Our Favorite Tools for Writers
Long gone are the days when being a writer only involved some paper and a pen. Being a writer isn’t easy, but the process of writing can be — with the right tools. Now more than ever, writers have a wide range of tools at their disposal to help them write, edit, plan, focus, collaborate, and publish whenever and wherever. Whether you’re a writer, author, blogger, researcher, freelancer, or all the above, the right tools can make all the difference in honing your craft and producing your best writing.
Here are a few of our favorite tools for writers:
COFFITIVITY — for creativity + concentration
For many freelancers and remote workers, the light buzz of a coffee shop can help create the perfect work environment. This makes sense, as research has shown that a small amount of ambient noise can help foster creativity. However, the struggle of finding a seat, outlet, and a coffee shop with just the right amount of activity can be tricky. That’s where Coffitivity comes in. Coffitivity allows you to choose from a selection ambient of coffee shop sounds without the hassle of the coffee shop. So choose your noise and get creative.
PROWRITING AID — for editing
Being a better writer has never been easier with Prowriting Aid. This editing tool improves your writing immediately by allowing you to:
- edit faster with thousands of automatic style suggestions as you write,
- fix style issues by checking your writing for vague wording, repetitiveness, passive voice, convoluted sentence structure, and more,
- eliminate spelling and grammar errors
- find the perfect word using the advanced thesaurus tool
- and gives you the opportunity to learn more about language as you write.
WRITING PROMPTS — for inspiration + practice
Everyone experiences writer’s block at some point. Whether you’re looking for new inspiration or simply improving your craft with practice, finding the writing prompts that inspire and spark ideas can be essential to breaking through your writing slump. Here are a few resouces for writing prompts:
BRAIN.FM — for a productive brain
Brain.fm is an AI music composer that uses music’s ability to influence your cognitive state. Brain.fm’s music can be used for focus, relaxation, or sleep and has been proven to improve productivity and your ability to focus.
POMODORO TECHNIQUE + TIMER — for time management
Created by Francesco Cirillo, the Pomodoro method was created to maximize one’s focus and productivity by breaking projects into small, manageable chunks of time. The idea is to work for 25 minutes and then reward yourself with a small 5-minute break, repeat the cycle four times and then take a longer break. The Pomodoro Technique helps to manage your time, minimize burnout, eliminate distraction, and create a better work-life balance. To try it out, consider using the online Tomato-Timer.
SCRIBOPHILE — for collaboration
Scribophile is an online writing community that allows you to share, edit, get feedback, collaborate with other writers, and improve your writing.
EVERNOTE — for organization + research
Evernote is a platform designed for note-taking, organizing, and archiving all of your thoughts and ideas. The application allows users to store text, photos, web pages, links, or voice memo, while allowing you to access and search content from all your devices.
FREEDOM — for distraction-free work
Of course, we’re a little biased. But when it comes to writing — especially when you’re working out of office — it’s easy to get distracted. Digital distractions are everywhere, and whether your attention and time are stolen from tweets or research rabbit holes, it’s easy to lose countless hours to digital distractions. Freedom is a platform that blocks distracting websites and apps across all your devices. You can even schedule recurring blocks to help make productivity a habit and give yourself the ‘freedom’ to do what matters most.
What tools do you find essential to your writing process? Let us know in the comments below!
Originally published at freedom.to on March 29, 2017.
