5 Free Software Tools Every Writer Should Be Using Right Now

With all of the tasks involved in writing, I love finding things that makes my writing easier.

Unfortunately, because there's so much great software out there, I could go broke before I had every tool I think I need to make it easier and faster for me to write.

Along the way though, I've stumbled across some great software. The really good news is that there are thousands of programs out there that are free and will save you both time and money.

Below are five tools I consider essential to writing.

1. Word Processor - I know. This one's pretty obvious. Every writer uses a word processor and probably already has one on his/her computer. Why would you need another one?

If you are a writer, especially of novels, screenplays, articles, short stories, poetry, and plays, then you need a word processor that will help you with your specific writing problems. I recommend:

yWriter -This is a free program to help you with the sticky problems writers encounter. It was designed specifically with writers in mind.
 

Not only is it easy to use, but it also comes with lots of features for writers:

Features:
Organise your novel using a 'project'.
Add chapters to the project.
Add scenes, characters, items and locations.
Display the word count for every file in the project, along with a total.
Saves a log file every day, showing words per file and the total. (Tracks your progress)
Saves automatic backups at user-specified intervals.
Allows multiple scenes within chapters
Viewpoint character, goal, conflict and outcome fields for each scene.
Multiple characters per scene.
Storyboard view, a visual layout of your work.
Re-order scenes within chapters.
Drag and drop of chapters, scenes, characters, items and locations.
Automatic chapter renumbering.

If you need a full size word processor, but you can afford Microsoft Word, then your best bet is Open Office. Not only can you open Word documents in this program, edit them, and save them as Word, but it also creates PDFs for you just as well as Adobe does.

2. Manuscript Tracking - Although this is one of the most important pieces of software you will ever use as a writer, it's also one of the hardest to find.

There are actually two terrific programs you may have heard of that you can use to keep track of your manuscripts, markets, deadlines, and income, and both are specifically designed for writers.

Both work equally well. It's simply a matter of which one you like best.

Writer's Database

S.A.M.M. for Windows

3. Dictionaries - Some word processing programs already have a dictionary and spell checker. Sometimes though, you may need to spell check a document that doesn't have this feature. There are tons of free dictionaries available on the web. All you have to do is search for them.

Here's a really good one:

StarDict

4. Time Management - If you bill your writing by the hour, then you need to keep track of all those hours. It's much easier to do this when you have a program that can do it for you.

Time Core - This is an easy to use program that contains all of the essential features a time management software program needs without all the bloat.

You can export your data to Excel and text formats for analysis later. The interface is easy to use, it's multilingual, and even includes a To Do list. It comes with a 30 day free trial so you can try it out.

VeriTime Time Tracker - If you need to keep comprehensive details of every project or subproject you do, this is the program for you. You can also use it to track multiple clients, as well as multiple projects and subprojects.

It will also convert your time to a monetary equivalent, and data can be converted to the following formats: .doc,.xls. .csv, .txt, and .html, giving you even more flexibility.

5. Information Organization - How do you keep track of all those tiny pieces of information you need to pull your writing together?

Ok, I admit it. I am guilty of using Notepad for mine, and of course, my computer is full of little text files with maybe a line or two of text.

After writing this article, I've decided it's time for a change. What if there were a program, or programs, to help you organize all those scraps of information so that you could easily find them later.

Below are two that will meeting just about any writing need you may have.

Key Note -  Use it to organize information for your manuscripts. Not only is this program freeware, but it's also open source, which means you can recommend changes, or if you are inclined, add those changes yourself.

What this program does is allows you to store a lot of notes in a single file. Not only store your notes, but you can organize them in a tree structure. With the search function, you can quickly and easily locate the information you need.

This program also integrates with Word Web, so if you don't need a word processor, but do need a dictionary, you're all set.

You can print notes, import and export to different file formats, send notes by email, encrypt your data, and more. What I liked the most about this program is that it has a nice selection of add ons you can use to customize it better to meet your needs.

This program has so many features you'll find it absolutely indispensible, and you'll be wondering how you worked without it.

The Literary Machine -  If you need a little more flexibility in storing information, this software is for you. Not only can you store random bits of information, you can also use it to organize sound files and pictures too.

It can also be used to surf and store web pages, create and print a custom dictionary, and create multiple databases to store your various manuscripts you may be working on.

This program is fully customizable, and you can pretty much make it work the way you need it to.

Althought these are just a few of the programs you can use to help you write better and faster, maybe there's something else you need to help you write more productively.

One of my favorite sites is Freeware Home: this site boasts over 7,000 freeware programs, and all of them are complete versions of the programs. You can quickly and easily search for the program you are looking for.

Whatever you decide, there are plenty of programs available to help save you time and money when you are writing.

Jinger Jarrett is a certified Web CEO Search Engine Optimization professional living in Alpharetta, GA. You can get her best free search engine resources, software, and ebooks when you download her free toolbar from her special offers page at http://www.jingerjarrett.com

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