Thank you for joining me for my first post on Substack!
Excited to share my vast well of writing resources! I’m a writer myself and understand how important it is to find resources that work for you. To be honest, it is often fun (and helpful) to discover new ones! I’ve shared numerous websites, software, and more, on the topic of writing in my private writer’s groups and decided it was time to start sharing this with everyone else. Writing impacts all of us, regardless of whether it is in paper form or electronic. Anything to help us communicate better (and helps our creativity flow) is a plus!
Today I’m sharing a brief list of free writing resources available. This is the first of a handful of posts on this topic over the coming months. Take advantage of free when possible and don’t fall for the myth that paying equals better. The internet is abundant with free writing software and websites to help with your scribing needs. Benefit from them!
Here are six of my favorite picks:
Hemingway App–One of my top favorite writing websites. It’s an online AI editor. Follow the instructions on their website to understand what each color means when it provides you feedback on your writing. This editor rivals several paid-for AI editors. Need offline access? See the button on the top left that says, “Desktop App”. This supplies a download link to their paid-for desktop app in case you need access offline. Otherwise, the online version can easily manage at least 10,000 words at a time.
Wavemaker–It’s a novel planning and writing software that runs on any platform. A few of the templates available are the Better Novel Writing Project, Manuscript Shredder, and Three Act Structure. It supplies a Snowflake tool, various mind map templates, database cards, a timeline tool, and much more, including the Save The Cat style of novel planning. Its largest limitation is the only backup choice available is to your Google Drive. However, it is free and supported by one lone developer who is doing all this incredible work on the software. More links to note: (1) Website for your projects and (2) the developer’s Reddit thread for the software (fastest way to get software support).
Quoll Writer–Downloadable writing application that lets you focus on your words. The example photo is of a memoir I’m gearing up to write. Focus on your words, not the interface. Manage your characters and assets with ease. Annotate the text to make management simple (scenes, plot outlines, etc.). Keep distractions at bay with full-screen mode. Improve the quality of your writing with the Problem Finder. Share your work in Editor Mode. Keep on track with Statistics and Targets (word count, readability, etc.) Record and categorize your ideas. Limber your writing brain with a Warm-up (over 300 prompts to choose from). And many more features. Version 2 is available for Windows. Version 3’s beta is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
ApolloPad–It’s a feature-packed online writing environment that will help you finish your novels, eBooks, and short stories. Import projects from PDF, Word, etc. Export to PDF, eBook, Markdown, doc, and more. Many tools, including those to manage project timelines, outlines, characters, locations and objects, upload photos, and more. Contextual inline notes to help you keep your thoughts within your writing. Secure and private with the possibility of automating backups to your Dropbox account.
Bhooks–Wonderful way to get opinions on your writing. Or you can find some marvelous stories! Read, write, or share feedback. Make friends with like-minded people and connect with writers from all around the world. Download your favorite author’s latest drafts to your e-reader and help them improve their craft with your feedback. Follow them, see their progress, exchange advice, and become friends! Let the Bhooks website do all the technical work. The Bhooks robot converts your stories into various formats, sends them to Kindle, calculates a fair number of points for your feedback (within the Bhooks critique system), reminds you of the Critique deadline, and much more. It supplies a rich editor to write and customize your book, including an excellent text editor, cover editor, and style editor. Your writing is 100% private and protected, and GDPR compliant. All your works and data belong to you. When you remove your account, it is all gone without a trace. Overall, this website allows you to read free e-books, author a story (or book), and give feedback to other writers. It’s unlike any other self-publishing platform available. Finally, check out their blog for valuable writing advice!
Writing It Out-Excellent blog to guide your writing and editing. Need help to create a query letter for your fiction book? It's here! Help with writing characters or an outline? Here, as well! "The Highlighter Exercise", in one post, helps you figure out if you relied on too few senses in a scene. Were you fully able to capture it with most of the human senses? She gives varied advice that ranges from handling rejection to the pros and cons of self-publishing. And, of course, the usual helpful articles on grammar. It's a treasure trove of writing help tucked away on this blog!
Conclusion: Have a favorite writing website? Use software that takes your writing to the next level? Share it below in the comments!
Hope you discovered an unfamiliar writing resource you’re excited to explore! Helping others is a passion that includes sharing knowledge to aid others, including my fellow writers.
Thank you for joining me! Please continue to tune in for my advice and other flavors of unpredictable scribbles on the craft and art form of writing. It’ll be a potpourri of writing randomness you never knew existed while helping you in your own life.