Agile Tools for Modern Creative Writers
Agile Tools for Modern Creative Writers
Creative writing engages the unconscious mind, enhancing creativity. Writers often create spontaneously, reflecting their subconscious during the writing process. Techniques to nurture this include allowing time for background processing, daydreaming, repetitive activities, brainstorming, freewriting, and paying attention to dreams. Establishing regular practices exercises the unconscious, making creativity more accessible.
Grammarly's Data Science team developed BEAM, an AI-driven budget allocation tool designed to optimize marketing spend across various channels. Transitioning from a manual, attribution-based model, BEAM uses data and machine learning to allocate budgets efficiently and assess channel performance, enhancing decision-making while addressing challenges related to diminishing returns and data privacy. The tool enables self-service for marketers and finance, improves budget recommendations, and allows continuous evaluation through backtesting and testing methods. As a result, Grammarly's marketing strategies have become more accurate and scalable.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/engineering/how-grammarly-built-beam/
Android update highlights: New “Entry” button added to Multi-Entry Viewer; app icons refreshed. Improvements include simplified entry creation, fixed sync issues, and enhanced “On This Day” reminders.
https://dayoneapp.com/releases/refreshed-icons-and-timezone-fixes/
TLDR: Western Governors University (WGU), a nonprofit online university, partnered with Grammarly in April 2024 to integrate the Writing Score API into its LMS, enhancing student writing through real-time feedback and promoting academic integrity. This tool supports over 175,000 students, automates evaluations, and improves writing quality, leading to 70% adoption, 82% improvement in writing sessions, and 69% reduction in critical errors. Faculty benefit from increased efficiency and focus on personalized instruction, achieving significant time and cost savings. WGU enhances accessible education while fostering communication skills in a rapidly evolving landscape.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/academic-writing/case-study-wgu/
Nicolas Binge, author of four sci-fi novels, released Dissolution, exploring memory, aging, and a woman's quest to uncover her husband's faded memories due to dementia. The narrative intertwines two timelines, reflecting on identity loss and offering a love story. Binge discusses writing challenges and mentions his positive experience with Scrivener software for structuring his work.
English is a complex language, full of quirks and inconsistencies. Notable oddities include the unreliable “I before E” rule, specific adjective and adverb order, the confusing “ough” sound, and unique infixes for emphasis. The choice between “a” and “an” depends on sound, not spelling. Additionally, some nouns lack corresponding verbs, and the “th” sound is difficult for non-natives. Examples like “ghoti” spelling “fish” illustrate spelling irregularities and stress changes can alter meanings. Lastly, contronyms like “oversight” showcase words with opposing meanings. These complexities make English both challenging and delightful.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/language-trends-culture/english-language-quirks/
Markdown is gradually replacing traditional document formats like .docx and .pdf due to its simplicity and focus on content over formatting. It enhances clarity and readability, empowering users to concentrate on communication rather than visual design. Although many still rely on Microsoft formats due to familiarity and educational norms, Markdown's adoption is rising, especially among younger users and in various digital platforms. It encourages better writing habits by minimizing distractions and promoting structured thought. Ultimately, Markdown may transform how we write and share ideas, steering away from the complexities of proprietary formats that often prioritize appearance over substance.
https://ia.net/topics/markdown-and-the-slow-fade-of-the-formatting-fetish
MemorialCare, a nonprofit health system in Southern California, faced challenges in maintaining clear communication across its growing workforce. To enhance written communication while ensuring IT compliance, they adopted Grammarly's enterprise product. This centralized usage improved productivity, saving employees over 20 days and $10k annually. Surveys revealed 90% of users felt time was saved, and 81% found their jobs easier due to Grammarly, which also supports HIPAA compliance and data security. Employee adoption increased, and various departments requested licenses, showcasing the tool's widespread value.
Grammarly has developed an on-device AI approach to enhance speed and reliability in its grammatical error correction (GEC) model, optimizing it for local use without quality loss. Key challenges included memory management, computational efficiency, and cross-platform deployment, which were addressed by reducing the model’s memory footprint to under 1 GB and improving processing speeds to meet strict performance targets. A custom Rust-based SDK facilitates seamless deployment across multiple platforms, successfully delivering high-quality performance to millions of users and paving the way for future AI advancements.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/engineering/on-device-models-scale/
Brainstorming organizes ideas into clear writing. This guide offers five steps: define your goal, choose a method, generate ideas freely, group and refine them, and create an outline. Prepare with a productive environment, set a time limit, and remain open-minded. AI can enhance brainstorming by generating ideas, structuring thoughts, and providing feedback. Avoid pitfalls like overthinking and self-doubt.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/writing-process/how-to-brainstorm/
