Looking for some writing help but not sure where to start? The life of a writing newbie can be challenging, but I’d like to make it a little easier. I’ve rounded some of the resources for writers I’ve found most helpful. From photos to feedback, here are some of the tools I wouldn’t write without.
Use Grammarly to Proofread
A good spelling and grammar checker is indispensable. Even the best writers leave typos and mistakes behind. Grammarly acts as a second set of eyes to catch any mistakes your own editorial mind missed.
I find the free version perfectly passable for my needs. But there is a premium version, loaded with fancy features like a passive voice finder and a plagiarism checker if you want it.
Assess Grammarly’s suggestions on your own because not every suggestion is helpful. Its dictionary often fails to recognize unusual words. Sometimes, the grammar checker mistakes the context of your words and offers unnecessary suggestions.
That’s not to say Grammarly isn’t very helpful; it is. But use as an aid to make your own correction, not a click and done deal.
Use Pexels for Images
Good photos are so important for blog posts, book covers, social graphics, and more. Although there are several free photo resources out there, Pexels is my favorite. It has a convenient app, clean interface, and many attractive, free-to-use stock photos.
Pexels lets you create an account and save photos into collections like Pinterest, making it easier to save photos you see now for later use. It gives many size options for photos and an easy to copy-paste credit to the photographer.
Use Hemingway Editor for Editing
Hemingway Editor is an indispensable tool for writers. It acts like a computer-driven developmental editor. The program tells you the reading level of your writing. It highlights elements like passive-voice sentences and adverbs. It even marks hard-to-read sentences in red and yellow. This makes in-depth edits easier.
Plus, it comes with fancy-pants word processing features like bullets, quotes, and title formatting. Buy the premium version, and you can enjoy features like direct publishing to certain platforms and Wi-Fi free service.
Use Thesaurus.com for Word-Checking
Every writer needs a trustworthy thesaurus. Otherwise, they’d look quite lugubrious.
Thesaurus.com neatly integrates with its twin, Dictionary.com, allowing seamless searching for definitions and synonyms. They also have an app for easy use on your smartphone.
Also, if you’re a word lover or enjoy neat trivia, they have a news section full of weird word facts and linguistic history that’ll pique your interest.
While there are plenty more helpful resources for writers that I use, those are my favorite and most trusted. In fact, I used each one to help me write this article!
Although there are plenty of flashy writing programs out there, I find it easier to rely on a few trustworthy tools than popping from site to site. If you want to make your writing experience a little faster and easier, give these tools a chance to help.
Mint is a writer and digital marketing pro who lives in coastal Virginia with her family and one lovable pitbull. Her passions include helping people and businesses display their best side through the power of communication, buying her dog costumes he doesn’t want to wear, and talking all day about Batman.
