A Few of My Fave Tech Tools 2021, some get repeat mentions (I like it that much)
I’m always exploring new things to enhance my writing life and help me be more efficient. Some of it works, some are duds that I’ll leave off this list but no matter what it is always fun to explore new and different things to get going. Normally I’m wordy but I’ve made a very conscious effort to be brief.
I got to use this through a promotional program called Infostack.io. Every year they offer a number of bundled programs, packages, ebooks and courses at a very discounted price. If you want to try out some popular programs, honestly some you never heard of, this may be the way to go. Keep in mind that while it’s a great deal, I agree, I 
paid about $ 45 or $ 49 bucks for the entire program system, and there are SOOOOO MANY courses in there, that’s also an unfortunate drawback in that I found it extremely hard to get to everything and also before my year trail is set to expire. My subscription is almost up so I’m thinking I can either purchase again or just pay for the programs that I want directly through the site rather than through Infostack.
Another important note, if you have gadgets and programs that work well, please exhibit caution trying something new. This has always been my motto. I can’t jump ship from some of my trusted and long-tried and true go-to’s simply because it’s often a fad or trend. It may fade out eventually and the biggest kicker, is the amount of time you need to spend learning it for it to work well for you. Sometimes you just need to let things go and pass you by. IF it’s meant to be, it’ll be around long enough for you to get to it WHEN you do have the time to explore. So here’s all the items I’m really enjoying right now:
Pro Writing Aid – Only Pro Writing Aid is from Infostack right now, just FYI and I did mention where I got this above, and I put one of my biggest books in the “checker” so far. I’m sure there’s an official word. Note the book was about 90K and it did take some time (maybe 30-40 minutes) for PWA to go through it and load it all. That could also be if I had a lot of programs open or other computer issues not at all to do with PWA. So, after it went through it, I was astounded at the fifteen page analysis it returned all about my book. WOW. I found that impressive and didn’t even know what the report said. LOL One of the things I like because it does turn back a lot of information and you should take time to explore the report in depth, but just on the surface read, things I liked knowing about my work included:
Aspects of redundancy or over usage of words; popular phrases that I used often. It has a simple to use widget that pointed out grammatical errors with a detailed view to briefly explain the issue – just be sure you know what the issue is and understand it as it pertains to the passage or if you use their suggested correction without vetting, it could very well still be wrong. A live editor will point that out if you don’t understand the rule. Next, while it’s good to get other perspective on your writing without the beta readers who are worth their weight in gold, I”m not saying that but there are things you want to know about and fix before getting to a beta reader and PWA can help with that.
There are a number of features, but I’m still exploring having used it this first time, but I cannot wait to put my new nonfiction book as I think the returns will be even better as fiction is still a bit subjective. Check out the number of reviews others have made by Googling the program to decide if it’s right for you. By the way, this and Grammarly are often compared and I’m not sure that is a fair comparison. Both are very good, I have the paid version of Grammarly too but they do different things.
Google Docs – Yes, I’ve used Google Docs a long time and oddly enough I tell everyone, everywhere to use it but honestly, I’m still using Microsoft Word to write my books. One of the things I keep hearing about Word however is that once this computer bites the dust, if I don’t purchase the entire package, I could very well be outta luck.
I’ve also forever told folks about Talk to Text features found on all smart phones, through Dragon Speak (which I don’t personally use) and yes in Google Docs.
What I really love is the talk to text, and having told students about it, who often inquired about not having the luxury of time to get the words down. I would live demonstrate the talk to text by simply using the microphone and opening up an email. I do that often at night when insomnia hits or when waiting for something like a doctor’s appointment often outputting approximately 1-2K words in a single 30 minute or 15 minute sitting. That does a ton for your word count, so as I fret about Microsoft becoming obsolete or being priced out by some sort of nickel and dime’d subscription service (which in this industry or any for that matter, I’m really starting to hate that word) paying in perpetuity is not fun, so the backup plan is looking like Google might save the day, um (um yeah, again). LOL To be transparent, I am paying for storage for a month for Google at just 99 cents and yes, In twenty years I’ll have paid the MS Word price but whatever you feel, the price tag just makes sense right now. I’ll let you know if it changes.
