Tools: they’re what separate us, as humans, from wild beasts. Sure, an ape might be able to dig into an ant mound with a stick, and a scientist might point to that primate and say he or she is using a “tool.” But we humans are the only ones using jackhammers.
Writers, specifically, have more tools than ever at our disposal, programs that can guide us through the entire process of penning a novel, from finding inspiration, organizing our manuscript, to eventually publishing and taking our book to market.
Global English Editing, an editing, proofreading, and author services company located in California, has assembled an exhaustive catalog of the “80 Best Tools for Writers.” These eighty selections are divided into seven categories:
- Writing
- Brainstorming
- Inspiration
- Organization
- Productivity
- Reference, Editing, and Proofreading
- Publishing Your Work
Free tools are listed alongside paid options and run the gamut from Microsoft Word to MarinaraTimer, an online kitchen timer that allows you to name and set your times for different goals and workflows. Also included are online dictionaries, an acronym finder, and ten resources geared toward helping you publish your work.
For the complete list, click here.
Just a heads up: you’ll have to scroll down the long page to find each of the different categories. (It would have been nice if the menu of categories had anchors, so we could jump to the section we were most interested in.)
Global English Editing offers editing and proofreading for thesis, dissertations, journal articles, essays, and more; editing, proofreading, and manuscript evaluation services for creative authors; and business editing and proofreading services for large and small businesses, as well as non-profits. They also maintain a blog. Visit them at www.geediting.com.