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Tools of the Trade...

1/4/2018

11 Comments

 
,A writer is not just a writer. We have to do so many  more things  such as market, edit, build a following, and so on. We have to build a platform, spend time on social networks, and still find time to write while dealing with our normal life stuff.

So, today I'm sharing a few tools that have made things a bit easier for me.

First...Pixabay.  Pixabay has thousands of free photos you can use for whatever you like. You don't even have to give credit. Just download and use. These are really nice pictures too. Plus they have the app for your smart phone so I can update Instagram or Facebook on the go.

Next...Add Text. This app, again on smartphone, let's you add text to pictures. It has a nice number of fonts and is really easy to use. It works great with Pixabay. These are my main two phone apps for social media.

And...Budtags. Need tags for those Instagram posts? Look no farther. Just select the tags you want and do the copy/past thing. Saves a lot of time and comes up with some really good tags. I don't like the way it runs the tags together with no space so I go back and add spaces. It still saves time vs. having to come up with all the tags myself.

Want to learn a new langauge or brush up? I love Memrise. It's only on the phone but I really enjoy using it and I'm actually learning new words. DuoLingo is another good one but I like Memrise better. My son is learning Japanese so he can watch anime without having to read the subtitles. I'm brushing up on my Spanish.  It's not a writing app per say but you do learn to spell and type the words so what the heck. I like it and it's my blog post.

Years ago I found yWriter. I thought it was cool back then but at the time I wasn't ready for it. I didn't realize the importance of all that story structure, scene/sequel, action/reaction, thing. Yesterday I downloaded the updated version and started playing with it. Amazing!  And it's FREE!!!  This   program was written by a writer who knows about writing. It's fairly simple to use once you figure it out, which doesn't take long. There is a tutorial on the site and a user manual. I've grown as a writer and am ready for this program. It's awesome. Take my word for it, and just go check it out. You'll love it. While inputting chapters yesterday, I discovered an error I hadn't noticed so it's already been worth it.

PIxabay, Add Text, Budtags, DuoLingo, and Memrise can be found in your phone's app store. I added a link for yWriter.
​
Got any tools you'd like to share? 




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11 Comments
Christina Weigand link
1/4/2018 11:52:13 am

Wow thanks for the tool suggestions. The ones that you said are phone apps, can they be found for the pc? I do very little on my phone, but my tablet and pc could always use some help.

Reply
Jean
1/4/2018 12:04:39 pm

Pixabay is on the puter...not sure of the others. DuoLingo is also on the puter. If your tablet has a "playstore" they may be there. I don't do a lot on my phone...mostly Instagram...and Memrise.

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Gay Ingram
1/4/2018 11:56:18 am

Interested in the program to learn s language - my granddaughter wants to learn Japanese

Reply
Jean
1/4/2018 12:06:17 pm

My son says he can pick out words already and he's only been using Memrise for about 2 months. It starts you off with the basics though so you can say hello and ask for food fairly soon. Memrise isn't on the puter though. Sigh...

Reply
SHANE link
1/4/2018 12:02:21 pm

thank you for this. i'm adding budtags to my arsenal for sure!

Reply
Jean
1/4/2018 12:07:03 pm

Budtags really helps! Love it for the most part.

Reply
Roy A Ackerman, PhD, EA link
1/4/2018 12:39:23 pm

I'm heading out right now to check at least two of these out. (I seem to be remember trying one and not be impressed [YWriter]- but things change.

Reply
Jean
1/4/2018 10:44:45 pm

I didn't like yWriter when I first came across it years ago either. But that was a long time ago...

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Daniela Pesconi-Arthur link
1/5/2018 05:01:02 am

Hi Jean! How nice! I'm a writer too! What genre do you write? I'm chick lit writer. I LOVE pixabay, and I also use pexels.com (I guess they're "cousins" hehe). I had no idea they had the app for smart phone! Getting it straight away!

I also use WordSwag. It's brilliant for Instagram posts!

Dani

Reply
Jean
1/5/2018 12:30:34 pm

Hi Dani!
Chick lit is one of the few genres I haven't tried. Might have to one of these days. :-) My favorite genres are mystery and fantasy though I've done some romance, non-fic, and am working on some kid stuff.

I'll definitely check out WordSwag.

If you ever need a reader, holler. I'd love to see your work.

Reply
Elynn Price link
1/5/2018 02:28:39 pm

It is wonderful you share all your tools, but a dinosaur luddite like myself is challenged even by the pen. My morning coffee includes a spiral notebook and a pencil. I choose a pencil because it has a forgiving eraser. I do give myself credit for using a mechanical pencil. So i have plenty of lead and a nice long eraser. My other, more severe limitation is my empty head and there ain't no app to fix that.

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    Hi, I'm Jean.

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