Writers Tools / Downloadable Software
- Scrivener – (Mac/Win, Paid/Trial) Great software; recommended for all writers! A vast suite of features built into a single piece of software. An amazing platform for planning, story building, research/note-taking, and manuscript preparing.
- Twine – (Mac/Win, Free) software for the creation of interactive fiction using Javascript. Can create fiction media for web and for download. No coding knowledge required, but knowing some will help you leverage the look and feel. Some have used it for text-based video game mechanics as well. The Twine Wiki has a lot of information to get the most out of Twine.
- Aeon Timeline – (Mac/Win, Paid/Trial) Timeline visualization software for stories and projects. Allows you to define important event and eras in your story/world, and organize them in multiple ways.
- New Novelist – (Win, Paid/Demo) While its older and less clean than Scrivener, New Novelist provides a multitude of possibilities for storyboarding and note-taking. Allows for easy creation of character profiles, story arcs, etc.
- Notational Velocity – (Mac, Free) Sometimes, removing the frills from note-taking is preferable. This plain-text note taking app is like Notepad/TextEdit with easier navigation between sets of notes.
- Microsoft Word – (Mac/Win, Paid) The most used and supported word-processing software on the market.
- Pages – (Mac, Paid) The Mac equivalent to Word, and every bit as capable for word-processing.
- OpenOffice – (Free) If you’re not looking pay for Word, this open source version of Office provides a worthy alternative.
Writers Tools / Web and Cloud Apps
- Pacemaker Planner – (Free) Online tool for tracking word count. You can establish a word goal, and it will automatically generate a daily quota for progress, and adjusts based upon the amount of actual progress you report to it. Even provides you a graph for easy visualization.
- Power Thesaurus – (Free) A thesaurus is a powerful tool. Why rely on a basic one? Power Thesaurus is crowd-sourced, and designed for providing a multitude of alternative word choices when you need them!
- Hemmingway App – (Free) An intelligent app that checks your writing and helps make it bold and clear. Helps cut useless words, and cleans up prose.
- Miro – (Free/Paid) Formerly known as RealtimeBoard, this team collaboration platform can be leveraged as an “idea board” which lets you place photos, images, flow-charts, icons, notes, etc. within a free-floating workspace.
- Google Docs – (Free) A word processor that gives Word and Pages a run for their money. With the added benefit of cloud access and storage of documents.
Recommended Books on Writing
- On-Writing by Stephen King – An all-time favorite book of mine! One of the most influential memoirs about the craft of writing, and a real glimpse into the life of Stephen King and how his influences would make him the writer that people remember!
- Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury – Collection of essays on writing and the creative process from the renown science fiction author.
- The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell – A comparative book of mythology, providing a deep analysis of the history of the ‘heros journey’ throughout culture and literature.
- You Are A Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins – A book that is both inspirational, and a swift kick in the behind for those doubting their craft.
Favorite Podcasts
- Writing Excuses – “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart!” Hosted by authors Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, and web cartoonist Howard Tayler.
- Helping Writers Become Authors – “Write your best story. Change your life. Astound the world.” A podcast by writer K.M. Weiland.
Great Articles/Resource Sites
- ZenBuiness: Writing Careers – A fantastic collection on articles and links covering the various stages on the journey of becoming an author! Includes information on writing skills, self-publishing, finding an agent, and much more!
(Special thanks to Amelia for the recommendation!)
Organization Resources
- NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. An internet-based writing project during the month of November, where writers challenge themselves to write 50,000 words between Nov 1st and 30th. Pep talks, preparation advice, etc.
Local Resources (Minnesota)
- The Loft Literary Center – Founded in 1974, the Loft Literary Center is one of the nation’s leading literary arts centers. The Loft advances the artistic development of writers, fosters a thriving literary community, and inspires a passion for literature.
- MinnSpec – Minnesota Writers of Speculative Fiction meets three or more times a month for workshops, critique groups, and author readings in and around the Twin Cities.
Social Media
Twitter Hashtags for Writing
#writerslife, #amwriting, #amwritingfiction, #amwritingfantasy, #amwritingscifi
Reddit (My favorite subreddits for writing)
- /r/Writers
- /r/WritingPrompts
- /r/Creative Writing