As a writer, I’ve learned that having the right writing tools can make a huge difference in your productivity and creativity.
In fact, I’d say if you’re not using at least some tools, you’re making it hard on yourself!
This year, I’ve used five resources that simplified my process, made writing and marketing my books easier, and saved me time. I’d highly recommend them all!
Writing Tools 1. Canva: My Go-To for Marketing Images and Social Media
Canva has been a lifesaver for creating professional-quality visuals for marketing my books and sharing my blogs, videos, courses, and more. Whether I’m creating social media posts, whipping up graphics for my website, or creating YouTube images and thumbnails, Canva makes it easy.
I used the free version for a long time, but it got to where I was using it so much that I switched to the paid ($15/month at the time of this writing), making it a lot easier and faster.
I especially appreciate Canva’s templates, which save me hours of design work and allow me to focus more on my writing. The drag-and-drop interface means I don’t need to be a graphic designer to make something eye-catching.
2. Grammarly & ProWritingAid: Editing Tools
Last year, I used the paid version of ProWritingAid to proofread my fiction writing. I loved its multifunctionality when choosing what I wanted to check on, from grammar to repeated words to passive voice checks. When the price jumped to $200 this year, though (and that was the sale price!), I had to reconsider.
(I later learned that you can still get the pro version for $120. Somehow the Black Friday special was more! But I much prefer ProWritingAid to Grammarly for fiction.)
Enter Grammarly, which I snagged during their recent Black Friday sale ($70/year).
I’ve been using the free version of Grammarly, which is great for nonfiction editing. But the free version is limited in what it can do, and since I wanted to avoid paying ProWritingAid’s higher price, I decided to give Grammarly Pro a go for this coming year. Now I’m sorry I did as it’s not nearly as good at giving in-line suggestions, but I do still use it regularly for non-fiction.
Writing Tools 3. ChatGPT—My Brainstorming Buddy
Like many writers, I’ve been concerned about how AI will affect our jobs. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned after 25 years of professional writing, it’s this: When new technology comes along, you’d best learn all you can about it, as it won’t be going away!
Plus, I’ve often found that my freelance writing clients will eventually want me to use the new technology, and it’s best if I know how to do that.
So, because I didn’t want to be left behind, I started playing with the free version of ChatGPT. (I’ve also briefly tested some others like Rytr and Writesonic.) First, I took some free workshops to learn more about how to write a good AI prompt. (Highly recommended.) Next, I started prompting Chat to give me ideas for blog posts, headlines, and that sort of thing.
Then, I started researching my next project and needed more, so I decided to give the paid version a shot. (It costs $20/month at the time of this writing.) I figured I’d use it for the month and then cancel—just long enough to finish the research I was doing.
What happened? Long story short, I’m not canceling! This tool is far too valuable for my day-to-day writing work.
How to explain it? If you have yet to use it, I would describe it this way: Remember those old original Star Trek episodes, where the captain or other members of his crew would say, “Computer, what’s the nearest habitable planet within 50 light years?” (Or whatever the question was.) And the computer would answer.
That’s what AI is like for writers. It’s a partner. It helps you come up with ideas, refine those ideas, and put them into outline form. It also helps with research, extrapolating information from research, and boiling that down into simple, actionable steps.
Can You Get Ideas from Chat?
Yes, you can get story ideas if that’s what you want. But you can also get blog post ideas, book marketing ideas, social media post ideas, and more.
One of my favorite experiences this year was using it to brainstorm a “spin-to-win” bonus idea for customers at my craft fair. Not only did it draw more people to my table, but it also added a fun, interactive element to my event.
If you’re scared of AI, the best thing you can do is get in there and play with it. You quickly realize it can’t replace a human storyteller. But it can reduce the time you spend banging your head against the wall for ideas.
It can help you get past a stuck place in your writing. And what I’ve found most helpful so far is doing research for a book and for making author platform-building activities much more manageable.
4. Headline Testing and Idea Generators
If you’re doing any work on your author platform—in the form of blogs, videos, and social media posts—you know how critical the headline is. Today, we have tools to help us create and use headlines that are much more likely to bring readers our way.
I use tools like the AIOSEO headline analyzer (free version) to test headlines and improve SEO performance, which helps boost traffic to my blog and makes my headlines more “clickworthy.”
For brainstorming headline ideas, I use ChatGPT, but I also turn to easy-peasy.ai for more ideas. (Free version.) Together, these tools made creating compelling headlines a lot less daunting.
Writing Tools 5. Fiverr—A Marketplace for Beta Readers, Editors, and More
I’ve used Fiverr for a couple of years to find other professionals to help produce my books.
I first turned to them for beta readers. I hate asking friends to read my books, and I worry they won’t want to tell me what’s wrong with them anyway, so I prefer to pay someone to give me a thorough, unbiased read.
Beta readers on Fiverr are highly affordable, which is great. After doing a couple of books this way, I’ve found a couple of fantastic beta readers—one in particular worth way more than she charges. It can take some hunting, but I’ve been super happy with this easy-to-use platform.
I also use Fiverr to find good editors and, this past year, to secure an audiobook narrator for my first novel in The Midas Legacy series. One of my favorite finds was a map maker who designed a great map for the same series at a great price.
The ability to access skilled freelancers for almost any creative need is a game-changer, and the process is surprisingly affordable.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to level up your writing game, try these tools. There are endless tools out there, and it can get daunting at times, but these five are staples in my writing work.