I did mention it in previous posts; there are a myriad of programs available – mostly for PCs – to support the novel writing process. I will not go into details and list them here, because my experience is that most of these writing tools have their specific insufficiencies, predominantly represented by lack of word processing power.

A standard word processor will be sufficient for most authors. In addition to putting your thoughts on screen and paper it provides vital functions such as spelling and grammar check. My personal preference is Microsoft Office (Word and Excel), but OpenOffice as well as Apple’s iWork are just as good. If you follow the rules of our little writing project you don’t need a special program.

Note: Don’t be fooled! A writing tool is not a guarantee for error-free writing or good style. The spell-checker cannot help you when you have trouble distinguishing between there, they’re, and their. In the same sense, the grammar checker is only a supporting tool, a first initial step toward correct and good writing. In the end, it takes a human being to create the final result.

Thesaurus – Every good word processor comes with a Thesaurus, but my absolute favorite is Thesaurus.com because it presents more choices, not only in terms of quantity, but also in quality. Use the thesaurus frequently! If you are in doubt, the thesaurus will help to find a better choice or even get your thoughts in a different, but better direction.

Dictionary – Same scenario: Every good word processor includes some spell checking power. Dictionary.com, however, presents more, and is some cases, better results.

Daily Writing Tips – Whether you are an author, attorney, manager or student, writing skills are essential to your success. The rise of the information age – with the proliferation of e-mails, blogs and social networks – makes the ability to write clear, correct English more important than ever. Daily Writing Tips is about that.

Editing Tools

In addition, there are a few websites available to support editing your work. As I wrote before, an author should not engage into extensive editing until the work is finished. Frequent editing will slow down the writing process. Nevertheless, brief relapses are allowed.

Polish My Writing – PolishMyWriting.Com is a free Internet service for spelling error, grammar suggestion, or style suggestion. It is a nice tool, but the results are very close to those of a standard word processor. It is worth, however, to use it in addition to your word processor. Two opinions are better than just one.

AuroCrit – AutoCrit.Com provides some free reports to check for overused words, repeated phrases, and sentence length variations. These reports are limited to 5 per user per day, unless you sign up for their service. Higher-priced service levels check for redundancy, readability, etc. If you are serious about the editing process, I recommend the Platinum level ($77 per year), or the Professional level ($117 per year). I personally liked the “overused words” report, a feature I haven’t seen in any other program, even though sometimes the program complains about 2 occurrences of the same word, which I found a little too picky.

White Smoke – No hyperlink here, because I really don’t care for this product and the business practices. When you google for writing tools you will end up finding White Smoke one way or the other; they’re everywhere. I admit, it has been a while since I used their software, but it was a huge pain to install, and the results were acceptable, but not great.

And the winner is…

Grammarly.com – Formerly known as EssayRater.Com, Grammarly.com is primarily focussed on essays, but it is nevertheless a great help when you write a novel. Their website states “Grammarly is an automated proofreader and your personal grammar coach. Check your writing for grammar, punctuation, style and instantly enhance your texts.” Grammarly.com is by far my favorite editing tool! Grammarly.com checks for proper punctuation, wordiness, spelling, writing style, vocabulary use, and synonyms. Synonyms is my favorite tool, because their recommendations are fabulous! The downside is the price tag, and they don’t reveal the pricing until you signed for a free trail. If I remember correctly, I paid $77 for the annual subscription.

Note: Any editing tool will help to improve your text. Nevertheless, if you plan to approach an agent or publisher, it is mandatory to hire a professional editing service, otherwise your chances to be accepted are extremely slim. The price for a 60,000 word work should be in the neighborhood of $800.

Last, But Not Least

I know there are many more aspects on this topic, and I am not the source of all wisdom. If you want to contribute helpful information, please do so by any means. Any comment, whether you agree with me or not, is appreciated.