Which writing tools would you recommend to a budding writer?

Just started your new adventure of turning blogging into a full time career? Looking for some tips on how to get there while keeping imposter syndrome to a minimum?

You’ve come to the right place in the vast lands of the internet. We know that as a budding writer, you’re always hunting for new tools that help you improve and that sage advice that offers support when things get tough.

We asked over forty expert writers and content creator across various industries to let us in on their secrets of how they find the right words, use the power of AI, get unstuck, stay organized and so much more. The result is a treasure trove of useful apps, software, and incredibly helpful advice on how to get better at what you love doing.

I've worked with dozens of writers. Two things I see with many novice writers are repetitive phrasing and sentence lengths. The latter means every sentence contains roughly the same number of words.

ProWritingAid can flag repetitive phrases. Beyond sharing the reading level of any piece you paste into Hemingway, it also highlights longer sentences. However, if you want to easily rewrite certain sentences or don't feel like clicking around a thesaurus, check out Wordtune.

Website: www.onpointcontent.io

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/phillippaquette

Medium or WordPress 

I think it is really great for budding writers to be able to share their writing both because it can be a great way to get feedback and also because it offers some sense of accountability to actually try to write on a regular basis. 

Medium is a super-easy way to publish and a more social way to interact while WordPress can provide more customization and branding if you are willing to devote the extra time and energy.

Website: www.familyfocusblog.com/

Social Media: www.instagram.com/familyfocusblog/

I had virtually no budget when I started my website, blog, and consulting business. I chose WordPress to host my content because it was accessible and there were a ton of tutorials I could follow as well as user experience-based YouTube videos I could use to teach myself anything I wanted to learn on the platform.

Google Drive has been my primary tool to grow my blog online. I love the ease of organizing, accessing, and modifying my content whether it is a blog topics, a research paper, or consultation work. This allows me to access my content from anywhere, on any device, and I don't spend a lot of time "reinventing the wheel" if I need to reuse or modify content for another purpose. And if I ever make any mistakes on a doc, I can easily go back in my edit history and revive what I need!

For my research work, One Note has been essential to document a vast amount of content from a variety of sources and tag it with projects I have been working on. I can easily find past work without a lot of searching. I spend a significant amount of time searching scholarly journals. I can store my search information in OneNote so that when I come back to it later, I don't have to retrace my steps or accidentally duplicate work that was already done.

I also do a fair amount of collaborative work and have leaned hard on the Google Suite of products as well as Trello and Slack. The time spent on getting organized has saved a lot of time and communication hassles in the long run.

Website: www.christinesnyder.org

Social Media: www.twitter.com/csnyder926

Thesaurus.com and RhymeZone.com are useful tools you probably already know about. Those are just tools to get you through the next headline-or-sentence, though. 

If you're looking for tools to make you a better copywriter, try Washapig (it's a game) or seek out comedians you admire. Comedy very often involves looking at something mundane in a weird-but-relatable way - and that almost always ends up becoming fresh, clever writing.

Website: www.hughgurin.com

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/hugh-gurin-3870002/

One of the most important writing tools for budding writers and expert writers alike is a real-time spelling and grammar checker. No matter how much of an expert we are (or think we are), there's always room for improvement.

I make it a point to look for tips as I write and then also reread my writing before I publish. Automated spelling and grammar checking can only help so much. In the end, a human will always do a better job even if that human is the writer themselves. 

Grammarly is a great tool but there's also the lesser-known Linguix, which has been my go-to tool for keeping an AI eye on my writing also.

Website: www.loclweb.com

Social Media: www.twitter.com/loclweb/

I'm writing in MS Word to prepare my first draft. I use it regularly, due to its easy-to-use and backup features.

However, I utilize Scrivener for longer projects as it is great writing software for creating and organizing well-formatted content.

After completing my manual writing and editing tasks, I like to use the Hemingway editor to check for spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, passive voice, or complex sentences.

Website: www.uplarn.com/

Social Media: www.facebook.com/uplarn/

The Marketer's Mindset Checklist, and the Offer Sequencing Infographic. 

These free thought tools will help you get in the right, customer-focused mindset before you start writing, and then understand how to sequence value for the customer during your writing. You can get both of these free thought tools at the link below.

Website: www.meclabs.com/course/tools/

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/danielburstein/

Invest in a Grammarly Premium subscription, if possible. 

The premium version will check your writing beyond basic GSP for clarity, style, and vocabulary. One of the biggest giveaways that someone is a newbie writer is their use of passive voice over active voice. I even struggle with this myself sometimes! The premium version will get you to the point where you're correcting yourself as you write. 

Secondly, read the kind of writing you want to write! The best writers often started out as voracious readers.

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/ashleygwilliam/

Two amazing tools are a thesaurus and (stay with me here) sites that help you find words beginning with certain letters, such as yourdictionary.com. Since I'm a fan of alliteration, I appreciate being able to look up 'adjectives beginning with h' for example. 

A thesaurus, on the other hand, helps you identify synonyms for alternative words to use, and allows you to identify common words associated with the one you've chosen. This research can be essential for avoiding the wrong tone in your writing!

Website: www.beseder.co

Grammarly is my go-to tool for anyone who is looking to get into writing. Whether you are writing blog posts, emails or sales decks, Grammarly not only helps with spellcheck, but also offers vocabulary or alternate word suggestions.

When I'm writing, I can often get into the flow of things but reading back for spelling mistakes and grammar can cause me to stall, so I prefer to use Grammarly to spot my mistakes along the way so that I can keep charging ahead.

The free version is great, but if you want to get serious about your writing and need that extra assistance, the premium version is a steal at just a few pounds a month.

Website: www.ryanscollon.com/

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/ryanscollon/

Amongst all of the writing tools I use, Grammarly is my favourite. I love the interface and suggestions options and it basically speeds my workflow up.

I would generally write and proofread in Word or Google Docs and then paste the text into Grammarly to see if I have missed anything or indeed if anything needs changing.

Quite often there will be something small but important that needs to be changed and it's very easy to view quickly.

Really great tool and highly recommended.

Website: www.virtualeap.com/

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/dannymsmith/

As I am a family travel blogger, my time is always at maximum capacity, so I need simplicity and efficiency when it comes to my writing tools. I do not want to manage multiple apps and tools.

I stick with the Microsoft Suite of Products. OneNote App helps me to write notes as I am experiencing the moment of travel so I can record details. I can then easily ad copy and paste that into my Word document when it comes time to write, saving me time instead of writing things twice.

I then edit using the Microsoft Editor. I find it doesn’t catch everything though, so once I've finished, I copy and paste it into a Google document and run the editing again through there.

And then I can easily share any documents amongst my team and clients.

I find these suites of products to be so good now, that I don’t really need anything else.

Website: www.yTravelBlog.com

Social Media: www.instagram.com/ytravelblog

I'm a firm believer in always having an extra set of eyes to check on my work. Being on tight deadlines for one of New York City's largest print newspapers, I trust Grammarly to help me get the job done correctly. The tool helps keep me on track while saving me a ton of time, too. 

Since reporting for the Queens Gazette, Grammarly's integrated software gives me one less thing to worry about while I report on the stories that matter. I highly recommend the tool to anyone who wants to write for a living. I wish I had the tool installed while I was first starting out.

Website: www.thekylestevens.com

Social Media: www.instagram.com/thekylestevens

As you start the process of writing professionally, it's important to choose tools that assist your natural talents -- and not take them over. I'd recommend platforms like Google Drive to sort and store all your pieces. Use SEO tools like SurferSEO or Clearscope to learn methods of adding keywords to headers, body content, and more.

I also really like using the LanguageTool extension on Chrome. It allows you to spellcheck content in any form and is extremely useful for changing content language or vernacular. For example, I can use the LanguageTool to change the content to fit British audiences, Australian audiences, and more. 

If you're stuck on generating content, I'd highly recommend using answerthepublic.com to help inform decisions for pitch titles and directions. Google News can also be used for this purpose if you're on a tight deadline. 

Above all, don't be afraid to add new tools to your arsenal as you become a more efficient writer. Speed, clarity, and quality are key, and using great tools is one way to help you get there.

Website: www.meaganshelley.com/

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/meaganshelley/

I'm going to take a different angle. Budding writers would be wise to think about the business side of a freelance writing career. It's the only way you'll sustain success. Even if you generate a ton of revenue, things will get scary fast if you don't have your finances and taxes in order. 

My advice is to treat your freelance writing business like a business as early as possible. That means separate checking and savings accounts for your business. Get an accountant to help with expenses, estimated taxes, and annual tax filings. 

Once you start moving closer to a six-figure annual revenue mark, consider a service that handles accounting, bookkeeping, and monthly expenses for you. I use Collective.

Website: www.copymartin.com/candid-collective-tax-review/

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/martin-ceisel/

When first starting out, you can find out what type of writer you'd like to be by leveraging tools like Fiverr and Upwork to take on random contract jobs. This allowed me to understand the different types of writing, what my ideal client looked like, and different pricing structures.

Using tools like Hemmingway.com and Prowritingaid.com will help you become a better writer through their editing tools and suggestions.

But the best tool of all is action. Action brings clarity and the more you write, the better you will become. 

Happy writing!

Website: www.inkeryco.com

Social Media: www.instagram.com/amandacatarzi/

Grammarly! 

The basic version is free, but I think it's always important to have a second set of eyes on your work — even if those eyes are digital. It looks so buttoned up to an editor or client when your work is free of spelling errors, and can really help you focus on the content rather than the mechanics.

Website: www.shawnbinder.com

Social Media: www.instagram.com/thatbinderdude/

Invoicing or accounting software, hands-down. 

I use Wave since it's free software that makes money if your client pays through the invoice link instead of ACH. If you treat your writing like a business from day one with every client, even if it's a $25 blog post for a friend, then you'll position yourself as a professional and your mindset will shift accordingly. 

Developing great accounting habits in the beginning will save your time and energy in the long run, when your business scales and tax time rolls around.

Website: www.brookeknisley.com

Social Media: www.twitter.com/BrookeKnisley

​Google Docs and LanguageTool.

I don't think Google Docs requires an explanation. It's our favorite tool to create content along with images. If you need to submit content for client approval, you can do it easily by adding users with editing abilities.

Most of us use Grammarly for proofreading. But I think LanguageTool is better. It’s cheap and works seamlessly across Google Docs, Gutenberg editor, and many WordPress page builders. I recommend both these tools to budding writers to get more flexibility and control overwriting.

Website: www.bloggingtriggers.com/

Social Media: www.twitter.com/HeartofManoj

I'd recommend Writer. 

It's an AI-powered writing assistant that makes in-text suggestions based on a required writing style. If you're working with multiple clients, then each is going to have their own tone and voice, which is often hard to stick to. The result is frequent back and forth between the writer and the client. Writer can help you create custom profiles to keep your copy and content compliant with minimal edits.

Website: www.quillcanvas.net

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/misraparth/

It's going to sound basic, but Grammarly Pro is an absolute lifesaver for me day in and day out. I used it in Google Docs, email, Microsoft Word – you name it! Not only does it check my grammar, tense agreement, and voice, but it also flags my writing tone to ensure that I'm coming off exactly as I mean to in my writing. It's an invaluable subscription and I recommend it to any writer, old or new.

One of the most important parts of writing is staying organized, and that's why I love Asana - the project management platform is integrated with Gmail so you can bump email assignments to your task list and set due dates so you never miss a deadline and organize your workflow accordingly.

Finally, I've got to shout out Hemingway App, a program that helps you identify where your sentences could be clearer, less wordy, or less complex. I'm a very verbose writer, and sometimes I need to tone it down. Hemingway highlights phrases and sentences that could use some polish and offers suggestions on what you could do to improve!

Website: www.amandajlien.com

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/amandajlien

I'd recommend the basics like Grammarly, Power Thesaurus, and an understanding of how to use Google Docs, Google Sheets, Microsoft Word, Excel, Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. These are all tools I use on a daily basis that are at the very least a must-know how to navigate.

Beyond that, leverage social media content to find new job opportunities like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook Groups. They have all been great assets to launching my own freelance career. 

Research via Google, make connections with others in the field, and have fun!

Website: www.imsamanthachristian.com/

Social Media: www.twitter.com/imsamchristian_

I would recommend Grammarly.

It's really difficult to proofread your own work so I always run my content through Grammarly to check it for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

You can set your own goals and rules too, so if you need content to be a bit more formal or less formal, you can get it to analyse it from that point of view. I sometimes write for the USA too and it really helps with that, since I'm a native UK English writer.

Website: www.cocobutterblog.co.uk

Social Media: www.instagram.com/coco.travels/

If you're just starting out, chances are your writing needs to be tightened up. We writers grew up reading literature full of long, flowery phrases and evocative descriptions. Is a sentence even a sentence if it doesn't have clauses and commas? I feel you, I really do. Now stop it.

