What Tools Do You Use While Writing?

[Just4Sheets]

I use Windows Notepad for writing all the time. If I'm writing a story I usually only have thesaurus.com open, but I also write song lyrics, and for that I also use rhymezone.com.

I'm curious what other people use if anything?

JFS

 

[EmilyMiller]

Google docs on iOS. That’s it.

 

[cw5523729]

I use Windows Notepad for writing all the time. If I'm writing a story I usually only have thesaurus.com open, but I also write song lyrics, and for that I also use rhymezone.com.

I'm curious what other people use if anything?

JFS

Google docs. I used to use Word but Google Docs seems to do a better job of flagging grammar errors

eta: on desktop. I don't write on my phone 'cuz I'm old.

 

[orangecurious]

a pen

 

[KittyOfSteele]

On the digital realm I use Obsidian, Manuskript, and Ghostwriter exclusively. I only run Firefox to have some music streaming, and I have a bunch of addons in place to not break my concentration, plus a timer.

The rest of my aid is analog. I have dictionaries in case I forget an English word but I remember it in another language, a notebook specifically made to make notes about what I'm writing while writing (like outlining future plots, taking note of the characters that suddenly pop up, unexpected events... I'm a plantser, so anything can happen), and a bunch of scrap pieces of paper to jot down temporary things (things like "do X in the next two scenes," or "remember to answer that text when the timer goes off"), and once they're done, I can just rip them apart. My BuJo is generally open too in order to tick down things and track down my writing. I also have a whiteboard on my wall for other things that are more permanent and volatile simultaneously, like intrigue charts, or where on my chosen structure I am. My notebook of filthy ideas is also close, as well as all my stories written on the 365 so far (292 as of today) in case I need to pull off an idea when I'm out of gas.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Google docs. I used to use Word but Google Docs seems to do a better job of flagging grammar errors

The iOS version of GD is ultra basic. You can’t even run spell check on the whole document, though it does underline misspellings as you type.

In a way, I’m kinda glad. It’s all my own work, supported by human editors / proofreaders.

 

[cw5523729]

The iOS version of GD is ultra basic. You can’t even run spell check on the whole document, though it does underline misspellings as you type.

I added that I use GD on desktop only. I've got Android, not iOS, but I've never used GD on Android either.

In a way, I’m kinda glad. It’s all my own work, supported by human editors / proofreaders.

Google Docs flags all the obvious screw ups I make like typos, wrong word choice, etc. And it even flags wrong tense usage most of the time. It's not 100% accurate of course but it's right probably 80-90% of the time.

As for over-used word choice, poor sentence structure, confusing phrasing, etc. I rely on a human editor for suggestions.

 

[crookedletter]

Depends on the weather. If it's nice out, a notebook and a pen. If it's not -- or I'm following up on aforementioned pen writing -- just plain ol' Word.

 

[Just4Sheets]

In a way, I’m kinda glad. It’s all my own work, supported by human editors / proofreaders.

I proofread and edit myself. I didn't do a great job on my early stuff, but with my newer stories I'm much more thorough.

I also now read the stories out loud to my wife, which gives me another pass to find issues.

J4S

 

[EmilyMiller]

I proofread and edit myself. I didn't do a great job on my early stuff, but with my newer stories I'm much more thorough.

I also now read the stories out loud to my wife, which gives me another pass to find issues.

J4S

Reading aloud - or getting software to read it aloud - is a big factor in avoiding issues.

 

[Just4Sheets]

Reading aloud - or getting software to read it aloud - is a big factor in avoiding issues.

She loves when I read to her .. and she's the boss

J4S

 

[TheLobster]

Ghostwriter for actual writing, or sometimes OneMarkdown if I only have my Mac with me.

LibreOffice Calc if I need to spreadsheet things, like character summaries.

thesaurus.com, within reason of course.

I should probably bookmark those results, but Google is pretty good at giving the same links for queries like “most popular us last names”, “most popular us first names in 1990s”, “fantasy name generator”, etc., so I don’t care enough to do that

NaturalReaders website for text-to-speech when I’m doing the final editing pass.

 

[cw5523729]

I proofread and edit myself. I didn't do a great job on my early stuff, but with my newer stories I'm much more thorough.

I've given up trying to edit solo. I've just learned to accept that I can reread the same sentence 5 times in a row and still automatically fill in the same word that is completely missing and only exists in my imagination.

The story I'm posting now was written in 2017 originally - I edited it myself, then had another human editor go through it. Now 8 years later, going back through again with fresh eyes, I've discovered that virtually every single chapter still has at least one typo, some many.

