In the modern age of technology, writing a novel isn’t quite as straightforward as putting a pen to paper anymore. There are all sorts of different software and websites out there that are meant to help make the process as smooth as possible. There are so many that it can just end up making your head spin instead.
If you’re looking to put some words to the paper, here are my favorite writing tools that I use when I write a book. Some are free, some are paid, but all of them are helpful and are what I consider to be some of the best tools for writing a novel, especially for aspiring debut authors.
Google Docs
Google Docs tops the list because it’s free and easy to use on-the-go. You can organize your chapter titles as headings so it’s easy enough to hop around, and a lot of my writing friends love using this to draft their entire novel.
However, as a free software that’s based entirely on the cloud, it can have a bit of limitations. If you’re writing a longer piece, it can start to really slow down, which is the biggest complaint I see a lot. It’s also a bit more difficult for me to keep organized since you’d have to have notes in a separate Doc or in the comments, which can get cluttered.
Scrivener
I personally use Scrivener to draft all of my novels. I got Scrivener for 50% off via NaNoWriMo and haven’t looked back since. Scrivener does have a bit of a learning curve, but they have tons of tutorials on their website and YouTube channel. I personally found the video tutorials to be a bit easier to follow and really helped me make the most of the software.
For each project, I like to put my timeline in the notes section and have it for reference in another tab when I’m first starting the story. As a writer, I tend to hop all over the place as inspiration comes rather than try to write everything in chronological order, so being able to keep assorted scenes and each individual chapter in their own folder is really helpful. Having everything available in one spot makes this one of the best tools for writing a novel, in my opinion. I start with an outline, then once a first draft is complete, I can edit directly in here and mark any changes.
if you’re on the go, you can sync Scrivener to Dropbox. It’s pretty easy to sync and while you do have to pay separately for their mobile app, I’ve found it to be worth it with how often I use it (I like to go back and forth on my laptop and iPad a lot).
Scapple
If you’re looking to keep your notes and your drafts separate, Literature and Latte (the company behind Scrivener) also has a tool called Scapple. Scapple is a note taking tool that allows you to jot down those 2 a.m. thoughts and then connect them in a way that you best see fit. It’s basically a virtual notepad so you don’t need to worry about losing a piece of paper or keeping your iPhone Notes app organized.
On Scapple, you can:
- Write notes anywhere and connect them using drag and drop, so you never run of out space
- Completely freeform
- Stack your notes into related idea columns
- Create a background to form groups
- Customize the appearances of your notes
You can also export or import ideas if you already have some jotted down on another app and easily drag them into Scrivener.
ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid is another one of the best tools for writing a book. ProWritingAid is a spellcheck, grammar corrector, and style/tone check in one.
ProWritingAid helps you identify a ton of style issues to help strengthen your writing. You can generate over 20 different writing reports including but not limited to:
- repetitiveness
- pacing
- sentence length and variation
- readability
- overused words
- redundancies
- transitions
Self-editing is hard work as is, and ProWritingAid made that process so much easier for me. It picked up on a lot of things my eyes missed and really helped me nail the developmental edits that I made on my manuscript. There were things that ProWritingAid picked up on that had me saying to myself, “omg how did I miss this?!” So I’d highly recommend it!
Fiverr
If you need additional assistance beyond an editing software, Fiverr is another great tool. Tons of freelance editors list their services on Fiverr, so its a great place to try to find someone to help you if you don’t know anyone already. Rates vary and reviews are publicly listed so you can shop around and try to find someone who is a good fit for your novel. Fiverr is also a great place for self-published authors to turn to for cover designers, especially in the fantasy and romance genres (I have seen a lot of these on Fiverr!).
Canva
Canva is great for two purposes. If you’re self-publishing a book, you can use this to help create your own cover (depending on the genre, something more simple may be helpful). But what I primarily like it for? Mood boards!
Mood boards are fun to create for a project just to help you capture the vibe and to reference as you write. But they can also be really helpful during pitch events on Twitter (especially MoodPitch, which is centered around mood boards being included with a pitch).
Even in other pitch events that allowed mood boards, I noticed my tweets with mood boards attracted more agent likes than tweets without. This could have also been timing, but I think having a visual that takes up screen space and gives an idea of your story’s tone can be really beneficial in selling your pitch.
These are the tools I find myself leaning on the most. Do you have any favorite writing tools? Let me know in the comments!
