Try this platform with what you use now

If you like the free Google programs and other free software for writing, you should still try Microsoft 365 Family at the same time. You can start with the free version that is online while you are still using Google Docs and Sheets.

Have you noticed that other software companies compare themselves to Microsoft software? They say how compatible their files are with Microsoft files. So why not worry about compatibility by using Microsoft for your documents.

Why You Should Use Microsoft 365 Family for Your Writing

This is not an affiliate article – my opinion and information only

Microsoft 365 Family is now a one-stop writing environment – the free and paid versions. I will briefly go over the different parts of Microsoft 365 and then tell you how to make it a great deal when you purchase it.

It has become a great environment for writing

Writing is not that easy. Not all of us are fast typists, grammar specialists, or detailed in keeping track of our stories. Over time, Microsoft has been adding a suite of programs that have become a nice resource of writing aids to help you with those tasks.

There is a free version with most of the features, but as you read on, I will let you know why you should register for the inexpensive paid version. The main programs to use are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook Email. There are other helpful programs for tasks such as OneNote for notetaking, OneDrive for file space, and other helpful programs. Outside of the Microsoft suite, they have free software for picture and video editing.

Begin with Word

Not a great typist? Word has an option for Voice to Text. You talk into a microphone, and it adds the text to a document. You can also use indicate punctuation marks by saying “comma” or “period” and even “new line new line” to start new paragraphs with a space in between. You can go back later and use the keyboard to correct any mistakes that may have occurred during the conversion.

If you like Grammarly, Word has a Grammar option that works like Grammarly. But, if you still want to use Grammarly, the good news is that Grammarly can be loaded into Word so you don’t have to copy text to feed into Grammarly, I use both checks for my writing.

Many advice articles and YouTube videos say that you should read your article aloud. This is great advice as you can catch incorrect phrasing of sentences. But you don’t have to do this yourself as Word has a “Read Aloud” function that does this for you. (I use headphones so my wife doesn’t have to listen to this.)

Saving Stories

Microsoft 365 has a Cloud Storage named OneDrive. You can have your files on your computer and have them saved in the cloud as a backup. Or just keep them on the cloud. This helps eliminate losing any of your documents. Since you may use them in other places besides Medium, you want your writing saved.

If you have sensitive data in any of your stories, OneDrive has a place, or a directory called The Vault. This allows the safety of a two-step verification process of a password and a code sent to your phone to access the files stored there.

Keeping track of stories

Excel is a spreadsheet program that you can use to list your stories and have information about them. You can set up columns for the date created, the title, date published, the publication, tags, etc. You can keep track of money earned for the stories for tax purposes. You can set up excel to have monthly totals, quarterly totals, and yearly totals.

Why the paid version is a great deal

As of this writing, there is a Microsoft 365 Family version that is $99.00 a year. If you think that’s a lot, you can have friends or family split the cost. You can add up to five other users to your account and that gives them full access to all the Microsoft programs. You also get 6 terabytes of storage with that. Google wants $99.99 for two terabytes of storage.

When you set up users of family or friends, you can have them share data between the accounts. I have two accounts of the six that I use where I put photos and videos on one account and other documents and files on my “main” account. I can get to those photos from my main account without having to log into a separate account.

Other useful programs

Editor can look at your documents to check for spelling and grammar mistakes and suggest changes. It can also check the internet for plagiarism of your text.

PowerPoint is a graphics presentation program that can be used to create graphics and cartoons for your Medium story image.

Designer can be used to use AI to generate images, or formats for social media posts. It is a similar function you can find in Canva.

Skype can be used for video meetings with friends or business contacts if you publish with other companies.