Using ProWritingAid Guide For Authors Starting a new writing tool can feel like opening a fancy board game: a beautiful box, a thousand pieces, and one tiny booklet that assumes you already know what a “meeple” is. If you have ever installed an app, stared at the settings, and thought, “I will figure this out later,” welcome to the club. We have snacks. We also have unfinished drafts. ProWritingAid is worth learning because it is not only a grammar checker. It is a revision toolkit built for writers who care about craft, clarity, and consistency across pages and chapters. It works in a web editor, in popular writing apps, and in your browser, so you can edit where you write. This beginner’s guide walks you through setup step by step, then gives you a simple first-week workflow so you actually use it, instead of adding it to your “someday” pile.
Step 1: Create Your Account And Pick Your Starting Point Once you create a ProWritingAid account, you can start in the Web Editor or install ProWritingAid into the places you already write, like Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener. ProWritingAid’s own getting-started guidance recommends exactly that: use the web editor, or add ProWritingAid to your computer and browser for integrations. If you are unsure where to begin, use this rule: • •
Start with the Web Editor if you want the fastest setup and a clean place to test features. Install an integration if you live in a specific app (Word, Google Docs, Scrivener) and want in-place suggestions.
Step 2: Use The Web Editor For Your First Test Drive The Web Editor is the easiest on-ramp. ProWritingAid notes that you can log in on their site and click “Use App” to open the Web Editor. What To Do In The Web Editor • • •
Paste a short sample (500 to 1,500 words is plenty). Use an excerpt you know well, like your first chapter or a blog draft. Run the in-editor check to catch quick grammar and punctuation issues. Open a few reports (more on which ones in a moment) to see the bigger patterns in your writing.
This first session should feel like a guided tour, not a full renovation. Your goal is to understand what ProWritingAid notices about your writing, and which suggestions match your voice.
Step 3: Install Desktop Everywhere For Windows Or Mac If you write in desktop apps like Word or Scrivener, ProWritingAid recommends installing Desktop Everywhere (also called “ProWritingAid Everywhere”). Once installed, you will see the ProWritingAid icon in compatible apps, which opens suggestions and writing reports inside your workflow.
Desktop Everywhere For Windows: Install Steps ProWritingAid’s Windows installation instructions are straightforward: download from the Desktop Everywhere page (or from your dashboard), open the downloaded file, agree to the license terms, then click install. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Download Desktop Everywhere for Windows. Open the downloaded installer. Agree to the license terms. Click Install. Open Word, Scrivener, or another supported app, then look for the ProWritingAid icon.
Desktop Everywhere For Mac: Install Steps On Mac, ProWritingAid instructs you to download the app, open the DMG file, then drag the ProWritingAid Everywhere app into your Applications folder. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Download Desktop Everywhere for Mac. Open the ProWritingAidEverywhere.dmg file. Drag ProWritingAid Everywhere into your Applications folder. Open your writing app and look for the ProWritingAid icon.
Tip: If you do not see ProWritingAid inside a supported app right away, restart the writing app (and occasionally your computer). Many integrations register fully after a restart.
Step 4: Add The Browser Extension For Google Docs And Online Writing If you write in Google Docs or web-based tools like Notion, ProWritingAid’s browser extension is the easiest path. ProWritingAid specifically notes that its Chrome extension brings grammar, style improvements, and in-depth reports into Google Docs and many other sites.
Chrome Extension: Install And Confirm It’s Working The Chrome Web Store listing includes a simple “getting started” set of steps: install the extension, open Google Docs (or another writing site), then look for the ProWritingAid icon. The icon changes color based on whether there are suggestions to review. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Install the ProWritingAid extension for your browser (Chrome is the most common starting place). Open a Google Doc or the site where you write online. Look for the ProWritingAid icon, then open suggestions. Adjust settings like your dictionary and style preferences so the feedback fits your goals.
Google Docs note: ProWritingAid offers a Google Docs workflow through its Chrome extension, bringing its reports into Docs via the browser.
Step 5: Connect ProWritingAid To The Apps Authors Actually Use ProWritingAid’s integrations page lists common author tools and highlights that you can edit directly in Word, Google Docs, Scrivener, and more by adding ProWritingAid to your computer and browser.
Microsoft Word If Word is your main drafting and editing home, Desktop Everywhere is typically the cleanest path on Windows and Mac. Once installed, you can run real-time suggestions and use reports without copying text into another window.
Scrivener Many novelists draft in Scrivener because it is built for long projects. ProWritingAid supports Scrivener via Desktop Everywhere, so you can keep your drafting setup and still get editing help.
Google Docs Google Docs is great for collaboration, sharing, and writing from anywhere. ProWritingAid supports Google Docs through the browser extension workflow, bringing analysis into the Docs environment.
Step 6: Set Up Your Preferences So The Suggestions Fit You Here is where beginners make a common mistake: they use default settings, accept too many suggestions, and end up with writing that feels “correct” but oddly bland. You do not want that. You want feedback that matches your genre, audience, and voice.
Use Goals, Dictionaries, And Style Preferences ProWritingAid lets you customize settings, including dictionary and style preferences, so the tool is tuned to how you write and what you are writing. The Chrome extension listing specifically mentions customizing your dictionary and style guide to receive relevant suggestions. Simple setup ideas: • • •
Add character names and made-up places to your personal dictionary, so they stop getting flagged as errors. Choose goals that fit your project (casual blog post vs. formal essay vs. genre fiction). Decide your “voice rules”, such as whether you want to keep some sentence fragments in dialogue.
Your First Week With ProWritingAid: A No-Overwhelm Workflow If you try to run every report on day one, your brain will do the writing equivalent of flipping a table. Instead, use a simple plan that builds confidence and keeps your revisions manageable.
Day 1: Run A Quick Clean-Up Pass • •
Use the in-editor check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Fix the obvious issues first (typos, missing commas, repeated words).
Day 2: Run Two Reports That Change Everything • •
Overused Words, to spot your default crutches. Sticky Sentences, to tighten lines that drag.
These two reports tend to deliver the biggest “wow” moment for new users because they show patterns you would not easily catch in a normal read-through.
Day 3: Readability And Flow • •
Run readability and sentence variety tools. Focus on smoothing paragraphs that feel choppy or overly dense.
Day 4: Use Rephrase Or Sparks For Stubborn Lines When you hit a sentence that will not behave, use ProWritingAid’s rewrite options to generate alternatives, then adjust the best one to sound like you. Think of it as brainstorming, not outsourcing.
Day 5: Do A Human Pass, Out Loud Tools are great at patterns. Your ear is great at rhythm. Read key paragraphs out loud and revise for voice. Keep what makes your writing yours.