Today's writing is concise. Grammarly.com will help you rid your prose of fluff, nonsense, and extra commas. Other tools I use include Frase.io to analyze SEO value and Coschedule.com headline analyzer.

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/sherrygray/

I think differently about writing. Sure the pen and paper or the computer would most likely be the answer but to me, the most important writing tool is to listen. If you are interviewing someone, listen to what they have to say and don't let your mind wander. If you are asking someone for ideas, hear what they offer you and select the ones that match you the best. 

Sure, you can follow that with writing or typing that information, but if you don't listen you don't hear. I truly believe that what makes a good journalist are those who actually want to hear the answers to their questions rather than worry about the next question or what to say when it's their turn to speak. They are the ones that should be doing the speaking and you are the one who should be doing the listening.

Website: www.dianaderosa.com

Social Media: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073046116787

Grammarly Premium

Many people already have the free Grammarly extension on their Chrome, but the premium subscription is a whole new game. Early on, I was hesitant to pay, but it ended up being incredibly helpful. Consider it an investment in your writing; it's like having a pre-editor we can get feedback from 24/7 and someone who will dust off your emails before you send the one that solidifies your next gig. Not only that — there's an extension for your phone. Game-changer.

Descript

I started using Descript when I started getting gigs that required me to interview people. I feel for you if you've ever done a manual transcription before. That takes a lot of time. But why do it if there's an AI program that can do 99% of it for you, am I right? While you'll still have to go through and correct some of the robot's mistakes (English is even hard for humans sometimes), it's a serious time saver. What's great is the first 3 hours of transcription are free, so you get to try it out before you commit. Not to mention, it's a solid skill to include in your resume.

Microsoft Word

This one's probably a no-brainer for most people, but I had to reiterate. Microsoft Word is the standard in this field. You might come across a client here and there that uses Google Docs, but it doesn't hurt to be proficient in both. I know many of us are riding on that student discount, but when the time comes and it expires, don't hesitate to renew your subscription. Or just keep doing the free trial until you run out of email accounts to use (just kidding).

Writing Timer

A free option! Hallelujah! The most confusing thing is determining your rate when you start as a freelancer, but a writing timer makes it much easier. How much do you want an hour? How about per word? Per assignment? Unless you can measure how many words you write in an hour, how can you know? That's where the Writing Timer comes in handy. By understanding how much time it takes you to write a project, you can set realistic deadlines and time for the many other important parts of your life.

Tape A Call

This has been super helpful for me throughout the pandemic because all interviews have been conducted virtually. Typically, in person, you'd use a recording device on your phone, so you could focus on the interview instead of taking notes and get the most accurate quotes. This app is great because it allows you to record audio from phone calls, Zooms and Google Meets. This app paired with Descript gets a day's work done in 5 minutes. So now you can get into the actual writing— the thing you get paid for. Isn't technology great?

Website: www.claireredden.com

Social Media: www.instagram.com/clayaire/

As a beginner, it is essential to focus on brevity in your writing. It is a complex skill to master but once acquired, it has numerous benefits. With the decreasing attention span of users, this has become an absolute must. A tool that significantly aids me with this is the Hemingway Editor. It's a great tool that guides users to keep their content short, concise, and clear. And the best part? It's free!

While many budding writers are under the presumption that you need to utilize an extensive vocabulary in your writing, that couldn't be farther from the truth. The best advice I received to date is to keep your content simple enough so that a 10-year-old could comprehend it, and it has served me well.

Website: www.globalleaderstoday.online/

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/sherlyn-gomes/

Staying organized is key to meeting deadlines. I recommend every budding writer have a planner to help them stay on task, plan their week, and avoid procrastination. 

I started out using planners because I love the tangible aspect of putting pen to paper, but I recently switched to Asana so I can access my task list from anywhere. Whether you prefer a physical planner or a digital project management system, this is one tool every writer needs.

Website: www.jennifermcknight.com

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/jdmcknight/

As a content writer, I feel that there are many things on the doubt list that we are confused about. That's normal. It was tough for me as well, just like you! But, the process itself sorts many issues out for you.

To begin with, I would highly recommend Grammarly to be your saviour from the grammatical errors. It is essential to be sure about the words and forms you're using in your content. For writing, you can use Google Docs. It simplifies the typing and editing process and it is my go-to tool for writing to date. QuillBot or Hemingway Editor App can also be an option for you for your needs.