 

[cw5523729]

I should probably bookmark those results, but Google is pretty good at giving the same links for queries like “most popular us last names”, “most popular us first names in 1990s”, “fantasy name generator”, etc., so I don’t care enough to do that

I'm going to have to try this. I hate trying to make up names. Every time I do, I feel like it's a weird choice without any reason to justify why I think that.

 

[StillStunned]

I've given up trying to edit solo. I've just learned to accept that I can reread the same sentence 5 times in a row and still automatically fill in the same word that is completely missing and only exists in my imagination.

The story I'm posting now was written in 2017 originally - I edited it myself, then had another human editor go through it. Now 8 years later, going back through again with fresh eyes, I've discovered that virtually every single chapter still has at least one typo, some many.

I'll repeat the advice I've given here many times as a professional editor and proofreader: use Read Aloud. Do it properly as well. Sit and watch the highlight jump from word to word, and you'll see and hear what you've actually written, not what you think you've written.

Seriously, it's the final stage of any job I do, and many of my colleagues do the same.

 

[cw5523729]

I'll repeat the advice I've given here many times as a professional editor and proofreader: use Read Aloud. Do it properly as well. Sit and watch the highlight jump from word to word, and you'll see and hear what you've actually written, not what you think you've written.

Seriously, it's the final stage of any job I do, and many of my colleagues do the same.

I'm sure that's very good advice and yet I don't think I have the patience for it due to a short attention sp-

squirrel!!

 

[StillStunned]

I'm sure that's very good advice and yet I don't think I have the patience for it due to a short attention sp-

squirrel!!

It comes down to how much you care about your story.

 

[Erozetta]

I use whatever is available to me when I need to write. Sometimes that's my laptop with Scrivener or LibreOffice, sometimes it's a notebook, and sometimes it's anything in between.

I've used my phone with Google docs, I've written on my arms and legs with marker, on scrap paper and index cards.

I don't usually use a thesaurus, but I do sometimes use a dictionary. I rarely do rhyming verse, so never really use sites for that.

I don't even always use editors. Hell, the story that has been getting me the most praise recently is one I wrote about ten years ago and I'm the only one who has ever edited it. I keep it that way and often send it out as a "baseline" test of my skill. I'm still shocked when people come back saying they love it.

 

[Just4Sheets]

I'll repeat the advice I've given here many times as a professional editor and proofreader: use Read Aloud. Do it properly as well. Sit and watch the highlight jump from word to word, and you'll see and hear what you've actually written, not what you think you've written.

Seriously, it's the final stage of any job I do, and many of my colleagues do the same.

I've gotten more than a few comments saying I need editing in the past .. stuff like

This also needed a lot of editing

But I still do it all on my own.

Long ago I wrote a book for a major publisher .. non-fiction, instructional .. and my editor changed so much of what I wrote that I'm still gun-shy.

J4S

 

[Thanatos_X13]

LibreOffice Writer, random "trips" to google for synonyms/antonyms, whatever 1hr+ youtube video of ambient music I'm into at the moment, coffee. When I'm done, I slap it into a .txt file and run through MS Edge to listen to their read aloud function read it back to me for final proofing. I also read most stories aloud to myself, too. If I'm feeling especially anxious, I'll read it backward.

Every now and then, I will jump into an image editor, usually GIMP, to plot out a physical location. In a prior chapter of my ongoing work, I couldn't visualize the protag's room for a scene, so I mocked up a layout in there.

Did I already mention coffee?

 

[cw5523729]

If I'm feeling especially anxious, I'll read it backward.

Say what now?

Oops, I mean, now what say?

 

[nice90sguy]

My dick and Microsoft Word

 

[StillStunned]

My dick and Microsoft Word

Really? I find even my fingers are too thick for the keys.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I typically write longer, more complex stories, so for the most part, I use MS Word for composing, although I do sometimes dictate into my cell phone and then transfer that to Word. I am not a fan of cloud-based applications and keep everything local.

I also keep my story board Excel spreadsheet handy since that is critical to me maintaining continuity.

I do a lot of research while writing, so Firefox is invaluable.

When the time comes to proof read and edit, I'll run Grammarly for spell check and grammar, but no other suggestion. The read aloud feature in Word is usually the last quality check before going to my beta readers.

 

[Writer61]

Word - actual text + spelling & grammar tool
also, Grammarly - spotting other errors
Excel - tracking characters
PowerPoint (sometimes) - sort of mood board, including images that represent characters, maps, etc.
Online dictionaries and thesaurii - words
Google, etc. - research