Help

What are the colored underlines?

Each underline marks a place where one of the writing checks from the book found something worth looking at.

Coral underlines are about verbs — places where a stronger or more specific verb might sharpen the sentence.

Teal underlines cover everything else: clichés, words that distance your reader, literary affectation, and more.

Click any underline to read what the check found and why it matters. You'll see the explanation in a panel on the right side of the screen.

Nothing is changed in your writing. The underlines are a suggestion to look closer — that's all.

What is the checks panel?

The panel on the left side of the screen lists the writing checks available in your account.

Click the ☰ icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner to open it.

Checks with a checkbox are active — they're included when you click Analyze. You can turn individual checks on or off by clicking their checkbox.

Checks with a lock icon are available in the paid plan (4 months free for book owners). The number next to each locked check shows how many issues that check found in your current text — so you can see what you'd get before deciding to upgrade.

Do I need an account?

You can use the app without an account. You'll have access to 2 writing checks on your own text.

A free account gives you 3 more checks (5 total) and lets you save your work so it's there when you come back.

What do I need to sign up?

Just an email address and a password you choose. No credit card. No commitment. No email verification step — your account is ready the moment you click "Create account."

Is my writing private?

Yes. Your writing is never shared, never used to train any system, and never seen by anyone but you. We don't read your text. The app analyzes it, shows you the results, and that's the end of it.

How do I get all 19 checks?

There are two ways:

If you have the book: Readers of Good Writing get 4 months of full access to all 19 checks, free. Click "Unlock all 19 checks" and choose the book option at the top. You'll check a box confirming you have the book, and you're in.

If you don't have the book: Monthly and annual subscription plans are available. Click "Unlock all 19 checks" to see current prices.

What happens after the 4 free months?

You'll see a note ahead of time letting you know your free period is ending. After it ends, you'll still have your 5 free checks, and all your saved writing stays right where you left it. Nothing disappears. You can subscribe anytime to get all 19 back.

Can I cancel?

Yes, anytime. If you cancel a subscription, you keep full access through the end of your current billing period, then move to the free plan with 5 checks. Your saved work is never deleted.

Is my writing saved automatically?

If you have an account (free or paid), yes. Your work saves automatically as you type. When you come back, your most recent document will be right where you left it.

If you're using the app without an account, your writing is stored in your browser. It will usually be there when you return, but creating a free account is the reliable way to make sure nothing is lost.

Can I download a copy?

Yes. Click the document title at the top of the editor to open the file menu, then choose "Download a copy." This saves your writing as a file on your computer.

The analysis seems stuck

Typical analysis takes between 5 and 40 seconds. You can always click the ✕ on the analysis indicator to stop it. Your writing is not affected — it stays in the editor.

Try clicking Analyze again. If it keeps happening, try with a shorter passage — a few paragraphs at a time works well.

I see a message about some checks not finishing

This means most of the checks ran, but a few didn't make it through. The results you see are real — they're just not the complete set. Try running Analyze again and it will usually catch everything.

I lost my writing

If you have an account, your writing is saved on our end. Try refreshing the page — it should reappear. Or use the file menu: choose Open to open the last saved version of the document you're working on.

If you were using the app without an account, your writing may still be in your browser. Try refreshing. If it's gone, we're sorry — creating a free account prevents this from happening in the future.

Something else isn't working

We'd like to know about it. Use our Contact form or email us at support@goodwriting.app.