Blank page syndrome keeps you from sitting down to write the very first sentence. By setting a measurable goal for yourself, that burden is lifted: you have something to work toward, something to accomplish.
If you tell yourself "I'm only going to write for 5 minutes," chances are, you will keep writing beyond that 5 minutes because you've already started. The biggest hurdle has already been crossed.
You don't need to pressure yourself to do all of it, all at once. Rather, take it one step at a time: set a timer for a certain amount (~30 minutes is ideal) or set a word count target. Watch the timer countdown like you're entering a competitive race, then WRITE! Your only opponent is yourself.
A built-in suite of vocabulary tools is on standby right inside your editor:
Thesaurus: Swaps out bland words for stronger synonyms (the semantic difference between "big" and "gigantic" is, well, humongous).
"Did You Mean?": Finds the exact word for a broader concept or tip-of-the-tongue feeling you can't quite pinpoint.
Rhyme Tool: Transforms even the least talented musicians into top-tier MCs from the '90s.
You don't need to retype a word if you find one you like — just click on any suggestion while your text is highlighted and it's automatically replaced. Highlighting another word while the panel is open refreshes the search instantly. Click anywhere on the empty space outside the text editor to close the panel.
Two tools in one: Grammar verifies correct usage of punctuation, misspelled words, and unnecessary spaces — all the boring technical stuff you might skim on a second read.
Phrasing is a bit more involved. It analyzes what you're saying and suggests better or simply different ways of portraying the same idea. Don't worry, it doesn't completely rewrite what you've written. And you can leave yourself notes or questions in brackets [Should I have started that sentence with "And"?] mid-sentence and trust it to rectify your thought process with the [elevated? proper? best?] choice of words. You can clearly see my need for it.
Because Phrasing relies on AI processing, it requires a Claude API Key from Anthropic. You can generate a key from your Anthropic console and paste it into the panel's setup prompt when opening the Phrasing tab for the first time. Phrasing is not available for MLA format or Build-an-Essay mode.
Importing Existing Work: Drag and drop any .docx file directly into the app to start editing immediately.
Instant MLA Conversion: Convert both imported drafts and newly created documents to strict MLA guidelines with a single click. Every converted draft instantly inherits standard 12pt Times New Roman, double line spacing, and standard 1-inch margins.
Build-An-Essay Auto-Collection: Sources and citations logged during guided evidence stages automatically compile, alphabetize, and format with proper hanging indents inside the bottom Works Cited folder tab.
Guaranteed MLA Page Boundaries: Eliminates manual page-break trial-and-error; the system programmatically forces the Works Cited card onto its own fresh page during printing and PDF export regardless of essay length.
Display Tip: For the most accurate page layout representation prior to export, view your document while the app window is maximized (narrower editor windows scale text closer together on screen).
Writing a final draft while cross-referencing a rough one? This is for that. It's off by default — flip on Enable Reference Document in Preferences first, and a small black tab with a white arrow appears on the left edge of the page.
Click the tab, or just drag a PDF straight onto it, and a panel slides open showing the file inline. Only PDFs work — if your reference doc is a .docx, export it to PDF first and drop that in instead.
That gets you a comfortable side panel; hit the maximize button in its corner and it goes full split-screen, sharing the page evenly like two windows side by side.
Click the ↓ on any document card in the grid and pick a format: Plain Text (.txt) for something universal, Markdown (.md) if you write for the web or a static site, Word Document (.docx) for the real deal, or PDF for something locked and ready to hand off.
Bold and italic formatting carries over. (Carries into Markdown as **bold** and *italic* syntax).
The .docx is a genuine Word document built right in your browser, not a renamed text file, so Word, Google Docs, and Pages will all open it correctly with formatting intact.
⌘ or Ctrl + B — Bold
⌘ or Ctrl + I — Italic
⌘ or Ctrl + Shift + T — Opens the Thesaurus
⌘ or Ctrl + Shift + / — Opens "Did You Mean?"
⌘ or Ctrl + Shift + R — Opens Rhymes
Esc — Closes whatever panel's open, or exits the document if nothing's selected
The creator is being forced against his will to attend an educational prison known as "college," in which there are various features he plans to implement in the near future: