Friday Feature: Tools I Like

As a writer, there are so many tools and platforms and devices that get billed as the ULTIMATE FIX FOR EVERYTHING! But 1. that statement is most definitely not true and 2. you don’t need to fix everything! You just need to figure out how you work best and then find a couple of tools that will support your style best.

I’ve used my fair share of platforms over my eleven years in the creative agency world and every time a new tool would get introduced we were promised it would be the best. Spoiler alert, they weren’t, and I’m running into the same thing now as a writer and it can get expensive. Let me tell you, bestie, it doesn’t have to be. If anyone is charging you for a template or an outline or whatever, beware! You’d be shocked at how easy it is to make these on your own! And there are tons of free resources out there, some people are just trying to take advantage or make a quick buck.

Over the next few months, I’ll do some deeper dives on specific tools, but I’ve broken down three different tiers of support and platforms below for today. Now this is based on my personal experience so take it with a grain of salt! But hopefully, it’ll help you whittle down your options or at least you’ll learn about something new! :)

❶ Tier One, $ Free Tools

If you’re trying to keep your overhead down, but still want to write all you need is a Google email address! Sheets and Docs will cover everything you need. There are a lot of haters out there shaming people writing in Docs, but that feels very elitist. Writing is for EVERYONE – hell, you could write in the Notes app and I’d still be cheering you on from over here, but I digress.

It’s definitely up to you how you want to manage things, but when I first started writing, I used a combo of Sheets x Notion x Figma ( with Canva for inspiration ) and the following are all amazing ( and free! ) tools:

→ Docs: The obvious option to do all things writing! This is where your main manuscript will live and there are plenty of resources on how to format your doc for submissions too. Another thing I think people don’t realize is that you can actually structure it like Scrivener’s chapter / sections with the bookmark feature, marking each chapter or section with a bookmark tab – just make sure you keep up on it ;)

→ Sheets: An excellent tool to build out outlines or plot points and keep everything organized / in table format if you work better that way visually! It’s also a great way to get a quick, high-level look at your story, and tons of people also use a sheet for world-building. When they have a lot of different locations, types of magic, and environments they’re creating it can make it a lot easier to keep things in one, central place. Pro-tip? Hit Google or Reddit and search D&D world-building templates or tools, those guys do it right.

→ Canva: As a tenured graphic designer, I hear so many people in the industry hating on this platform, but I love it. Why? Because it makes design accessible to everyone no matter their level of experience. This is the obvious free option when you’re looking to build out a mood board, social posts, branding, book covers, you name it you can do it here. It’s also an amazing way to get inspiration if you want to stay away from templates or pre-made stuff.

→ Figma: Another design program, this one does require a bit more graphic design know-how, but it’s an amazing alternative to any and all of the Adobe programs ( AND they don’t steal your work for AI 🙃 ). I design everything for my book covers, brand, and social media in Figma and I love the freedom I have to customize everything and not be limited to some functionalities. Again, this requires graphic design experience, but it’s an amazing tool for creating!

→ Pen & Paper: And lastly, don’t ever underestimate good old pen and paper!! Not only does this help me with tech distractions ( I know y’all have picked up your phone to look at something and ended up scrolling for hours instead of writing 👀 ), but it also helps me to just write freely in a way that can’t be achieved on a laptop or computer. I love picking up pen and paper when I’m doing a first draft or just jotting down a scene or outline for a new idea.

My favorite pen is one from Kaweco or Papermate and my favorite notebook comes from Iron Curtain Press! Don’t get me started on stickers or highlighters. I have a problem…

❷ Tier Two, $$ Some Investment

If you don’t mind putting a little money into things, there are a couple of great options you can pay for to get more out of them. Both Canva and Figma have paid options ( as do some social media-focused tools like Unfold and VSCO ), but I’m going to dive into one program specifically for this tier.

→ Notion: This tool is super robust and can take the place of Sheets / Docs to allow you to have all of your materials in one place – sometimes I’d find skipping around between Google Docs annoying 😵‍💫 It has a ton of templates you can utilize for outlines, tables, mood boards, and even wikis if you want to go ham on it! I’m planning on building wikis for all of my novels.

There are four different pricing options for this, but you really shouldn’t need any higher than the first two! You can do the free option ( file upload and 7-day page history limitations ) or the $8/month option ( unlimited uploads and 30-day page history ). I use the $8/month option so that I have full access to all of the functionality, but the free option is great for anyone not wanting to fully commit, or just use it lightly. It’s worth trying it out and seeing how you feel!

❸ Tier Three, $$$ Most Investment

I’m sure you’ve seen most writers are in Scrivener and people bill it as the HOLY GRAIL for writing. Well, let me first tell you that it took me my entire writing experience to finally purchase it at $59.99 ( desktop only ) and when I bought the app version I immediately asked for a refund. I would not recommend using the iOS or Android versions, and I would also recommend you purchase it with a coupon code ( they’re running 20% off now for NaNoWriMo with HAPPYCAMPER24 just use it by August 7th! ). Let’s get into it!

→ Scrivener: Now that I’ve been in both Google Docs and Scrivener I can say confidently that both do what you need them to do, Scrivener just does it with a more organized and writer-focused lens. This program is obviously built with writers in mind and the auto-formatting and compiling it does for manuscripts is a game-changer 😩 I don’t think I can go back to Docs now that I’ve switched to Scrivener, but trust me when I say you don’t have to have Scrivener to be a writer! Google Docs is great too <3 Don’t stress it.

At the end of the day, use what feels best for you and the way that you write. Wherever you can find support and efficiencies, do it! Whatever helps you write more, do it! And don’t be afraid to ask around and see what other writers are doing! Things change all the time and there might be something you’re missing. The last thing I’ll say, is no matter what tool you’re in? Read up on how they use your content and whether or not it feeds any kind of AI. Your work is YOUR WORK, end of story.

Feel free to reach out if you have questions or just want to chat about things! I love talking about tools and processes, so don’t hesitate :) Thanks, friends. I hope this was helpful! And happy writing!