Most importantly, the trust in self and the zeal to grow and learn would help you in the long run.

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/preranaasheel/

I recommend Grammarly because it seamlessly integrates into your Google Chrome browser and checks your emails and documents for errors. It's free and ensures your work is mistake-free.

Google Docs is a great free resource for writing. You can organize your work in your Google Drive by folders. If you want to go back to a previous version of your work, there is revision history saved. It integrates with Grammarly so you get a writing coach in your back pocket.

Website: www.kasiamanolas.com/blog

Social Media: www.twitter.com/KasiaManolas

Tools for freelance writers is one of my all-time favorite topics! There are plenty to choose from, but here are some of my favorites for different parts of the writing business process:

Dubsado and Harvest

If you want to write and set up your proposals, contracts, and invoices, these are wonderful tools to use. I love Dubsado because it helped me get rid of a dozen other tools and now it’s not only where I run the paperwork or admin part of my business, but how I set up payments, financials, scheduling calls, and appointments, taxes, to-do list, marketing, e-signatures, and managing clients.

If you’re looking to get started simple, choose Harvest. It’s cheaper than Dubsado (not as robust) but helps you get the hang of invoicing and managing projects plus it has an hourly tracker if you need to invoice by the hour.

Boomerang

As a writer, it’s critical to have a dedicated follow-up system and a way to collect your emails from warm potential clients who aren’t ready to hire you right now. I use Boomerang constantly to send messages back to my inbox to follow up on. This is how I maintain relationships, ensure I follow up at the right intervals, get more clients, and easily maintain a dedicated follow-up system. I also use Boomerang to pause my inbox, so I can get more writing work done without the distraction of new emails, and use it to have emails pop back in my inbox if someone doesn’t respond. It also has a tracking feature if you need to track certain messages.

GMass and HubSpot

These are two of my brand new favorite tools! With GMass and HubSpot Marketing Hub, you can finally send customized LOIs (Letters of Introduction) in bulk. Yes! They not only let you do this marketing tips more efficiently but help with dedicated follow-up systems that make it easy to stay current with your potential clients. It’s a ton easier to automatically follow up on leads or LOIs that didn’t get responses, and get your AI for marketing done so you can move on to more paid work.

Zoom, Tape-a-Call Pro, and Rev Call Recorder

Wondering how you can record your interviews? Use any of these tools to get it done. With the major shift to Zoom, doing interviews for your reported articles makes more sense on that platform. But if you want to still do phone calls, Tape-a-Call Pro is my go-to and I have Rev Call Recorder as my backup. You can also set Zoom to automatically record certain meetings when you do an interview. And, I always start Tape-a-Call and then add in Rev Call Recorder as a backup recording in case Tape-a-Call fails. Rev also allows you to import the recording immediately to get a transcript.

Rev, Temi, Otter.ai, and Descript

Because the robots (Temi, Otter.ai, and Descript) have gotten leagues better at transcribing interviews, I rely on those more than Rev. But when quotes are critically important to get right or you have a poor recording, Rev, with their human transcriptionists, is the way to go. My favorite recently to rely on is Descript because the monthly fee is cheaper than paying per transcript on Temi and seems to be more accurate than Otter.ai.

Notes App, Trello, Evernote, and Notion

If you need to collect notes for an article, potential clients to reach out to, marketing lists, outlines, or organize things in your writing business, these note tools are the best. Notion is one of the best for sharing and collecting specific outlines of notes and allows you to have more functionality than the other tools, but I use a mix depending on what I’m doing. Plus, I’ve found that different types of note tools work for different types of writers, so try them all out and see what works best for both your writing work and business.

Frase.io, Clearscope, and Ubersuggest

When it comes to SEO tools, these, in my mind, are the best. If you’re looking to SEO optimize a single piece for a client, Frase.io is your best bet. If you’re looking for a tool that your client can purchase and you can use with them to optimize a ton of content, Clearscope is it. And if you’re working on bigger content strategy projects, SEO strategy projects, or need a more robust SEO tool, Ubersuggest offers a ton of different functionalities like recommending keywords, allowing you to compare competitors, looking at likes and shares, and creating different projects for your clients.

Website: www.mandyellis.com/

Social Media: www.instagram.com/itsmandyellis/

My favorite writing app is probably a timer. A timer can help you stay focused and write faster. Plus, it suggests taking breaks in time which can protect your back and boost your creativity. I use FocusBooster but many other online timers exist or you can use an old-fashion kitchen timer. Other useful apps include Scrivener (for organizing and writing a book), Grammarly, and the Hemingway app (for reviewing long and passive sentences).

