ishouldbewriting.net

What It Is

I Should Be Writing is a focused writing tool for real human authors, built around the idea of “Organic writing in the ChatGPT age.” Rather than letting algorithms complete sentences for users, it helps writers set goals, hide distractions, and write alongside friends. It is closer to a writing habit and community accountability tool than a traditional document collaboration suite or AI writing platform.

Core Features and Collaboration

Based on the crawled text, the product centers on focused writing sessions: users can set a timer or word-count goal, save work quickly, and write in a clean interface. On the collaboration side, it offers public/private circles, friend invitations, weekly accountability, and Live Rooms. The terms also state that group admins and moderators can manage members and moderate messages; in public or open rooms, nicknames and writing progress may be visible to others. Overall, it is well suited to writing sprints, online co-writing, and accountability check-ins, rather than complex project management.

Integrations, Deployment, and Data

The product offers Microsoft Word and Google Docs add-ins, suggesting that it aims to fit into mainstream writing workflows. In terms of deployment, the available text only points to a website and plug-in model, with no mention of self-hosting, so it should be understood as a cloud SaaS product. For data, the terms clearly state that users retain ownership of their work, while the platform receives only the rights needed to store, process, and display content in order to operate its features. However, it does not disclose details on encryption, backups, audits, SOC 2/GDPR, or other security and compliance measures.

Pricing and Limitations

The page does not disclose plans, pricing, payment methods, or enterprise options. The terms only note that features, integrations, or pricing, if any, may change over time. As for free use, it only says that guest use may be available for limited features, and that guest sessions may not be saved. As a result, it is not possible to confirm whether there is a stable free plan or trial period.

Pros, Cons, and Best Fit

Its strengths are a clear positioning and low learning curve, with a lightweight writer-friendly loop built around timers, word-count goals, group accountability, and Live Rooms, plus support for Word/Google Docs add-ins. The downsides are limited information on monetization, support, security and compliance, API/developer capabilities, and enterprise permissions, making it a poor fit for serious enterprise knowledge management or large-scale team governance. It is better suited to individual novelists, article writers, screenwriters, and small online writing groups.

Access from China and Alternatives

The crawled text does not provide information on access from mainland China, payment, or localization, so china_access can only be marked as unknown. If users need features related to the Google Docs add-in, the experience in China may be affected by reliance on external services. Alternatives include Notion, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Scrivener, as well as Chinese tools such as Feishu Docs and Shimo Docs.