What's helped you writing fic? Is it something that has helped you get past writer's block, made you less afraid to post something, helped you find out useful information? Maybe an application or website that makes actually sitting down and churning out words easier?
It would be great if this could evolve into a comprehensive resource geared towards fic writers, especially new(ish) ones. Please keep letting me know what essential tools you've discovered, and I'll add them to the list. (I'm also happy to further annotate links if there's other information of note.)
General Discussion About WritingWriting in quantity. Some good information here on tools, motivation, and other ways to just get that word count going.
Fanfic-SpecificFanfic 101. Lots of essays and useful tips.
Technical ResourcesHow to add a word meter to your DW.
This post offers lots of info on how to format fic, whether on LJ/DW or somewhere else, for maximum readability.
Fanfiction Header Builder. Easy, coherent headers.
Zoho Writer. Online word processor for easy access to your stuff from multiple locations. (There's also
Google Docs, natch: does anyone have any thoughts on pros/cons for any online word processor?)
Scrivener. Mac only (
EDIT: Now available for Windows!), free trial, $39.95 to buy. Allows you to keep all your research (PDFs, web pages, sound files, etc.) right alongside your writing.
Writer's Cafe. Similar to Scrivener; includes a Windows version. $45.
From
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kate:
A very useful wordcount spreadsheetReferenceDictionary.com. Dictionary and thesaurus.
The Emotion Thesaurus.
Reasoning with Vampires. Grammar tips via critique of
Twilight.
The Gender Genie. For a quick, cheap check of whether the voice in your fic is male or female. (Note: I tend to take issue with stuff like this, but I know some people find it useful!)
Online Etymology Dictionary. Useful if you're writing historical fic & need to ensure your characters aren't using anachronistic language.
Getting the Words on the PageEvery Word Is More Practice: An Apology For Making (And Keeping) A Daily Word Count Goal. More on how to kickstart your word count.
750 Words. Based on Julia Cameron's idea of "morning pages," where you write without censoring yourself for 3 pages a day--though not necessarily in the morning! You can get e-mailed reminders to write; there are badges and points for motivation. There's also
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750words.
inkingitout, our affiliate comm, is a year-long high word-count challenge.
Write or Die. Set a time limit for writing, and if you're not writing the whole time, the website gives you consequences ranging from a gentle reminder to erasing your text!
Written? Kitten!. The carrot to Write or Die's stick: if you write, you get shown cute pictures of kittens!
Dark Room. Full screen writing program for minimal distractions. Windows only.
FocusWriter is a similar program, but available for Mac, Windows, & Linux.
My Writing Spot is another of these programs, but the pared-down writing app also includes a dictionary/thesaurus. iPad, iPhone, & Android apps available too.
dailyprompt,
daily_prompt,
fic_promptly and
15_minute_ficlets might spark something!
MiscellaneousWordle. Pretty word clouds are a nice way to procrastinate! They're also useful for seeing which words you overuse in a fic...
