Writing Resources
I was talking with another new author recently and we got on to the topic of what we use in writing our books. So here’s a breakdown of my writing resources, for anyone curious about the process.
My most important writing resource is my imagination… after all, it creates the stories! Followed second in importance by the patrons that support me, paying as little as $1 for advance access to everything I write, and third is the thousands of beta readers that read the rough second drafts on the free sites and provide invaluable feedback!
Second drafts? Yup, as Terry Pratchett says, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.“
Here’s all the technical nitty gritty…
Being an IT guy, I started off using Microsoft Word, and then Google Docs for writing my book. Then I discovered Scrivener and have never looked back since. It’s just so much better for writing, planning, character development, name generation, compiling and, well, pretty much everything that relates to writing a book! Plus it’s a simple one-time fee!
My main computer is an old iMac, although I also have Windows and Linux computers in my house… hey I’m still an IT guy at heart. The decision to buy an older used iMac was so I could use the original, tried and true Scrivener program, although Literature & Latte do have a Windows version available now that is comparable to the Mac version.
UPDATE: There’s a new player in the writing software realm, it’s called LivingWriter and it’s kind of like a simplified version of Scrivener. It does pretty much everything a writer really needs and it’s cloud-based, which means you can write on any device and, as an editor, it’s awesome as I can literally work through a manuscript with the author on the phone and we can make changes in real-time.
A big bonus is that Scrivener also works on my iPhone and iPad and they all synchronize via Dropbox. Believe it or not, most of my writing is done on my iPhone and iPad, whenever I get a few minutes of free time. I do use the computer for writing as well, but it’s main purpose is editing and compiling. My backups go to iCloud and other cloud storage services.
For grammar checking small snippets, I use GrammarChecker.io, but my primary grammar checker is Pro Writing Aid, because it can work directly with my Scrivener files.
For my Book Covers, I use the MIBL Group, they’re a great team from Ukraine that do quality work for very reasonable prices. Their premium service is MIBLART, they also have GetPremades and their more budget conscious service is GetCovers.com. I originally used another book cover site, they had good quality, but it was just so expensive and now that I’ve experienced GetCovers, the quality actually wasn’t as good.
For stunning book advertisements, I use BookBrush.com. They make it easy to create awesome advertisements for pretty much any social platform or application.
For my website, I host with my publisher, Dawn Patrol Publishing using the Website Builder. I still do lots of WordPress web design using the Divi theme from Elegant Themes, a truly customizable page builder for WordPress.
For all my graphic needs I use 123RF Stock Photography and DepositPhotos for the major graphics and use Gimp to edit them.
If I have to make maps I use Inkarnate.
Hope you find this helpful.