Writing isn’t an easy job. Most people feel that writing is all about copying stuff from here and there and intermingling it to form an entirely new content. But that’s not the truth.
Ask a writer and he/ she would explain to you how he/she craves for inspiration and creativity every second of his/her job. Whether a writer works full-time or freelance, he/she cannot do without a dose of motivation because this is what writing is all about.
Just think of that piece of blog which made you eat that dessert or visit that place. Had the writer not put her heart and soul into it, you would never have thought about trying something new. Is it?
So, writing is like creating something new every time you write. If you are a creative writer or know someone who is into this field, then here’s a list of handy tools to make your job easier.
Writing Tool
1. Microsoft Word
Since long, Microsoft Word has been a widely used writing tool among writers. The reason is simple. It has a simple interface, a lot of editing and sharing features, and endless limit to writing words. It’s like an offline canvas board which has been designed for creative writers to write their best work. The .doc files are compatible with almost all platforms which makes it easy for users to share files with others.
2. Google Docs
Google Docs is a cloud-based writing tool which allows you to write, edit, save, and share files on the go. All you need is an internet connection and web browser to use Google Docs. So, you don’t need to download anything or fear about viruses in your system. Google Docs also provides 15GB free storage to its users for saving files. The best part is that you can access your files anytime and anywhere in Google Docs with an internet connection and also share it with others.
3.Ulysses
Ulysses is an incredible writing app for iPad, iPhone and Mac. It provides the writer a focused and organized environment to write. Along with this, it also offers document management, flexible export, and fast syncing. All your writings including notes, blog posts and even your love letters can be stored in Ulysses unified library. Some of its amazing features include: convert your texts into Word docs, PDFs, and eBooks, export to HTML, publish to Medium and WordPress and a lot more.
Productivity
4. ProofHub
ProofHub is a cloud-based project management software which helps writers to streamline tasks as per the project deadlines. ProofHub is used by digital marketing teams to communicate and collaborate with each other for running successful marketing campaigns. It has features like Notes, Discussions, Group Chat, Proofing tool, Kanban Workflows etc. which helps users to deliver their work high productivity.
5. FocusBooster
Focus Booster is a free Mac utility app based on the Pomodoro Technique to help users accomplish project goals. Here, you can work in a 25 minutes section by keeping a gap of minutes before beginning the next one. Basically, this helps you to work by keeping distractions at bay which automatically boosts your productivity. By setting fixed sessions of writing, you can actually write with high creativity and enthusiasm.
6. Twords
Twords is meant for freelance writers, small and mid-sized businesses to help them track their writing progress and achieve their goals. It comes with a free trial to help you find out whether or not this tool is fit for your business. It also helps you to learn about various styles, tones and techniques in writing to improve your writing skills. You can build a community here and encourage each other to achieve your writing goals.
Editing Tool
7. Grammarly
Proofreading is important if you want to deliver effective and error-free content. But with so many projects lined up, it gets difficult to proofread and review articles manually. Grammarly is a free and automated tool which helps you to ensure that your content is grammatically correct and free of spelling mistakes. You can simply create your account with your email id and password to use this tool. You can upload the files to be proofread or copy and paste the text. The proofread files are stored on the app by default and can be accessed at any point of time in the future.
8. Writefullapp
Writefull is a free app where you can find feedback about your writing. It helps you find out whether you have used the right language in a particular content without repetition. You can also know translate text from any language to English, know about the pronunciation of any text, and also find which synonyms of a word have been used often in your text.
9. Wordcounter
Repetition makes any piece of content utterly boring and that’s why it is important to eliminate it. It is possible to identify redundancy in a small piece of content but in a lengthy blog say of 1000 words it is next to impossible. Well, there is a tool for that as well. Wordcounter helps the user to identify overused words and repetitive keywords from your document. This tool is highly beneficial for students, writers, and editors to find out repetitive words. The tool comes for free where you need to just copy and paste your content.
PhotoEditing
10. Canva
High-quality images and graphic designs help to enhance the importance of an article or blog. With Canva, professionals can create graphic designs that fit into their content through its amazing features and large collection of photographs. The tool comes with an user-friendly interface which helps you to build posters, presentations, infographics, and visual charts. You can creativity and newness to the designs with great fonts, templates, images, and themes.
11. Piktochart
When hiring a professional designer isn’t your call then Piktochart is here for your rescue. A simple tool which helps you create some incredible infographics with a great set of templates and editing features. It will help you to create visually appealing infographic designs to enhance the visibility of your content. From Piktochart’s library, you have access to unique photos and also upload some of your own.
Find Better Words
12. Powerthesaurus
A writer is always short of words when it comes to writing creative content. With Powerthesaurus, you have access to a large number of alternative options for a word. This a free platform which can be used by writers to add new words to their vocabulary and content. When you enter a word, it shows you both synonyms and antonyms for it.
13. Urbandictionary
Urbandictionary is an amazing place to find the meaning of words you have no idea about. In fact, every creative writer must start its day with this website as it showcases a lot of trending words. Learning new words is completely fun and free here. You can find the meaning and its usage in sentence as well to get the full crux of it. It is an interactive platform as it allows you to comment and share the words on social media too.
Here were some of the tools meant for simplifying the job of a creative writer. If you know about any other useful tools, please mention them in the comments below.
A version of this article first appeared on the Huffington Post.
Author Bio:
Vartika Kashyap is the Marketing Manager at ProofHub and has been one of the LinkedIn Top Voices in 2017. Her articles are inspired by office situations and work-related events. She likes to write about productivity, team building, work culture, leadership, entrepreneurship among others and contributing to a better workplace is what makes her click.
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