Microsoft Word is great for writing simple documents, but for assignments, novels, or even writing a thesis – not so much.

Professionals and students are using Scrivener – a writing program that lets you outline your ideas, take notes, and view research all at once.

The idea is that no matter how large an essay you have to write, or how long you want your novel to be, there will always be smaller parts or chapters.

Scrivener lets you move those chapters around with ease, as well as letting you review particular sections of your work, in ways that Word can't even comprehend. So it's pretty much ideal for that research paper.

We've teamed up with Stack Commerce to offer you a discount for the New Year – pick up the program for only $20 – that's half the recommended retail price. Sorry Mac users, PC's only for this one.

It will give you the product for a lifetime once you redeem it, plus lets you install Scrivener onto multiple computers in your household.

Trust us, your proof-readers and professors will thank you.

Check it out here.

Price: US$20

This is a promotional ScienceAlert Academy post, in partnership with StackCommerce. We carefully vet all courses to make sure they're relevant to our readers, and share in the profits of any sales.