So many options for software apps and tools.
Essential Software for Authors:
The Intersection of Writing and Technology Part 1
I’m a writer. I spend hours, days, and years, on my laptop writing. Blogs, articles, and novels are my focus. Last year I posted two serial novels on Kindle Vella and now that they are complete, they will be published as e-books. That’s this year’s goal. Since I’ve been writing in my early twenties, I’ve learned a very important thing about technology. I cannot compete as an author without it. The overwhelming benefits of using tech tools are clear:
- There is an astounding increase in productivity: Writing software can help increase your writing productivity by providing you with tools and features that allow you to focus on the writing process without getting distracted. Many writing software options offer distraction-free writing modes, auto-saving, and organization tools that streamline the writing process and help you focus on your work.
- Tech tools improve organization: Writing software can help you better organize your writing by providing a structure and platform for organizing notes, ideas, outlines, and drafts. This helps keep your work organized and easy to reference, making the revision process smoother.
- Most writing tech tools enhanced editing: Many writing software options include powerful editing features that can help you identify grammar and spelling errors, suggest sentence rewrites, and offer writing tips that can improve your writing skills.
- Technology allows you to collaborate better: Writing software can help facilitate collaboration among multiple writers, editors, or reviewers by allowing users to share documents and track changes in real time.
- Tech tools give you access to additional resources: Writing software may provide access to additional resources like writing prompts, style guides, and reference materials that can help improve your writing skills and make the writing process easier.
Since there are too many software apps and tech tools in this gigantic internet worldscape, I must confess I have over-purchased and under-used. Come on now…you know you have done this. Whether hearing about software via advertisements or from discussions in writing groups, or as a novelty in Twitter trending, or even as a tool used by one of the be-all-prestigious writers I admire, these software programs, no matter free or expensive, are all interesting in their own way. Each developer put their own spin on things so you would not necessarily be losing out to purchase anything that sounds interesting to you. Mostly, I do trials and test things. My over-purchase is because I don’t try the product once I start the trial. But okay or good enough is not this blog. In this blog, I want to talk about the “hardcore” writing tools that are exceptional, and I recommend them to every writer.
Essential software arsenal to becoming the best author you can possibly be takes a great planning tool, a great writing tool, and a great editing tool.
This blog series will discuss the top three tools of PLOTTR, Scrivener, and ProWritingAid on why to get them, and how to use them. These three tools are life-changing to any author. They are like finding large golden nuggets in a mountainside abandoned gold mine. I’ve certainly “struck gold” when I found them. I knew they were important to me to become a professional writer. I’ve improved my efficiency, my book quality, and my writing skills. I write faster, I write more, and I write better-quality books.
All three of these tools have a 30-day trial. And two of the three have some semblance of a standard license that you can buy monthly. However, after the trial, I ended up buying lifetime subscriptions, and I don’t regret it for a minute. I can’t express how much I’ve improved as a writer using these tools.
If you are a serious writer, you will, at a minimum, try these softwares and get them after the trial. As a helpful tip, Joseph Michael offers a great course called Learn Scrivener Fast that is reasonable and has many bonus offers included, all worth getting, as well. I think he also offers a very short version on Udemy. I loved it.
I’ll expand on the first of these three essential software here:
PLOTTR is relatively new (only a few years old) and quickly became my favorite plotting tool. Guess what it does? Well, yes, it’s plotting software and so much more. Its character development, its built-in templates, its visual timeline, and trackable timeline. So any writer can utilize it to plot out books or series, utilize templates for efficiency, write poetry, generate recipes, or any other writing premise. It is the perfect crispy chocolate cookie base of an Oreo sandwich – a solid foundation for your story, holding your plot together, just like the cookie cradles the creamy filling. And after only one taste, I secured it in my arsenal of writing weapons. I used the trial for 30 days, then a single annual license for $99. In reality, I was saving the funds for a lifetime Pro subscription at $299. I haven’t looked back.
Plottr
Plan Your Books
The Way You Think
The benefits of PLOTTR are many.
- Organization: Plottr provides an excellent organizational tool for writers to structure their writing projects. It allows writers to create and manage character profiles, settings, and plot outlines in one place, which helps them keep track of their story elements.
- Visual representation: Plottr offers a visual representation of the story’s structure, which makes it easier for writers to see the big picture and make changes accordingly.
- Customization: Plottr allows writers to customize their story elements, such as character traits, story arcs, and settings, which helps them tailor their stories to their liking.
- Collaboration: Plottr allows multiple users to collaborate on a single project. This feature is particularly useful for co-authoring, as well as for giving and receiving feedback.
The Cons are similar to Scrivener in that there is a learning curve. I told you the pricing is not exactly cheap, there is also a limited formatting with options, but I’ve never really noticed this. Some say the compatibility of files is not always compatible with other software, which may cause issues when transferring documents between different systems.
But guess what it is compatible with? Scrivener. Yes, this software allows you to design your outlines (visually), load your characters, places, story arcs, character arcs, and many more visual items, then export them into Scrivener to populate your novel within the Scrivener writing tool. Ah-HA moment. It’s incredibly easy to streamline the writing process.
JLNichauthor, Misfit Scribe of the Space Opera.
In this world of magic and technology, we explore the importance of world-building, the power of relatable characters, and the necessity of fresh, daring ideas. Writers see how SFF can serve as mirrors to society, reflecting our deepest fears and loftiest aspirations, all while providing a much-needed escape from the ordinary. If you share this writing passion of mine sign up on my social media and hang out with my fantastic blogs of humor and fantasy.
If you want to check out these three tools yourself or even just one, here are my affiliate links to direct you to the sites. I’m also an affiliate of Joseph Michael Learn Scrivener Fast and his super easy training. I’m also designing my e-course on PLOTTR as we speak, and I plan to offer tutorial videos soon so make sure to sign up on my site for more information and release of products.
Please read and review my serial publishing novel Sparrow’s Legacy on Kindle Vella. You can read the first three chapters free on Amazon by searching for “Sparrows Legacy Kindle Vella” or clicking here. I hope you enjoyed this blog. Please subscribe to my website if you want to be notified when I’ll be publishing or to get free samples of my work.
JLNich, Science Fiction Fantasy Author
