Writing resources are proactive tools that benefit both the writer and their work in progress. They can aid you in developing a narrative that is cohesive, imaginative and grammatically sound.

In this blog post, I’ll help you solve some writerly problems with 5 digital writer tools that can be easily incorporated into your current writing practice.

Implementing writing resources into your writing practice can help to streamline the planning, writing and querying process.

It saves you time and produces strong narratives, providing many benefits for both you and your manuscript!

As the writer, you have a lot of hats to juggle.

If this were a movie, you’d be the director, producer, script advisor and set decorator. It takes time and energy to develop an attention-grabbing, poignant story masterfully.

By using digital tools and websites that can support your writing process, you are relieving some of the pressure put upon you.

Writers can save time, tease out tricky plot points or keep track of all the minute details within their narrative world.

Today, many writing resources can help you craft a professional manuscript without the time and stress of navigating software programs that are just not made for this work. 

Some of these resources will push your imagination further as you seek to develop unique characters and settings for your novel.

Other tools aid you in refining the grammar and sentence structure of your writing, thus ensuring that your story flows seamlessly from beginning to end.

Want to incorporate digital writing tools into your writing process? 

Let’s take a look at 5 writing resources below.

During the planning and plotting stage, writers can make use of digital resources to help them refine their plot and characters.

These are imagination generators working in tandem with your inspiration.

Planning out your work in progress often means determining the ideal names for characters, navigating the development of your core settings or world and researching crucial details that will ensure the realism of your novel. 

There are many websites out there that can help you with these tasks from random name generators and map creation websites. All of these will ensure that your story development is sound and intriguing.

But, as you create the world your characters live in and gather the research you need, where do you keep all of this information?

How can you organize and build connections between these pieces so that you can easily reference your expanding playground when needed?

Enter, miro – a digital workspace that is essentially a giant visual whiteboard where you can map out your story with ease.

I used to purchase packs upon packs of muti-coloured Post-it notes to plan out every inch of my work in progress.

Inevitably, I’d end up with a disorganized pile, unsure where particular ideas had gone. It was a mess, unhelpful and frustrating to say the least.

With miro, you’re able to still enjoy the Post-it note plotting phase while keeping your thoughts organized within this virtual space. 

You can add numerous Post-its, move them around and link them as connections occur to you.

Plus, you don’t have to worry about running out of that particular colour Post-it note and ruining your colour-coded thought process.

Try out the free resource to start.

It’ll come with 3 editable boards and then, of course, you can purchase packages with additional add-ons.

All storytellers need a space to write their draft in an easily navigable platform. It should also hold up under lengthy word counts without crashing!

Writing an entire manuscript is a massive undertaking.

Some platforms just can’t take on the amount of words and pages necessary.

I’ve written many manuscripts in Google Docs and everything seemed fine until I tried editing them.

It would leave me endlessly frustrated as the system crashed or froze over and over again.

I needed a workspace that could handle the writer’s process from start to finish. 

Scrivener has gained popularity and for good reason. This is a word-processing application specifically made for writers.

In Scrivener, you can plan, write and zoom in on specific chapters or events in your story.

Realistically, you could use this application in the place of other resources as well. 

Its multipurpose use is an ideal solution for writers.

Instead of worrying about formatting in programs like Google Docs, Scrivener makes it easy to format and export your manuscript for publication!

You can easily find and track key events in your manuscript.

The ability to organize your manuscript means that you can easily click back to what you’re looking for rather than skimming your work in progress in the hopes of finding that specific moment.

Try out Scrivener’s 30-day trial to ensure that it fits seamlessly into your writing style.

No matter how great of a writer you are, we all make errors.

Thus, writers thrive on using a grammar and spell checker that works for their unique needs.

Yes, we need to spell-check our work and ensure that each sentence is grammatically correct. Yet, it’s equally important that the wonderful prose you have written are digestible and clear. 

The Hemingway app is a writing resource that does all of this!

This program will scan your work and determine which sentences are difficult to read as well as highlight grammatical errors.

You’ll be able to zero in on the sentences that need to be reworked for clarity or conciseness.

While “killing your darlings” can leave a writer feeling forlorn at times, knowing that you’ve rewritten your manuscript down to its finite sentences leaves you certain that you’ve got a strong narrative.

You may be able to get away with using the free version to fix difficult sentences and combining this program with a different application for grammar and spell check.

However, consider purchasing the Hemingway Plus version to complete all of these tasks in one place.

No first draft is perfect.

All writers need to revise their novels.

Even after you’ve spent time combing through your manuscript with the support of resources such as the Hemingway app, there are likely to be numerous errors and rough patches that escape your notice. 

You’re so closely attached to your story that you just can’t see the forest for the trees as they say.

To combat this dilemma, hiring a professional book editor can help you prepare your manuscript for the querying process.

Reedsy is your one-stop shop for editors of all kinds.

Need a developmental editor to help you finetune your plot? They’ve got professionals for that.

Want someone who can proofread your manuscript at a level you’re not trained to? You’ll find them here. 

Through Reedsy you can find professional editors with experience in your genre.

You’ll review their profiles to ensure you connect with the right person for your needs or, if you’re on the self-publishing route, find help with book layouts and designs. 

Once you’ve hired a professional there will be fees to negotiate.

What you’re willing to pay is up to your discretion.

Querying your novel is an intimidating task!

It includes additional time needed to write a query letter that will have agents asking to read more.

You’ll need time to research and determine which agents are the right fit for your book.

You could scour the internet for hours trying to create a list of agents to query or you could just…

Hop onto AgentQuery and find everything you need to know in one place.

AgentQuery is a free searchable database to help you match your book’s genre to literary agents who are actively seeking submissions. 

Not only can you curate your list of agents to query here, but you can also navigate through their various resources to learn how to write a query letter or what the querying process looks like.

This is a free database so use it to your heart’s content!

With these 5 writing resources, you can take your writing journey to the next level!

Do you have a digital writing resource that you rely on? Share it in the comments below.

Want to learn more about writing a query letter? Here are 5 amazing resources to get you started!

Talk soon!

Julia