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I love when someone I follow shares their favorite tools and resources in a blog post or podcast episode. I nearly always discover something I can add to my arsenal.

Maybe I can offer you an “aha!” or two by sharing the favorite writing tools I use day in and day out, too.

A couple – like the mug warmer on my desk to the left of my keyboard – are things I use so much I take them for granted. Others are tools I use weekly, rather than daily.

But they’re all resources I’d panic without – every single one of them.

Category 1: Writing basics You’re Probably Using, Too

I’m a blogger, freelance writer, author, and book marketing resource creator. I wouldn’t be able to earn a living without the tools that are foundational to writing.

Click on the name of each resource to learn more.

Word for Windows

Do you write in Word, too?

This is so basic for me that I’m always (still) a little surprised when someone in an author group asks what software they should use to write their book.

I remind myself that not everybody has been pounding away on a keyboard since desktop computers – along with Word – entered the workplace.

I’m hearing good things about Scrivener for books, too. (If you use it, please tell me what you like about it in a comment below!)

WordPress

WordPress is the tool my website designer used to build my website. It’s particularly blogger friendly – I can create and format content for you without knowing anything about programming.

WordPress has a lot of competition, especially among small business owners like you and me (yes, authors are small business people). Even so, almost half of all websites are powered by WordPress.

It’s both powerful and easy to use. I’m sticking with it.

Category 2: Office Supplies

There’s nothing cool or whizbang about the products in this category that I use daily. But I’d be lost without them.

Mug warmer

I can’t write anything longer than an email without a cup of tea next to me.

This gem keeps it hot as long as there’s something in the cup.

Scholar Notes Organizer notebook

Big thanks to my bestie Marcia for introducing me this side-spiral notebook I use as my “big ideas” notebook.

I record product ideas, capture brainstorming notes, and track progress of products or programs I’m creating. I pay $1.25 for them at Dollar Tree, so check your local dollar store first.

Pilot G-2 07 roller pens

How do I love thee, blue G-2 roller pen? Enough that I bought a 14-pack at BJ’s for a great price.

Word flow is easy and smooth.

Category 3: Success Tools

These are my favorite time-saving, productivity-boosting tools.

Headline Studio

I use this headline-writing tool so much that the brand invited me to join its influencer team.

It’s both a WordPress plug-in and web-based tool that helps writers create effective, attention-getting headlines.

The first week I started using it to craft new headlines and rewrite older ones, my site users increased by 56% and time spent on the site increased 50%.

There’s both a free and premium version. I have a premium account; my influencer link lets you try it free for seven days.

Canva

The top graphic you see on this post? I created it with Canva.

I use this graphics resource almost daily for my weekly blog post images, social media graphics, and to create printable products that include worksheets (I’ll be introducing a printable bundle soon!).

Canva Pro, the premium version, has more options that reduce the amount of time I spend creating content. Still, if you don’t use Canva as much as I do, you can probably get what you need with a free account.

Depositphotos

There was a time when I spent hours scouring free photo sites for images for my blog posts and social media graphics.

But time is money. So I now pay for a Depositphotos image pack and get what I need in seconds.

Huge. Timesaver.

ConvertKit

ConvertKit, my email service provider, was designed for creators like us.

It’s powerful, yet easy to use, and technical support is excellent.

The brand also works hard to help its customers succeed. I recently participated in a free ConvertKit mastermind webinar where participants broke out into small groups to discuss their email marketing challenges. That time with people who are far more experienced than I am was invaluable.

What are your favorite writing tools?

I use other tools, too, such as QuickWrite as a writer’s assistant, and Qwoted to find experts to interview for articles assigned by clients, but not always daily or weekly.

Be sure to check the Resources page on this site for even more help solving problems we all share.

I’m curious about what you use and love, too.

What are your favorite writing tools or resources — from tangibles to software or even services? Please tell us about them in a comment!

Write!

The best writers I know do two things daily: They write and they read.

They also get feedback on their writing from people who can evaluate it objectively and provide honest input — “This part confused me,” or “I found the unusual character names distracting.”

Growing and improving as a writer involves soliciting and incorporating feedback you can trust.

But it also takes practice. That comes from writing daily.

Read!

It also requires reading — lots of it.

I’m always surprised when I see an author-to-be comment, “I don’t read” or “I’m not much of a reader.”

How can that be? How do you know what good writing looks like if you don’t see it regularly by reading what others write?

Can you really find your way through a writing problem without studying how others have resolved that dilemma?

What about creative inspiration? How can you be creative or innovative when you don’t know how others structure their stories?

How do you know whether your writing meets conventional standards if you don’t read what others write?

You don’t need to look far to validate this theory that good writers are big readers — just turn to Facebook.

If your connections on that social network are like mine, you’ll see that the posts with correct spelling and grammar are probably from people who also comment about what they’re reading, whether it’s articles or books. Reading teaches you — in the most pleasant way possible — correct spelling, sentence structure, and grammar.

You absorb what’s “right” without instruction or lectures.

Repeat!

It’s important to repeat both steps continually. It’s like anything else — the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

When you learned how to ride a bike as a kid, you weren’t very good at it at first, were you? As you got feedback — “Keep pedaling!” or “Look straight ahead!” — you improved. The more you practiced, the better you got.

It works that way with writing, too.

It works the same way with reading. The more you read, the more you learn about how to present your information, whether you write fiction or nonfiction.

Take Ray Bradbury’s word for it: The “write, read, repeat” formula will improve your writing.

Do you write daily? What’s your routine? Tell us in a comment. 

Looking to take your book marketing to the next level? Register for tomorrow’s free webinar, “How to Get Your Book To #1 on Amazon,” at http://www.powerupforprofits.com/sandrawebinar. Kathleen Gage will teach you a few new tricks! We’ll send a replay link to everyone who registers.