Write frequently, and it will become a habit. Words will queue up helpfully in your cortex to help you express thoughts with precision and poise. Hm, that’s the idea anyway. I certainly value any app that helps me to maintain my writing routine.

A program that I now use on a daily basis is day one, which comes in an iPad/iPhone ($1.99) and a mac desktop ($10.49) version. The screenshot below is from the desktop version.

I find the clear and crisp layout stimulating, but that’s a personal thing. Entries are automatically date stamped but you can also make an entry retrospectively. Clicking on the ‘days’ link in the navigation pane brings up a nicely laid out list of dates with a preview of the entry for each date. Clicking on the ‘calendar’ view brings up a monthly view, highlighting the dates that contain an entry. Hovering the mouse cursor over a date brings up a callout box showing the entry for that day. It is very easy to set up a reminder, which will gently nag you into persisting with your creativity.

Both versions can be password protected. They synchronise fast and reliably via dropbox. Entries can also be emailed or tweeted from the iPad/iPhone version.

I have started writing a novel and use scrivener for that project – it is a fantastic program that I will review in a separate post. As I work full-time, I can work on my novel only sporadically and I find day one a stimulating program that helps me to maintain my skills in between those precious longer bursts of writing.