There is a simple explanation for the fact that some writers claim to have never used modern writing tools: they are lying! With all those awesome technological inventions that make a writer’s work easier and more productive, it would be madness to remain stuck to the conventional typewriter.
If you don’t try out some of the most effective writing tools available today, you’ll never know how fast and constructive you can really be. Below you’ll find a list of some very cool tools that every contemporary writer should experiment with.
1. Writers Net
Becoming part of a forum where writers gather to communicate and discuss each other’s work can be a turning point in your career. Don’t get overwhelmed by the critique though; all writers get a bit harsh when assessing another author’s work.
2. NanoWriMo
This tool will help you track the progress you make and get you great support from the community of writers. If you want to meet fellow writers online or even in person, this is the right website to help you make contact.
3. Ninja Essays
Ninja Essays’ blog provides easy-to-use advice on academic writing. Essay writers can also hire an expert to make sure that their story is supported by strong facts, and get their content edited by a professional editor for a surprisingly affordable price.
4. OmniOutliner
OmniOutliner provides all the features you need in order to start constructing a novel and get it written faster than you expected. You can use the tool for writing, as well as structuring information and creating a focused frame that will preserve the logical flow of your story.
5. WritingHouse
This is the easiest way to implement a proper referencing style (be it APA, MLA, Chicago or Harvard) without having to learn the distracting details and rules required for writing them. All you need to do is choose a style and type of document, fill in the form, click ‘add,’ and download your properly formatted document.
6. Nisus Writer (Pro)
This tool holds a prestigious reputation within the writing community. Although it looks similar to the conventional MS Word on first sight, it provides a much prettier design and awesome features that make it one of the greatest word processors you could possibly use.
7. PageFour
This is another choice for creative writers and novelists who are looking for a simplistic interface that doesn’t complicate things with any unnecessary options, but still provides everything they could possibly need. PageFour provides outlining and processing features that will make the creation of your work easier.
8. Daily Writing Tips
Daily Writing Tips provides easy-to-use advice on writing, grammar, correct word usage and etymology. The archives and comments sections are great resources too.
9. NewNovelist
With the help of this writing software, you can take notes of your inspirational ideas whenever they hit you. There is no need to interrupt the process of writing in order to elaborate on a new idea and record it with another tool; NewNovelist will help you take notes within the same outline and make your writing smarter and faster.
10. BookBaby
If you want to find a way to publish your books without much hassle and a huge investment, then you will love BookBaby – the eBook publishing and distribution website that enables you to get your eBooks to many readers and get paid for it. The service doesn’t take any percentage; you keep 100% of the payments.
11. WriteRoom
Distractions are really bad for your daily goals and plans. If you are wondering what you have been doing with all that time without getting any pages completed, then WriteRoom is an essential tool for you. It will enable you to write in a distraction-free environment with simplicity that inspires your brain to stay absorbed by the current task.
12. Jer’s Novel Writer
This is one of the coolest writing programs available for Mac users. You can use margin notes to annotate text, and keep notes on the entire text in order to prevent your ideas from evaporating and add character information whenever a new concept hits you.
13. Padlet
You may have heard about this website under the name Wallwisher, but it changed its name recently after it underwent a makeover. This website is a virtual board that allows you to stick notes and easily share them with other users. The moderation and privacy settings enable students to become members of their teacher’s board, and have access to important updates about their schoolwork.
14. Celly
When it comes to posting quick thoughts, questions and comments, there isn’t a tool more effective than Celly. Its concept is similar to Twitter, but the updates are shared with a private group of people (a cell).
15. Pinterest
This is a great tool for writers – you can use it to pin ideas, favorite books, blogs, great websites, or anything else that interests you, and share it with the entire world. The best thing about Pinterest is that it doesn’t oblige its users to follow everything someone pins, so the writers can stay updated with content that truly interests them. The visual nature of Pinterest is a great way of making the writing process more effective.
16. TutorsClass
TutorsClass is a great way for writers to reach out to a greater number of readers and earn a rewarding payment during the process.
17. Infogr.am
If you are a blog writer Infogr.am is for you! This tool offers various templates that provide a quick way for writers to represent their information visually.
18. Easel.ly
This tool provides themes that blog writers can drag onto bank canvases and get an easy start to add, edit, and size icons to represent their information visually. The tool doesn’t require advanced computer knowledge, so anyone with basic tech skills can use it.
19. Delivr
Share your links to your books with Delivr! This tool enables its users to create QR codes, which can be easily scanned by a mobile device and trigger a website or an image.
20. Wiggio
This tool is the easiest free way for writers to work in groups. There is a reason why over 100,000 groups are using Wiggio for different purposes: it offers a great deal of tools with no age restrictions (provided there is permission by a parent for young students).
Get ready to explore a new world of opportunities
As a creative writer, how could you not appreciate the new inventions that are meant to make your job easier? There are many tools, websites, and resources that turn you into a better, faster writer. You will fall in love with your profession all over again as soon as you start exploring the tools listed above.
Featured photo credit: Jay via flickr.com
