The Tools I Use For Writing:

I have several designated tools I use for my writing, and today I am going to be sharing them with you. I definitely recommend checking all of these out! But as always, don't just use these tools because they work for me. Try them out yourselves and use what works and ditch what doesn't. Hopefully, this will be of some help!

1) Notebooks and Pens

I know this is a really basic one, but it is VERY important! Notebooks are the very best place to hold all of your thoughts and ideas for your story ideas. I have learned from experience that you need to write down your ideas, even the little ideas, because it is very likely you will end up forgetting them. Our brains have to hold way too much information for us to remember every single idea.

If you're looking for some good notebooks and pens I would go to Walmart and Ross. Walmart has cheap notebooks and pens that are worth it. And they have some really great designs on the notebooks. Ross is a great place to go for smaller 5/7ish sized notebooks that are spiral bound. I would highly recommend getting some spiral-bound notebooks from either/both stores!

2) Google Docs

This is the tool I use to write/type up my writing. I use this because I love all the special features, such as sharing and commenting. It makes it easy to share your document with others and get their feedback easily. It's also free which is a great plus!

3) Milanote

I use this in many different ways.

1) I've used it to write down all ideas I have when I'm outlining and then I organize them.

2) I use it to outline.

3) I use it as mood/inspo boards. It's a great resource to upload photos and create character boards and profiles.

One of the best parts is that it is free. All you need is an email and password and you have 100 notes, documents, images, and to-do lists collectively.

4) Grammarly

This tool has been floating around for a while and there are several commercials about it out there and it is one of my favorite resources. It corrects any incorrect spelling, tells you where there needs to be a comma (Which are my worst enemies), and where a sentence could be more clear. It just helps you with the grammar side of your writing.

Another great aspect of Grammarly is that it sends you weekly writing updates. It tells you how many words it checked, how many alerts were shown, how many unique words you used, which ones you used, how many words it's checked since you joined Grammarly and your top three writing mistakes.

It's a great tool and would TOTALLY recommend checking it out!

5) Hemingway Editor

This one is another grammar tool. I heard about this one from Abbie Emmons and have used it while I edit. It's free and just a tab you open on your laptop/computer. It highlights adverbs, passive voice, phrases with a simpler alternative, sentences that are hard to read, and sentences that are very hard to read.

It's a good resource worth checking out, but I don't use all their suggestions, so just be aware of that.

6) Pinterest

This is probably my favorite resource/tool! I love Pinterest! It's a wonderful place to find writing prompts, character inspiration, create mood boards, and writing tips. It's the best! I HIGHLY recommend it! Just be careful about it because it is easy to get distracted and spend time on it when you should be spending time writing (HAHA)!

If you would like, you can check out my Pinterest account, where I have a board for character inspiration, writing prompts, and writing inspiration! (Shameless plug!)

7) Spotify

I love Spotify and it's where I go to listen to music when I'm writing or when I'm creating a book playlist! If you don't use it already check it out!

8) YouTube

I use YouTube mainly for writing advice. There are many creators on there that have very good writing advice and tips!

I know personally I'm always looking to see what others use so I can see if they will work for me so hopefully this is of some help!

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If you have any thoughts on the resources/tools I mentioned or other tools you recommend please comment them down below. And as always, if you have any questions, ask them in the comments or contact me directly. I'm always willing to help as best I can.

With Love, Kathryn Hawke