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Five Online Aids for The Serious Writer

Posted on November 21st, 2009 in Writing by Glynis Smy
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Pen, paper and computer are not the only writing aids that are useful for the serious writer. Five online useful aids will help strengthen article and novel writing.

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Writing an article or book can be an impulsive act or a well laid out plan. Planning can take as long to prepare as writing the actual item in question. Research is a vital part of laying out a strong background for an interesting read. There are many websites, libraries and bookstores where writers can find resources that will help.

Five online writing aids is a useful list for the serious writer. Bookmark the sites for reference and study, take your writing seriously and reap the rewards. Get noticed for being a competent article writer, write that best seller or set up a blog/ website, and get recognition for interesting work. You will build up your flow of blog/website traffic and gain regular followers, therefore building a writing platform for the future. Publishers and agents look for a solid portfolio from a writer. Triond is a good place to have work published and read. Blogs are another place to showcase your work. These are all the tools for the modern day writer.

If your English is not very strong, consider investing in an Online English Teacher, the investment will pay off in the long run. It has certainly helped me brush up on my basics and I am a native English writer. I have had article writing jobs offers since making the effort to improve my grammar.

Read more in Writing
« How to Become a Writer
What is Your Earning Goal in Triond? »

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Tools of the trade- Invest in good quality pens. If you enjoy writing by hand then it can be a strain on the wrist, a good quality pen will be the right width and angle for holding. Leaking ink can ruin your work, again a good quality investment should prevent this. Computers are expensive, invest wisely, if only used for writing and on line research, go for one with the least software added. Bright cheery notepads can motivate the mind,  invest in a few and use them to organise and prepare, (they are very useful when the power is down) and don’t forget to back up your work onto discs. Dictaphones (or use your mobile ‘phone) are ideal for recording sudden bursts of inspiration.

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The List:

1: Story Spinner

This website has a fun wheel that you click. It spins and then generates suggestions for writing. The object is to write it within ten minutes. It is a great writer block aid, see my example. It is a free service.

2: Grammar Girl

This website is packed with great tips and information. There are audio clips to play, this makes the lesson a little easier to absorb. The lessons are free.

3: Character Keeper
 This software is a useful organiser. It is laid out for the writer to keep track of their characters. I am using this to keep track of mine for my novel. I have had extra characters that I do not want to use in this book, so I am able to store them in this software. Dates of birth and time lines, descriptions of the background and person are vital to building a good book. This software is easy to download and is free at this present time.

4: The Historical Timeline for Writers

This is a fabulous listing of historical timelines. Ideal for writers to click on any subject listed and find out about anyone or anything in the world during a set timeline. It has quotes and ‘on this day’ topics. A must for any writer to bookmark.

5: Books are a valuable tool for the writer to own, reading a mixture of genres is beneficial to expanding the imagination. Building a library can be expensive. The Book Depository delivers worldwide for free and they also have a selection of free eBooks to download.

Dictionaries, Thesaurus  and Encyclopedia are a vital part of the writers equipment.

Learn a new word every day and expand your vocabulary. Write something every day, not just type on the computer. If you only use a computer to write your work and get a writer’s block period, try writing by hand. The action stimulates the brain and the creative side will be alerted. Just write any word that pops into your head, this will evoke word triggers and before you know it, you are writing again.

Take time to visit the recommended websites, there is something for every type of writer; beginner to published.

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