The Ultimate Checklist of Tools That Can Help You to Write a Book

By Pat Fredshaw

If you are doing your best to write a book, you know how challenging it can be. It takes time, discipline, and much imagination to get it done. You are also trying your luck in a highly competitive market, in which just a few seems to succeed. So you know that you need to deliver an outstanding product if you want to see it published.

Thankfully, there are several online tools that can help you to write your book. They are great resources when it comes to getting organized, eliminating distractions, and editing or proofreading your work among other functionalities.

So let’s have a look at an ultimate checklist of the best online tools available for writers so that you can have them as your best friends from now on.

# Grammarly
If you are looking for a tool that can help you to deliver an error-free manuscript, then you should get to know Grammarly. This online app will point out your misspellings, grammar and punctuation mistakes just for starters. And in the case you decide to buy the premium version, you will get several styles and vocabulary enhancement suggestions, and more. Plus, it works directly on your browser and Microsoft Word.

# Hemingway Editor
Hemingway is one of the favorites when it comes to editing texts. This app will not only spot mistakes, but also tell you if your sentence should be shorter, or if it is too dense or complicated. It will also let you know how long it takes to someone read your text and give you a grade on readability – so you can make adjustments if necessary. And it can be used online or as a desktop app.

# Focus Writer
Focus Writer will send you to a new environment where you can write free of distractions. It creates a hide-away interface, very simple to use, and with fully customized themes – a wonderful tool for those who want to look at something nice while writing. The app is available for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and can support TXT, basic RTF, and basic ODT files. It comes with alarms, timers, and goal-setting features, plus more options that you can add.

# Scribus
Another publishing tool that you can’t miss is Scribus. It is a bit shy when compared to Adobe InDesign, but you probably only need it to a few bits and bobs anyway – you are a writer, not a graphic designer. Still, it is always good to have something like this if you just want to quick edit someone else’s design for your novel or create a mock-up, for instance.

# FreeMind
Those who like to mind-map their stories before writing them will love FreeMind. It is an open source and easy to use tool that will let you combine texts and images and create your mind map in no time. The result of your work can then be saved as an HTML, XHTML, or PDF file, and then shared by e-mail or published online.

# Evernote
Tired of losing your notes? Or want something digital instead of walking around with notebooks? Then Evernote is what you have been looking for. With this app, you can save any link, article, image, or take a photo of anything you want to keep, then organize it into folders so you can find them later easily. Even your handwritten notes can be indexed using their powerful search engine tool.

# Bubbl.us
And what about a tool that can help you to organize your brainstorm ideas in a colorful way? If it is what you are looking for, then try Bubbl.us, a web-based service that allows you to create cool mind maps and then save them as an image that you can share. It works on desktop and mobile platforms, and you don’t even need to download the app if you don’t want to save your creations.

# MyStorybook
It has been created primarily for parents who wants to create a book to their own kids, but the truth is that Myhttps://www.mystorybook.com/StoryBook can be a powerful resource to any children’s books writer. You will have a selection of items that you can add, such as characters and scenarios, or you can upload your own images. You will also be able to draw, add texts, and other elements, which will help you to see how your story will look like on paper.

# Diaro
Journals have been acclaimed as one of the best ways to save ideas and record your day. And Diaro brings it back to the palm of your hands, only that now in digital format and with extra resources. With this app available for Android and iOS devices, you can write as much as you want, and it will organize everything for you. And if you need it later, you are sure to find everything with their smart search tool.

# Q10
What about a distraction-free environment but still keeping some useful tools? This is Q10 formula, a freeware that creates a full-screen editor for you to write away. However, it also comes with live-page statistics (word, characters, and page counts), programmable page count formula, customizable look and paragraph format, timer alarm, spell checker, notes, typing sound effects, and more.

Wrapping it up
There you got several online tools that will help you to make your book more professional. However, above all, they will help you to avoid being stressed and distracted by small things. So start testing them and choose those that meet your needs best. This way, you can fully concentrate on what matters: your story.