This was originally
posted on the Blood Red Pencil, but I thought I’d repost here as a reminder to nurture the writers in your world.
Most writers have seen
ads galore for gadgets and gizmos to increase productivity that do anything
but. You have undoubtedly received endless pens, paper weights, journals, etc.
Here are a few of my
favorite tools that you can ask Santa for this year. If Santa neglects to bring
them, treat yourself.
1. Nuance PDF allows you turn documents into PDF documents within Word for
Windows: just select Print, Save as PDF, and voila - done.
2. Word Web Pro brings up a dictionary and thesaurus
within word with a click of Control-W. It includes pronunciations and
usage examples, and has helpful spelling and sounds-like links.
3. Smart Edit goes beyond the many editing tools
available in Word for Windows (as outlined in Story Building Blocks III) to
make your prose the best it can be before you turn it over to an agent or
editor. If you are an independent publisher and can't afford an editor, at
least give your manuscript a run through with this tool before hitting upload.
4. Natural Reader reads your work back to you. The readback
voice is not the quality that allows you to make an audio book, but it beats
reading your manuscript back to yourself. You can purchase additional
"voices" beyond the basic two.
5. Serif Web Plus provides website building for the HTML
challenged. There is no need to learn code. If you can operate a photo
manipulation program, you can build your own website with this user-friendly
gem. You can utilize a template or build your own from scratch once you get the
hang of it.
6. Interior Templates by Create Space creates a template based on the
selected trim size. If you can use Word for Windows, you can modify the
template to fit your needs. The pre-calculated gutters and margins keeps your
text where it needs to be. You can customize the headers, footers, and fonts.
7. Cover Creator Templates by Create Space allows you to use any photo manipulation program or Adobe Photoshop to create stunning covers. It generates a template based on the trim size and page length.
8. Calibre helps you create an e-book with ease. It
supports all the major e-book formats. It can rescale all font sizes, ensuring
the output e-book is readable no matter what font sizes the input document
uses. It can automatically detect/create book structure, like chapters and
Table of Contents. It can insert the book metadata into a "Book
Jacket" at the start of the book.
9. Scrivener: there is a learning curve, but it is an
excellent way to organize your plot and works perfectly with the Story Building
Blocks theory of story structure and character creation.
10. Story Building
Blocks Series: learn how to structure
a plot, build believable characters, craft believable conflict, and revise like
a pro with this set. One fan called it a Cliff-note MFA.
Story Building Blocks:
The Four Layers of Conflicts examines the core building blocks for plotting your book and
their relationship to the different genres.
Story Building Blocks
II: Crafting Believable Conflict introduces you to sixteen character prototypes that can be
warped and tortured to create realistic characters your readers will care
about. It helps you create psychology-based conflict amongst the cast members
of your story.
Story Building Blocks
III: The Revision Layers takes
you through high-low revision techniques to remove the plot holes and speed
bumps from your first draft and basic editing tips so your agent and editor
won't cringe while reading it.
Story Building Blocks:
Build A Cast Workbook uses the sixteen
mannequins from Story Building Blocks II and offers a "fill in the
blanks" format to flesh out your cast.
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