While apps can make a difference in our productivity, they probably matter less than you might think. Productivity is mostly fueled by habits (write daily-ish, no matter how little), mindset (be kind to yourself so you can work more productively with your inner critic), and mastery of the writing process (learn to observe and troubleshoot your own stuckness).

Website: www.enchantingmarketing.com/

Social Media: www.twitter.com/HennekeD

PR Newswire is one of my go-to resources for staying up to date on trending headlines and industry news.

 The tool also helps you find experts to connect with for interviews or quotes. You can filter news releases based on industry, dates, and keywords—making it easy to find the most relevant information for your work.

Whether you're an up-and-coming writer or a seasoned pro, topic generation is always a challenge. To help with this, I recommend using a tool like PR Newswire frequently. Not only will you find interesting topics and story ideas, but you'll also develop a better understanding of what's happening in your industry.

Website: www.lindsaymodglin.com

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-modglin/

The most incredible tool in my arsenal is definitely a yearly Grammarly subscription as a writer. 

While I pride myself on being quick-witted, well-informed, and no stranger to award-winning spelling. But grammar-wise? There's really no alternative to having your back, and Grammarly does an incredible job at picking up the minute details that are often missed with the human eye. In fact, the program is scarily good at its job!

Website: www.theunboundcreatives.com

Social Media: www.instagram.com/theunboundcreatives/

You're in an early stage of development, so coming across challenges and obstacles with a flexible mindset is essential in this industry. Don't let your journey define your worth, no matter how tempting it can be. Make sure to have your vision in sync with your mission, no matter the stage you're finding yourself in. 

If you want to be an active and attractive writer in today's world, you must be engaged with vibrant experiences that can fulfill your personal interests, desires, and lifestyle. Take that walk, read that book, visit that park: your narrative, whether it is delivered through fiction, non-fiction, news, or poetry - is deeply connected to your existence, the set of stories in which you're the ultimate and first protagonist.

Website: www.thecurlyflower.com/

Social Media: www.instagram.com/thecurlyflower/

The Hemmingway App. This is helpful during the editing process to identify ways to improve your copy.

Website: www.jenniferclair.co.uk/

Social Media: www.twitter.com/JenClairRobson

When it comes to writing in a marketing team, you need to cover the basics of readership to capture leads and help them understand the product you’re putting out there. To do that, I use two tools that mesh to craft a cohesive strategy.

I use an AI copywriting tool like Jasper, Surfer SEO, or Dashword to create a skeleton or foundation for my article. These tools are a lifesaver if you’re starting as a “greenie” in the marketing industry.

You would be surprised how much you learn about a subject from using tools like these.

When you’ve crafted your article, it needs to look clean and polished. Since college, I’ve been using Grammarly to help my writing come across in the best shape it can be. Regardless of experience level, these are tools anyone can use and learn.

Website: www.connertighe.wixsite.com/mysite-1

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/conner-tighe/

My favorite writing tool is Evernote.

If it wasn't for Evernote, half of my published clips from the beginning of my career would be lost forever! The business I was writing blog posts for closed without notice, and suddenly all the live clips I could link as examples of my work were GONE! Luckily, I had followed the very sage advice of Carol Tice and had saved all my clips. They were all safe and sound in Evernote. 

Thanks to Evernote, I still use them to this day as examples to get more work. Evernote is also a great way to save my research and source files for stats I use in the articles I write. I really can't brag on it enough!

Website: www.hollyhughesbarnes.com

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/hollyhughesbarnes/

I honestly keep it simple. Google Docs to actually write (or Microsoft Word if you use the Microsoft suite). I actually like to create a folder per project, with the outlines and drafts all labeled as different documents. Any research you do, image inspiration, or anything else can go in the folder too; you can even use Microsoft PowerPoint as a way to create vision or mood boards or plot outlines.

If you like whiteboarding, Miro is a great digital whiteboarding tool.

Website: www.nancylinchen.com

Social Media: www.instagram.com/nancy.lin.chen

My most important piece of advice is to write something you yourself would enjoy. There are so many articles and unique posts for social media that could be incredibly interesting but are met with the same corporate tone time and time again. Never be afraid to put your personality into your writing and let the readers feel like they've been given space in your mind and world. It's also completely okay to try out tones until you find what fits with you and your readers!

