Image
Top
Navigation
March 18, 2014

Hemingway – Become a Better Writer

ss-hemingwayapp
The best writing is clear, concise, and gets straight to the point, at least according to the great Ernest Hemingway. Now, a web-based application called Hemingway is helping a new generation of writers punch up their prose using an algorithm that Hemingway himself would approve.

Copy and paste your personal writing into the Hemingway app for an immediate critique. Hemingway will run your work through its engines and color-code its edits based on the literary mistakes you’ve made along the way. Long sentences are highlighted in yellow, complicated sentences are highlighted in red, adverbs are highlighted in blue, and overly complicated words are highlighted in purple. Hemingway also uses green highlighting to point out sentences that have been written in a passive voice.

Each piece of content you upload to Hemingway is rated on a readability scale, which measures how difficult your sentences are to read and the lowest education level that someone would need to understand what you’ve written. The application also calculates the number of paragraphs, sentences, words, and characters in the content you’ve provided. For writers looking for quick and easy ways to improve their work, Hemingway is an app that’s worth checking out.

Practical Uses:

  • Look for new ways to punch up your writing
  • Find out if your sentences are too long
  • Get help remembering to write in an active voice

Insider Tips:

  • “Reading levels” are a measure of how complicated a sentence structure is
  • Hemingway was built with front end JavaScript
  • Hemingway is currently testing demand for a $5 desktop version of the app

What we liked:

  • Hemingway really does help make people’s writing bolder and clearer
  • Even experienced writers can use Hemingway to improve their work
  • Hemingway is good at spotting unnecessary adverbs

What we didn’t like:

  • Not all of Hemingway’s edits are relevant, and users shouldn’t take the app too seriously

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: September 2013
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Raleigh, North Carolina, and New York, New York
  • Founded by: Adam Long and Ben Long
  • Web site: http://www.hemingwayapp.com

Costs:

  • Free

Submit a Comment