5 Tools You Need As A Writer
I’d like to start my list with pen, paper, typewriter, stencils, and maybe a computer, but… regardless of how classic the 80s was, and I’m fond of the idea of living in those times, this isn’t the 80s, not even the 90s.
It's 2023 and as a writer, newbie or not, it’ll be a taboo if you don’t have these 5 basic tools:
1. Grammarly
Like the name, Grammarly is an impressive tool that helps writers improve their grammatical construct.
It checks and corrects spellings, improper use of punctuations, and misuse of words and it suggests synonyms as well, so as a writer, you could have more than 2 ways to say one thing without visiting your dictionary.
Also, Grammarly does a quick overview of your writing and indicates the most dominating tones. If your intent for writing a particular piece is to sound authoritative, based on your choice of words, Grammarly lets you know if your intent was accomplished or nah.
Finally, Grammarly indicates to users when a particular sentence sounds redundant or if it’s not easy to read.
For instance, say I write something like this; ‘starting out as a newbie writer…’ The word “out” makes that sentence redundant, and Grammarly would indicate that.
Or say I write ‘it’s very likely that you will get confused…’ because it’s too wordy, Grammarly will provide you with a much better replacement like ‘you will likely get confused…’
See? It's easy and short to read and helps your audience flow better as they read.
2. Canva
If we’re going by the top 5 tools I started with as a writer, then Canva would be no.1, but we’re not so…
My very published piece was made on Canva. At the time, I thought Canva was only made for writing poems and stuff, but I was wrong, it’s more than that.
Different people in various fields of life can use Canva. Graphic designers, photo and video editors, resume builders, and bloggers, which where you come in.
If you’ve been taking my word for anything, then you have a blog of your own already, and if you know anything about how to get reader's attention, you’ll know inputting images in your blog post is one proven-effective way to do so.
You don’t have to pay for these images if you can’t afford them as Canva has a lot of free images.
Even better, the new improvement on the app, has a drawing feature, so you can now make your personal illustrations on Canva and use them on your blog.
3. Google doc
There are several writing apps, but this is a personal favorite.
I find Google Docs to be both effective and useful especially to writers who don’t have a PC because though it’s a mobile app, it has features similar to that of the Microsoft Word you’ll find on PCs.
It’s easy to use and unless you want to stick to writing on paper, the 80s style, then you should head to Play Store and grab your copy now!
4. Mobile Journal/Recorder
Say you’re walking and a big idea comes to mind, what will you do?
Naturally, we think our brain can hold details for long, but truth is, not always, and because of that you can lose that idea before you’ve had the opportunity to write it down.
Nevertheless, we all walk around with our phones most of the time, and fortunately, phones now come with apps such as notebooks and recorders, or you can download them.
So instead of waiting until you get home to type or write down your idea, you could just record yourself speaking it out or find a place by the side of the road and type it down into your mobile notebook or journal.
5. A place to publish
What good are your writings if you have no place to publish?
Yet again another reason you should own a blog.
Although you can get better as a writer by only constantly writing, however, the more you publish those pieces, the more feedback you get from how people engage with your writing, and that’s a better way to grow as a writer.
Fortunately, gone are the days you need a printing press or a publishing house to get your works out there, as you can now publish on social media platforms, Quora, Medium, Vocal, and blogs.
Takeaway
The great thing about all of these 5 tools you need as a writer is that they’re both mobile-friendly and free to use, all you have to do is use them.
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