As for actual resources, I'd love to say that I've been inspired every time I have written but this would simply not be true - sometimes you need to see your idea written in your own words, but fleshed out a bit with some assistance. 

For this, I'd highly recommend copy.ai. This is a free website where you can write a little bit about your product, idea, or subject and choose a tone you'd like to go for, and then let the tool come up with anything from sentences to small paragraphs! 

Sometimes you'll see one word put in a different way that will unleash endless inspiration. It's one of my favourite tools if I feel like I'm in need of a little push.

Website: www.aliston.design

Social Media: www.instagram.com/alistondesigns

Freedom App

One of the most crushing things for people who are in the business of creating ideas, storytelling, or writing is distractions. Luckily ( and I say that with utmost sarcasm) distractions on the internet and in life are everywhere. They will jar you away from the task you're aiming to do, steal your precious time and foster unproductive habits. Freedom is a great tool to block these distractions. 

Allowing your present and sensible self to set up time windows in which you want to work or when you want to do whatever your wild mind wants to do. Freedom helps you set up a system allowing you to engage with the web and your devices in a healthier way. You can block sites or apps, all those alluring and addicting ones that make you mindlessly scroll and leave you in a soulless and uninspired stupor. 

Now you're free to focus on your writing. You'll just have to sit down and do it. And not start doing laundry, vacuuming, or trying on all the hats in your house. Focus and start writing. Take it one word at a time.

Website: www.hijohnny.com

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/hijohnnymichael

When I'm writing blog content or web copy for clients, I turn to Frase.io. It lets me optimize my content for specific keywords by analyzing the top-performing content and providing a list of semantic keywords and topics that top-ranking pages have covered. I can then make sure that I'm covering all the important bases in my articles—plus anything extra that the competition missed.

Frase can also analyze existing content, showing me opportunities for SEO improvement. I never make promises to my clients about rankings, but using this tool has helped me to get some page one results for both blogs and site content.

And for an old-fashioned tool, I swear by my Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus. It's a brick of a book, but it's a treasure.

Website: www.eatdrinkandwritecopy.com/

Social Media: www.instagram.com/eat.drink.writecopy/

Always read your work out loud or have someone do that for you. I am totally blind, and I depend on a screen reader to do my writing and editing. I also employ a very talented professional editor to make sure my books are visually appealing and will read well on all digital devices. That process requires a lot of back and forth. She has often commented that we are a perfect team. Her eyes catch things my ears miss, and my ears notice things her eyes don't. 

I highly recommend you get used to reading your own work out loud. You may have to start with single sentences or paragraphs. And you may find you are over critical when doing it yourself. You may want to ask a friend or family member to do this for you. Still, it's an important step every author should include in their writing process. 

Website: www.theblindblogger.net

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellivey

Evernote to effortlessly record and document thoughts and ideas for future or present writing projects and quickly organize those notes with tags and notebooks that can also be shared. 

Grammarly for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors as you type. Although it gets it right most of the time, even if it doesn't, it does prompt you to quickly review sentences for context and structural issues that may have caused the app to catch a misplaced word before you move on to the next sentence. 

Google Docs for quick editing with all the basic tools similar to a desktop app. It can be exported in many formats like PDF and Microsoft Word. Documents can be easily shared for collaboration with editing and commenting. Docs also has voice-to-text capabilities that cut down on typing time and recollection of thoughts while having pretty decent voice recognition with words and punctuation. 

Cliché Finder if you are a serious writer that wants to stay away from clichés or use them appropriately with your content. 

BuzzSumo, AnswerThePublic, and Quora to research topics that people are searching for or find interesting. Run your articles through Readable

Website: www.BettyofBoston.com

Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/shari-betty

Writing tools have evolved alongside technology and provide a variety of helpful services. From checking spelling and grammar to the power of AI, there are many software solutions out there that make the life of a budding writer easier. You can use them to produce clear and concise copy, find the right words, or get you out of a rut when you’re stuck.

We hope you’ve discovered a few tools you might not even have known existed to support your work. Whether you’re a freelance writer looking for a gem of a tool that helps you with finances or a young journalist looking for good transcription software, take your pick from our treasure trove.

And don’t forget about the words of wisdom that you can find among the apps and programs. You can store them in your own vault of precious notes to look back at when you need them