Feb 14, 2022
We talked about the tools we use for our blogs awhile back. How about for your writing in general? What are your favorite tools?
The list keeps growing as new tools come on the market and more people discover that they can make money helping authors achieve their goals. But my forever favorites are what I started with—the simple paper and pen, but I don’t use them often.
I wrote the first draft of The Ranger’s Dog tags entirely by hand, a luxury I rarely allow myself. It took fifteen tablets, single-sided, and five or six pens. I took the picture when I was about two-thirds of the way through the rough manuscript.
But as much as I love it, writing by hand is more time-consuming. Did I name that character six chapters ago Derik or Daryll? Finding the right tablet, let alone the right page to confirm, is problematic. And everything has to be typed before I can begin editing. Seeing the words on the screen provides a different perspective.
Before I get into the computer process, I want to mention two other tools—a dictionary and a thesaurus. Sure, I know they are available on-line, but the act of turning pages in a paper thesaurus helps me track down words in a way that a computer can’t. I use the computer more for spelling and definitions, but the paper dictionary is kept close.
Moving on to the computer—let’s start with basic word processing programs. I use LibreOffice, a free program similar to Microsoft Office. It’s fine for basic writing, although it doesn’t mimic some of the profession tool of MS Office. I don’t use them anyway, so it doesn’t matter. The one thing I haven’t mastered in LibreOffice is paragraph indents throughout a whole document. I have instructions, but I can’t make them work.
Another often-overlooked tool is Notepad. I use it for quick research notes, and to copy things that have annoying formatting attached that won’t go away. It’s fast and easy and comes with no strings attached.
I’m a big fan of ProWritingAid. I received a lifetime subscription to it for Christmas a few years ago. After having used the free version, I can testify how much easier it is to use the full program. No word limits! Sure, there are things it gets wrong, but I love how it helps me track down repeated words and phrases.
What else? I use the website Canva for quick graphics. I don’t claim to be good at it, but I can throw together something easy, even if it takes me too long. Two websites I use for free pictures and graphics are Pixabay and Pexals. I use Inlinkz for this hop. (They provide the script that links our websites together. Sadly, it isn’t free.)
CritiqueCircle is my go-to site for on-line critiques. The quality may vary, but I have received some excellent help on there from other writers.
Which leads me to my final ‘tool.’ Perhaps a better word would be ‘resource.’ Here’s to all the wonderful people I’ve met along the way who have helped to support me, especially other writers. They’ve help me find the confidence to try my hand at this whole writing thing.
That’s why I’m looking forward to everyone else’s post this week and finding what treasure they may share. You can too, by following the links below.
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
Feb 14, 2022
We talked about the tools we use for our blogs awhile back. How about for your writing in general? What are your favorite tools?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Yes, Pixabay is great for photos, and we know we won’t get sued!
Beta readers are a fantastic asset, as much a part of the process as any other.
I used Pixabay as well and I have a lifetime Prowriting Aid. Both are great.
Tweeted.
I haven’t handwritten a story since before my son was born. He’ll be 32 in May. I may have tried a couple of times but I always think “jeez, where’s my keyboard?” I don’t know if I even could write that way anymore.
Writing by hand allows me to be more ‘spontaneous.” I don’t worry about whether the word is spelled correctly or if it “looks right” on the screen I just write for the joy of getting the words out of my head and onto paper. Yes, it takes a lot more editing when I finally transcribe what I’ve written to the computer!
I agree with you: having a physical copy of a thesaurus is so helpful! When I write, I like to have two different thesauruses handy. This has become a deeply entrenched part of my process. My logic is that if I can’t find the word I’m looking for in one thesaurus, there’s still a chance I might find it in the other.