What Writing Tools Do I Use?

There are all sorts of shiny, high-tech tools and toys for writers today, and I've tried several of these software packages, thinking they might actually make me more creative, or more efficient, or more organized.  Sadly, most of them are complicated enough to require tutorials and classes.  More importantly, they also require a change in writing practices; new software requires a commitment to the program's idiosyncrasies.  I want a software program that adapts to me, one that's powerful and intuitive.

Oh, I also want it to be free.

I'm a thrifty sort of writer (some might translate "thrifty" as "cheap" -- so be it).

So... here's the "suite" of free (but valuable) programs I use for all my writing projects.

For all my planning, organizing, outlining, and pre-writing, I use a wonderful program called Gingko.  For the actual writing, I use Google Docs.  If a particular publisher requires submissions to be in one of the Word formats, I'm able to download any file from Google Docs as a Word .doc file.  You can also download files from Google Docs as OpenOffice files, or as PDF files.  If  I want to add details like headers, footnotes, and page numbers, I use the free OpenOffice word processor, since I sometimes have trouble getting Google Docs to do these things consistently.  And if I need to do any detailed storyboarding or "mind-mapping," for larger projects (like a book series), I use Coggle.

Below, you'll find more detailed descriptions of these free and valuable writer's tools, along with links to the sites where you can download or subscribe to them.

Gingko (yes, I know it's a misspelling of the actual word, but the creator of this program thought the misspelled name would make it memorable) -- this is an incredible, easy-to-use, super-intuitive writing and organizing tool.  The free version lets you create 100 virtual index cards per month.  If you need more than that, you'll get unlimited cards and support for the subscription price of $4.99 per month, or $49 per year.

Google Docs -- You probably use this already, but if you don't, it's well worth a try.  It's a free web-based word processor that has nearly all of the features you will need (headers, footers, and auto-numbering are difficult propositions in this program), and it's a great way to collaborate with co-authors and editors.

Apache OpenOffice -- This is a wonderful free open source software suite, very similar to that "other" commercial office suite.  It is free to download and use, easy to learn, and it has wonderful support.  (Did I mention it's free?)

Coggle -- This is a freeware mind-mapping application that allows you to structure your ideas like a branching tree.  It is easy to use, and you can add collaborators to your projects if you desire.

And now, of course, Blogger has been added to my suite of tools, as I cut text from Google Docs and Gingko to paste into these blog posts.

This combination of tools works for me.  It may sound complicated, but it's really not.  These applications built on my knowledge base; they all adapted to me, not the other way around.