I’m not using Google Docs to type my blog posts, which I often used to type in Word or directly into WordPress and while I have no complaints at all about doing that with either program (although you should never type directly into your post as you could lose it and that makes you crazy), one leg up that Google has on Word is 1. the ease in which I can add all the links, and 2 the mobile accessibility. I can access Google docs on my phone with relative ease when I can’t do the same in Word. When inserting links, Google will offer suggestions on what I want to link to without hassle and is 99 percent accurate in suggesting exactly what I intended. I know woo woo, they are reading our brain waves. But this saves lives, I mean time. It just saves time of suggesting what it thinks based on the words you’re using, while Word makes is so complex to add links for the words. I happily return (resurrect) to my blog with that kind of minimal assistance in getting things done a little faster and more effortlessly.
Stamps.com is sadly more about accessibility during COVID for me than any other reason. When I went to the post office last year, I was so annoyed to find a table in front of the already very tall receptionist ? desk that prohibited me from getting closer. I could not reach them and no one was willing to come around and assist as many people who know me do. Of all the public places I visited in the height of Covid, this venue seemed the most extreme with their barriers. I understand, considering my own issues it was the last place I should be anyway. So, Stamps.com has been easy and great. The best part is that if you are a first timer, you can get a free scale to weigh things up to 5 pounds. There is a monthly fee under 20 bucks but’s more than worth it as you can also get some mailing supplies such as boxes of different sizes, and flat rate or priority envelopes as part of your subscription and at any time just by ordering through your account. I like printing the postage on the pretty stamp options they have, and yes, as far as supplies, I know you can get most of the boxes and mailers just by going to the post office but why go, when if you have a mailbox outside your door or not far from you door, you can put your postage paid envelopes in there, sure, but you can also get free pickup.
`
While CANVA is like my best friend, as such it gets a mention just because I love it so much. Canva just last year, maybe I was late to the game but it seems like last year, they added more video and music effects and that has just enhanced the program so much. I love the stock footage they offer (and this is for Pro users) but even a Pro user is the same cost as the Amazon prime membership at just $ 119.00. So you really can’t beat it.
Since I’ve shared what I’m strongly liking right now, here just a few things I decided to dwindle or reduce using or really that I find I’m using less, not because that it’s not right or doesn’t work but I’ll be leaving it back in 2020:
Evernote, I’m not using it all that much. IF I want to save something, I often just send it to myself, put it in the Google Docs, or bookmark it. I haven’t actually written a book in Evernote, only short scenes, and notes that I often cut and paste into the main manuscript right away for fear of losing it to the internet lala land. I find that after the 5+ years of light usage, it’s become an unruly catchall for things I cannot find quickly or often misplace, kind of like my DVR right about now. I do know that they did add a search feature so you can search all your notes, so it’s not a total scavenger but it’s just not doing much for me at this time.
HP Instant Ink – I tried it, I don’t like it. It seemed they were always charging me and the readings of paper used, seemed incorrect, not to mention at times the ink cartridges I received seemed not the HP standard or malfunctioned and did not print ALL the pages. Sidenote: I do have an HP Printer that I’m using an Office Jet pro and I hope to move to a laser printer though I’m still weighing whether or not that is right for me as I don’t print often but I would like to print some high quality things that will just look better in laser output for planners and printables that I hope to be selling in the coming months.
I did use Ripl but they made a decision to no longer offer the free option. I don’t think it costs all that much, you can use the basic version for about $ 8 bucks a month subscription and I did like it beyond the price, if I like it I’ll buy it without hesitation. It also now works on desktop, a feature they added in 2020. However, what I find is that Animoto is just an easier to use program, and it is a little more expensive at about about $ 16 bucks a month -if you pay month to month and can cancel anytime, or $ 264 dollars a year but the learning for Animoto has been intuitive, easy and I’ve made more than ten book trailers for myself and for others with it sealing our long-term relationship.
However you feel about the things listed here, do your own thing but at least try it. It can be really fun and you don’t know whether you should abandon something until you’ve absolutely tried it for yourself AND I would also say that you really need to make/take the time. At times we can give up on things too easily and really haven’t learned enough by way of using it to make it work for us.
