Writing Tools
Writers have certain tools we use, things we need in place before we get that flow going, and so on and so forth. Far be it from me to judge your rubbing the belly of your cat seven straight times before you sit at your desk. Don’t judge me on my two drinks, and bowl of snacks at the ready, either.
But the tools we use are often similar. After all, we learn about them from one another, usually. The tools I use, you probably do, too. So let me know what you think about them in the comments. Have you found something better recently?
ProWritingAid — this tool is great. It’s not the best. It’s a machine, so it lacks that human understanding. For what it is, and the ways you can implement it into your email, browser, and everything else is superb. By using it, I have improved my writing. I no longer write as many ‘passive’ sentences as I used to. My comma usage has improved a little, too.
Google docs — I adore the ease of this for sharing with beta readers. With Google docs, they can make comments as they read, point out errors, and confusing spots. Then the comments act as a checklist for me. Once I read over them and figure out if I want to use that comment, or just feel all warm and fuzzy inside with the compliment, then I can check it off.
Wordhippo.com — I don’t know what it is about being a writer, but words are hard. Instead of using the same word repeatedly, wordhippo.com helps change it up a bit. Granted, a good thesaurus is great to flip through, but often they are missing words I use a great deal.
Inkarnate — I’m not about to show you the poor excuses of maps I make using this platform. They are still horrible, but far better than what I can draw on my own. Using Inkarnate to make maps of my fantasy worlds as I write, and helps me keep the characters moving in the right direction. It also helps me plan out where different dialects might appear, where a new religion might pop up because of a natural occurrence that seems magical in the world, and more.
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Templates and lessons from Sarra Canon/Heart Breathings — These are a gold mine. She has templates for everything. From character sheets, to plotting a series, to lists of companies that do audio books, she has it all and the research to back it up.
If you would like to start the powerhouse of courses she takes, Publish and Thrive is about to start! You can sign up here. It’s a course full of ideas, planning, step-by-step instructions to get your indie author life organized and successful. You have until August 2nd to sign up! It begins on August 3rd, and lasts for six weeks! So worth it. If you’re reading this a little later, it will open again in six months, I think. Check back here, and I'll inform you, or sign up for her newsletter so that you can receive notifications.
Canva — looking for a way to make your social media planning and creating easier? Use Canva. It’s worth its weight in gold. Well, more so, since it weighs nothing. You can make all kinds of banners, logos, social media posts, headers, and so much more.
That’s about all the tools I use on a weekly basis. What about you? I probably forgot something, because of course I did.
Check out two outstanding authors below!
Jenna has a live Kickstarter! If you love dark, epic, romantic fantasy books, look no further than her Merna Annals pentalogy! Support her here.
M.M. Ward is an amazing and prolific author of Sci-fi with dashes of romance in some of them. There is humor and trauma all wrapped up in believable and lovable characters. Find her here.
