9 Free Writing Tools That Make My Life Easier
I can’t live without some of these.
Every writer has their own routine and tools they swear by.
Whether it’s the time of day, the particular arrangement of the objects on their desk, or the following of precise steps, every person who has been doing this craft long enough has probably compiled an array of tools and practices that make the writing process easier. Easier, but not easy.
I’m a firm believer that no amount of fancy tools can compensate for bad writing and that the painful work of improving this skill has no shortcuts. Think of these resources as helpers that create the conditions for a successful writing session. Some will put you in the mood, some will offer inspiration, others will help with the finishing touches.
Let’s get into it.
1) Obsidian
This is the central station for all my ideas. My personal knowledge management system.
Among other uses, Obsidian is my writing hub. I use it for every stage of the writing process:
- pinning down the idea I want to explore
- consolidating my thoughts and initial assumptions
- researching and gathering sources (from books, articles, papers, videos)
- sythesizing the research into themes
- creating an outline for the main sections of the article
- expanding on the outline
- editing (in addition to another tool)
To streamline this process, I created a template for all my articles. I use it to dump all the relevant ideas and links: my overarching theme of the piece, tags, headline ideas, rapid fire thoughts, a rough outline, among others. Only after I’ve reached a critical mass of information, I’m ready to shape it into something coherent.
This is when I start synthesizing the research, expanding on the outline and connecting the dots. And after a whole lot of writing and rewriting, and using some of the other tools in this article, I can consider the piece finished.
I could probably do without any other tool on this list, except this one.
Benefits of using Obsidian:
- encourages linking ideas and connecting thoughts
- supports you in every stage of the writing process
- flexible, customizable and reach in features
2) Swipe file
I have a confession. I’m obsessed with good sentences. And I scour for them in all my reading. They’re the backbone of any writing piece. It’s not the words. And it’s not the paragraphs. It’s the sentences that create the rhythm, tone, style and feel of the text. There isn’t a single task I find more challenging than constructing an elegant sentence.
When I’m reading, I’m always on the lookout for beautifully constructed sentences. Or ones that brush normal language against the grain, unveiling the many faces of language. And when I find one, you better believe I save it. That’s what my swipe file is for. To be honest, I don’t only throw complete sentences in there, but also snippets of a text, witty turns of phrase, or words that I don’t want to forget. On top of that, I also save headline formulas.
Marketers and copywriters use them too. I think because of that they got a bit of a bad rap. They’re seen as lazy fill-it-yourself-templates that lack authenticity and freshness. Granted, an overused template can get stale quickly. However, the true power of a swipe file is in making you think like a writer. After you get exposed to the best examples of writing, you start to develop an eye for what makes a good sentence/headline/paragraph.
Although I call it a swipe file, my use of it is more relaxed: it ultimately serves as inspiration, not imitation. And unlike a true swipe file, mine is not a complete start-to-finish template for a text, but snippets of language that can be used however I please.
If you don’t yet have a swipe file, I encourage you to experiment with one. Take a few days to collect phrases, headlines, or paragraphs that you found effective or irresistible. In no time, you’ll have a bank of resources you can cash out anytime.
3) Thesaurus
If I had to pay Thesaurus a dollar for every time I used it to find the appropriate word in an article, they’d be getting a hefty donation. I turn to it every time I need to find a synonym, antonym or I can’t remember the word I’m looking for.
No writing session can go by without the help from Thesaurus.
4) Related Words
This clever little tool is similar to Thesaurus, but instead of showing you directly related words, like synonyms and antonyms, it features words and expressions only loosely associated with your search term. It’s a handy device when you’re looking for the broader family of a term.
5) Hemingway Editor
I’m always looking to minimize the number of tools I use, that’s why I like the Hemingway app, because it acts as an editor and spellchecker.
Obsidian has a built-in spellchecker, but I keep mine turned off because I don’t like to be distracted by red underlines when I’m writing. I prefer to tend to grammar and spelling in the editing phase.
It’s worth mentioning that I don’t let the Hemingway editor dictate my writing. I use it for general feedback and to get a sense for the flow of my text, but the ultimate decision is still mine. If an adverb is flagged (they always are — poor things), and I know it has a place in the text, I’ll keep it there. If a sentence is marked as “hard to read,” but I think it fulfills its purpose, then I’ll leave it as is. It’s important to remember not to let these tools use us.
Benefits of the Hemingway Editor:
- clear feedback on the style of your writing
- see at a glance how often you use passive voice, adverbs or clunky sentences
- observe the cadence of your text and the readability
6) 40 Hz Binaural Beats
What are binaural beats? They’re sometimes called auditory illusions. When you hear 2 tones of different frequencies: let’s say, a sound of 120 Hz in your left ear and 130 Hz in your right ear, your brain synchronizes the two tones and you end up perceiving a 10 Hz (the difference) beat. For the effect to work, you need to wear headphones.
Binaural beats between 1–30 Hz are linked to relaxation and reduced anxiety. 40 Hz binaural beats are supposed to help with enhancing mental abilities, such as learning and doing cognitively demanding work.
While scientific research is not definitive on the effects or effectiveness of binaural beats, they definitely helped me enter a flow-like state.
I’ve found that 40 Hz binaural beats put me in a state of focus that facilitated deep work. And because I only listen to them when I write, my brain learned to associate this sound with writing, which further sets the tone for a productive writing session. This is the sound I use.
7) LeechBlock
Ah, distractions. The nemesis of the modern writer. Even competing with the writer’s block.
The sweet song of the modern mermaids (better known as Twitter, YouTube, or Instagram) is always present to lure us away from our work. But we can block distractions with the help of some clever apps. There are a number of them available. The one I use is a browser extension called LeechBlock.
It lets you customize a lot of options: for every website you want to block, you get to specify when, for how long, whether you need breaks, what happens when the site is blocked and many more. With LeechBlock, you can create the perfect schedule to work for you.
8) Capitalize My Title
This website takes the guess out of capitalizing titles. Simply type your headline and they’ll take care of the rest.
9) Cliche Finder
I don’t use this for every article. I only tend to use it for opinion pieces and texts that are less “technical” and in the territory of free-thinking. I remember my university days when my essays were riddled with cliches and over-used metaphors, so I try steer clear of any trite expressions.
