Writerly Tools: Evernote

Out of all the programs I've recommended to people, the Evernote Corporation's gorgeous notebook application, Evernote, is probably the winner.

Why? Because those recommendees have all loved it. Evernote is not limited to one use. Anyone that wants to organize information on their computer, for free none-the-less, can get into Evernote. I personally use it for organizing recipes, craft patterns, and inspirational images for writing.

Of course, it took me a little while to warm up to Evernote. There are, after all, many alternatives. And, frankly, for anyone who's never used a note-taking program on their computer, Evernote sounds a bit boring. But trust me, awesome sauce lurks here. If you need a program to organize your ideas, to make outlines in, and just to keep your writing brain in check, Evernote is for you. So here we go, five reasons why Evernote is my note-taking program of choice:

1. Evernote is like a virtual binder
   Before the days of note-taking programs, I kept tidbits of information in txt files stored away in nested folders. It was messy, it was convoluted, and there was really no easy way to look at everything. In Evernote information is organized into "notebooks" that are as easy to navigate as real life notebooks. What's really great is you can customize them to your preferences by nesting notebooks or adding tags to different notes.
2. Evernote is accessible everywhere
   If a file is saved in a synced notebook, then you can get ahold of it anywhere as long as internet is involved. Notes are available in a web browser, on the software clients for Mac and PC, or in the apps designed for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and Android. It's awesome if you need to look something up, but don't have your computer around. The syncing also means that as long as your notebook is synced to the web, you never have to worry about backups.
3. Evernote makes saving notes easy
   Putting data into Evernote is s simple as dragging and dropping a file from your desktop into the notebook you want. However, if you're like me and want to save clips off the web, there's options for you too. Most browsers have an Evernote extension that makes copying information to your notebook as easy as highlighting something and pressing a button.
4. Evernote is unlimited
   There are two versions of Evernote: free and paid. In the free version you're limited to 60MB of data (amongst a few other things) for every 30 day period, but for most people that should be enough. What's really cool, however, is that there is no limit to how much data you use in your lifetime of using the program.
5. Evernote has loads of hidden goodiesIf you want more than the Evernote basics, you can explore the Evernote Trunk to spice things up. From the ability to email yourself notes to finding restaurants in Japan, The Trunk has everything you could possibly want to enhance your experience. Not only that, but the trunk is home to dozens of programs and computer equipment that are specifically designed for compatibility with Evernote.