Best Resources For Writers2/21/2023 Hi! Hope you’re having a lovely 2023 so far. If you’re anything like me, one of your New Year’s resolutions looked a bit like this: write more, worry less. I’m assuming we can all relate to the background anxiety that comes when you haven’t written in a while. Just like anything, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. But sometimes, if you’ve been taking a break for a while, it can be hard to get back in the swing of things. That’s where this listicle comes in handy. I’ve compiled some of the best resources for writers, both online and physical. Nice! #1, Research Links For Writers. Because realism is important, guys. The adage “write what you know” is outdated by now, obviously, because write whatever the hell you want, actually- but make sure you do some research beforehand. This website is invaluable, and has saved me hours of scouring the internet. Pretty much whatever you want to find is on here, but just in case that site doesn’t do it for you, here’s another. And another, just about writing realistic injuries- aren’t you guys lucky? #2, Hiveword. This website, in its own words, “has helped writers organize their novels since 2011”. I’ve never used it, as I prefer paper planning, but I have writer friends who swear by it. The basic account is 100% free, but you can pay for a few more bells and whistles. #3, Ivy Tech Library. This is a great resource on folklore/myth. Highly recommend it. #4, Reedsy. This is a great network to use. I personally have used it to look for freelance editors, agents, and more. There’s a “marketplace” side, where you can find book designers and other invaluable team members, and they also have a blog with a lot of great writing advice. #5, OpenOffice. This is basically like a free version of Microsoft Office. I use Google Drive for everything, but I have friends who switched to OpenOffice after years of using Microsoft, and they swear it’s just the same, if not better- and their bank accounts thank them for it. #6, TitleCase. This is veerrry simple: A Website That Converts Everything You Write into Title Case. Pretty nifty! #7, Hemingway Editor. This is an elegant and visually appealing editing tool that goes through your writing for readability. It’ll affix a little “grade-level” score next to a piece, along with highlighting and suggestions. Personally I like my writing prolix and difficult, but I do like this tool quite a bit. #8, OneLook Thesaurus. I can’t even explain how much I love this tool. I’m always searching for The Perfect Word for a situation/scene, and this website is a major help. Using concept clusters is such a brilliant idea, because it’s genuinely how the human mind works. In the words of the website, you simply “enter a word, phrase, description, or pattern above to find synonyms, related words, and more.” #9, Word Frequency Counter. Although this tool is obsolete with the Command + F function on most computers, it’s nearly essential on those rare occasions when you can’t get it to work. #10, Color Lists. This Wikipedia page contains links to all the colors ever, basically, organized alphabetically. You’re very welcome. #11, The Phrontistery. Okay, you caught me- I saved the coolest resource for the end. Hey, I had to make sure y’all were still reading! This website is AWESOME. It has thousands upon thousands of rare, beautiful, and obscure words for your perusal. Although they are a fair bit difficult to casually slip into your writing - try getting away with “agonyclite” in your latest short story and get back to me later - the sheer magnificence of the words makes up for it. That’s it for today. Hope these resources help some of you guys out there! Naomi Gageis a sophomore in high school in Los Angeles. In her spare time, she reads, writes, and cooks. You won’t find her on social media, but if you see her in the street, feel free to say hello.
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