2 min read Oct 5, 2019
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Over the last few years, I have collected a good number of online tools that have helped me in one way or another in my writing. Granted, I am nowhere near being a Hemmingway, Rowling, or Steel, I simply love having the ability to express myself. So, let’s get right to it…
(Oh, one last thing. I am not affiliated with any of the following sites and have starred my specific preferences for each section.)
Writing Tools
✯ https://gottcode.org/focuswriter
✯ https://www.calmlywriter.com/online — Distraction-free writing at its best (these are awesome if you’re a perfectionist like I am and always wanting to correct as you go… STOP THAT!!!!)
✯ https://www.literatureandlatte.com (Scapple & Scrivner — both paid products but they are excellent)
✯ https://writemonkey.com
https://typora.io
https://wordcounter.net
https://zenpen.io
https://prowritingaid.com https://writewellapp.com/editor/example/expository-essay https://www.bibisco.com
Organizing Tools
✯ https://trello.com/platforms
https://3.basecamp.com
https://workflowy.com
https://coggle.it
https://www.diigo.com (This app allows you to save webpages and annotate them for research.)
https://www.evernote.com
https://mind42.com
https://blog.mindmup.com
Noting Tools
https://www.wunderlist.com
https://www.evernote.com
https://trello.com
https://getpocket.com
https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Tomboy
https://zim-wiki.org/index.html
Editing Tools
✯ https://www.grammarly.com
✯ http://www.hemingwayapp.com
https://www.google.com/docs/about/ (Keep a good working copy of your article in Google Docs)
https://datayze.com/passive-voice-detector.php https://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml
https://draftin.com/ (Easy versioning control)
https://www.diffchecker.com
https://capitalizemytitle.com
https://writefullapp.com
http://www.clichefinder.net
https://lqwb.us/2Onrtg0 (Readability Check)
https://tone-analyzer-demo.ng.bluemix.net/ (IBM’s Tone Analyzer)
https://wordcounter.net
https://html-cleaner.com (For cleaning up the google docs code when posting into the WP editor)
Plagiarism Check
✯ https://www.grammarly.com
https://www.quetext.com
Storage
https://www.google.com/drive (Keep all of your articles in one central accessible location)
https://www.dropbox.com (Keep all of your articles in one central accessible location apart from Google)
https://mega.nz/ (50 Gigs of free encrypted storage)
Illustrations/Diagrams
https://docs.google.com/drawings (For illustrating those technical diagrams)
https://www.draw.io
https://www.canva.com
https://pablo.buffer.com/
Reference
✯ https://www.refdesk.com
https://www.theatlas.com
https://www.zotero.org
https://lqwb.us/2lTKNWp (a website that lists 8 more tools)
https://duckduckgo.com
https://wordawesome.com
https://owlquote.com
Helpful Browser Plugins
https://www.thesaurus.com
https://lqwb.us/2nww4Rt Grammarly
https://lqwb.us/2qphzkv Power Thesaurus
Google Docs Plugins
OneLook Thesaurus
Code Blocks
Paperpile
Lucidchart Diagrams
Citations:
http://www.citationmachine.net
http://www.citethisforme.com
Style Guide
The Elements of Style by Strunk, W., Jr. and White, E.B.
https://lqwb.us/354Escr
or
https://lqwb.us/2pJQQ1h
Granted, this is not a fully comprehensive list, but these are mostly all free tools that have provided a means to get my thoughts out and onto the page.
Happy writing!