Tips and practices for efficient writing that don’t involve software:
- Naming & organizing documents and folders so you can find them
- Organizing your novel using a print binder, sometimes called a story bible
Technologies particularly helpful for writers:
Online cloud storage such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.
Microsoft Word’s features for organizing a novel:
- Visualize the whole of the work and move the chapters/sections around with Microsoft Word’s Table of Contents (formerly called a Document Map) which also has the benefit of creating an accessible document
Writing software helps organize scenes, chapters, characters, outlines, timelines, etc. Read a great overview in PC Magazine
- Scrivener Powerful, full featured, customizable writing software
- Novlr – Freemium. Web-based. A simpler, bare bones, easier alternative to Scrivener.
- Bibisco (freemium)
- Liquid Story Binder
Productivity:
- FreeWriter Free/pay what you can. A stripped down word processor that focuses on productivity– alarms, session word counts, productivity logs, etc.
Track submissions:
Track novel queries:
- QueryTracker.net (free)
Take notes and clip web pages:
- Evernote
- OneNote
- Many other apps
Organize research materials:
- Zotero (free): http://www.zotero.org/
Updated August 12, 2023
Photo: Ithaca, NY courtesy of the talented Paul Joran
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.