#teachingisfun

My 1st paying writing job – as a journalist – was 16 years ago. Back then, I used only a pen and paper or just a Word document on my PC. To “send” such an article, I had to burn it on my CD and bring it to my editorial office. 

Now, I have a toolkit that goes beyond pen and paper.

My favorite websites are:

Google Drive

I write all my texts and store them on Google Drive. Then, in case something happens to my laptop, I will not lose my texts. Also, I can share my texts with others easily. I only need to copy and send the link to the text. Plus, I can work on a text with others in real-time.

Moreover, you can use Google Drive on your mobile or your PC.

Prices: free (15 G), basic (100 G) – 1,20 $, standard (200 G) – 2,10$, premium (2 TB) – 6,24$ per month. 

Check out the current prices here.

I have a Standard plan. 

Google Keep

With Google Keep, you can:

• add notes, lists, photos, and audio in Google Keep;
• quickly filter and search notes by color and other attributes like lists with images, audio notes with reminders, or just view shared notes. And Google Keep can remind you to do it.

You can use Google Keep on your phone, tablet, and computer. Everything you add to Google Keep syncs across all your devices, so your important stuff is always with you.

Prices: free.

Thesaurus

Every time when I struggle with synonyms or antonyms, I go to Thesaurus.

Prices: free

Cambridge dictionary

Cambridge dictionary (online)… I think there isn’t much to say about it 🙂

Reverso Context

Reverso Context is good for many things. Yet me favorite ones are that besides translating words it also shows you the context with translation into your target language. Not to mention, there are 10 languages (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Arabic, Hebrew, , German, Polish and russian). On top of that there you can find conjunction! Isn’t it cool?

Prices: free, 6,80$/month.

I use a free plan.

You can see current prices here.

Transition Words

Transition Words are words which make your text easier the understand. They are like bridges between your sentences. Here are some examples of Transition Words: and, but, also, in addition, however, etc.

Here you can find lists of Transition Words in multiple languages.

LanguageTool

LanguageTool helps you correct grammar and spelling in many languages (30 languages!). Besides, it has a customizable personal dictionary, which helps you deal with stylistic issues.

You can copy and paste your text or upload a document from your laptop.

Prices: basic – free, for individuals – $4.99/month billed annually, for groups – $9.49/month (paid annually only).

I have a plan for the individuals.

Check out the current prices here.

Grammarly

Grammarly helps you correct grammar and spelling in English. Furthermore, there is a customizable personal dictionary and a plagiarism checker. Also, it helps to deal with stylistic issues.

What is more, you can install it on your PC and use it in Gmail, for example, Word documents offline.

Prices: basic – free, business – $15/month for a member.

Check out the current prices here. 

WordCounter

In addition to counting words and characters, WordCounter shows you the top 10 keywords and keyword density of the article you are writing. This allows you to know what keywords you use, how often, and in what percentages. This can prevent the overuse of certain words or word combinations and check for the best keyword distribution in your writing.

My favorite features of WordCounter are that it shows you the number of reading time, speaking time, handwriting time, sentences, paragraphs, and pages.

Prices: free.

Convert Case

If I use caps lock by mistake, I don’t want to start over and retype everything. I use ConvertCase.

In Convert Case, you can convert the Sentence case, lower case, UPPER CASE, Capitalized Case, aLtErNaTiNg cAsE, Title Case, InVeRsE CaSe, download a text, different text generators, Morse code translator, binary code translator, etc.

Prices: free.

Quetext

I found the best plagiarism checker for me: Quetext. Although it also helps you check your grammar and build citations.

Prices: free, Essential $14.99/month, Professional – $20.99/month, Enterprise – 52.49/month.

I have a Professional plan.

Check out the current prices here. 

Citation Machine

I love using the Citation Machine to cite my sources. If you create an account there, you can create different folders for different texts.

Prices: free, $9.99/month.

I have a free plan, which is enough for me.

Check current prices here.

WhatTheFont

WhatTheFont identifies your fonts instantly. All you need is to upload a pic of a text.

Prices: there are many plans! It all depends on what you are looking for. I think that it would be best if you could check all the plans here. 

I have a free plan, which is enough for me.

Conclusion

These days it is SO much easier to have a toolkit that goes beyond pen and paper! All you need is a list of useful websites/apps that will help you perform better and faster!

Over and above that, you may want to read my blog posts to read about copyrights and texts’ readability.

Share your favorite websites that you use when you write texts.