#52Tech | Week 3: Writing Challenge App (iOS and Android)

This is a catchup post for my year of #52tech – promising a post every week on writing or creative technology. This is week 3. We are now up-to-date with this weekly series for the year, so you should expect January’s fourth installment end of next week.

This time around it’s the Writing Challenge app and Writing Challenge for Kids app – the later obviously designed as a prompt app for kids – so to help me out I put my daughter onto the app – she’s tried it out on both her Android tablet and iPhone for me.

Start screen, Writing Challenge for Kids - on an Android tablet. — Start screen, Writing Challenge for Kids – on an Android tablet.

Writing Challenge App is an inexpensive app from Literautus, the same people who created iDeas for Writing which was profiled in my old post on Writing Prompt apps. The app is available for Android and iOS.

Unlike some other prompting apps, Writing Challenge doesn’t provide a keyboard or text notes feature. Instead, the user prompts for a new writing prompt, and is then free to write in their own notebook or application as they please. Which makes it helpful for teaching writing as a subject, allowing students to use their own writing notebooks or journals.

Writing Challenge for Kids app is designed with more relevant word sets and prompts. For instance, the adult version may prompt you to start a story with the words: kiss, revenge or poet; while the kid’s version prompts with pirate, sunflower or princess. My daughter has recently turned eleven so has hit the tween “too childish” period, but still enjoyed some of the prompts for perhaps younger aged children.

The prompts for both versions work on a step by step timed approach. You start with some random words, add a scene, a character or other prompts such as actions and onwards, all timed on the app. The default time for each prompt is one minute but this can be changed in the app setting.

Beginning is simply a matter of pressing the start button. From there, it becomes quite a game to fill out some writing before the next prompt comes along. The app descriptions promise millions of prompt generations. If you’re a writer who gets a lot out of morning practice or warmup writing, the app provides a lot of good inspiration.

Putting my Daughter to Work

My daughter and I tried out both apps on several environments – she used an Android tablet, then her iPhone for the Writing Challenge for Kids app, while I used the Writing Challenge over my iPAD. Although it’s such a simple app that it’s very portable and works equally well on smaller screens like our phones.

Her notes:

“Writing Challenge for Kids was easy to use and had some very creative ideas. Overall it was a good app, and really got me writing. I wrote two pages of a story.”

Tips:

You can change the timing between the steps. One minute is the minimum (or you can select no time between steps if you just want to go through them). 10 minutes is the most. After the time runs out, an alarm sound rings out.

The steps are unlimited, and keep going for as long as you want a new prompt. You can decide when to finish.

Literautus Bonus

Literautus is a writing website available in English and Spanish.

If you visit, you will find several good articles posted for writers, plus at the moment they are giving away some free downloads – 2014 writing monthly and wall calendars which you can use for putting up your writing goals onto.

App Overview

Writing Challenge or Writing Challenge for Kids apps (for iOS and Android) from Literautus

Writing Challenge: iOS Store Link | Android Google Play Link

Writing Challenge for Kids: iOS Store Link | Android Google Play Link

FEATURES (Writing Challenge for Kids)

Writing Challenge for Kids is an app to express creativity, have fun with writing, spark inspiration and improve writing skills.

WHO IS THIS APP FOR?

Kids between 7 and 14 years who want to write their own stories.
Writers who want to write books for children.
Parents who want to make their kids play with their creativity.
Teachers who want to improve creativity and writing skills in their classrooms.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
It’s easy. You just have to press “start” and the app gives you the first prompt to start writing your story. Choose the one that you most like and fire up your writing. Then, every minute (or the period of time you choose; you can set it in the app settings) the app will give you a new prompt for you to add new ideas, words, characters, sentences, places or actions to the plot. Quite a challenge to turn your writing into a game!

WHAT THIS APP OFFERS:
• Generates millions of creative writing ideas for children storytelling.
• Great for homes and schools.
• Inspiration. Forget about creative blocks and carry always the muses with you.
• Fun and Motivation. With this app writing is like a game, because when we enjoy, everything gets easier.

This was a one in the #52tech goal – to investigate and share one technology post once a week for 2014.