character lists in both scenes, which can help you track characters and scenes correctly. For more information, see the yWriter5 website.

Free Word Processors

A word processor is a software program that lets you type text into a computer, edit that text, and then save it as a file.

OpenOffice.org Writer - OOo (OpenOffice.org) Writer is probably the best free word processor. As shown in Using OpenOffice.org to Write Manuals, OOo Writer is nearly as powerful as Microsoft Word for most writers who perform most writing tasks. For more information, see the OpenOffice.org website.

Google Docs - Google Docs is a free, online productivity suite than includes a good word processor. All you need to access Google Docs is either a Google or Gmail account. You write and store your Google Docs documents online. Also, after you write your documents, you can download them to your computer. For more information, see the Google Docs Getting Started Guide.