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The Best Writing Tools to Add to Your Arsenal

I have a confession: Despite having written 192 books, including 21 New York Times bestsellers, I’ve never loved writing. Oh, I love everything else about the profession:

  • Being a writer
  • Being known as a writer
  • And especially having written

But the actual writing itself is far too grueling to love. I’m guessing you know exactly what I mean. Writing can be:

  • Frustrating
  • Exhausting
  • Overwhelming
  • Even discouraging

The rewards come when the writing is finished:

  • That feeling of accomplishment
  • Getting published
  • Impacting readers

The good news is that the right tools make writing easier. And with over 40 years as an author, I’ve had plenty of time to find my favorites. 

Writer Tools I Recommend

Some of these are freesome cost. If you purchase a tool through this page, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. But rest assured, I’d never promote a writer tool my team and I don’t believe in.

Editing Tools

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Grammarly

Cost: Free with premium upgrades available at $29.95 per month, $59.95 per quarter, and $139.95 per year

Notes: Grammarly’s Google Chrome plugin helps catch grammatical errors in nearly everything you write online. The premium plans also offer vocabulary and sentence structure suggestions.

Click here to start using Grammarly.

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Pro Writing Aid

Cost: Free with premium upgrades available at $40 per month, $120 per year, or a one-time lifetime subscription fee of $399

Notes: Pro Writing Aid is a desktop app you can use with programs like Scrivener, Word, and Google Docs. It catches grammar errors, suggests style changes, and even checks for plagiarism.

Click here to start using Pro Writing Aid.

Organization Tools

Trying to organize a massive project like a nonfiction book or novel can be overwhelming.

Writing tools to help you keep track of your plot, characters, and overall progress:

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Scrivener

Cost: $60

Notes: Scrivener users call this the ultimate organization tool for writers. It allows you to view your notes, research, outline, and writing all in one place. It comes with several helpful tutorials.

Click here to buy Scrivener.

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Google Docs

Cost: Free

Notes: Google Docs is great for collaboration. It allows you to invite others to make suggestions and comment on your work. My team and I use it for nearly everything we write.

Click here to start using Google Docs.

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Evernote

Cost: Free

Notes: Evernote helps organize your ideas, notes, research, or any other important information you want to quickly store as you find it so you can easily access it later.

Click here to start using Evernote.

The Novel Factory

Cost: Starts at $7.50 per month, with discounts for annual memberships.

Notes: The Novel Factory is a cross-platform app that helps new writers complete their manuscripts and experienced writers become more productive. It contains dedicated tools to aid with plotting, character development, and drafting.

Click Here to Start Using The Novel Factory

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Campfire Pro

Cost:  $49.99 one-time charge

Notes: Campfire Pro is a writing software that helps you create and organize characters, plots, and worlds for your stories.

Click here to start using Campfire Pro.

Productivity Tools

If you’ve ever found yourself distracted by everything on your computer except what you should be working on, here’s a way to shut them out while you’re writing:

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Freedom

Cost: $8.99 per month, $39 per year, or a one-time charge of $199

Notes: Freedom allows you to block apps, social media, email, and whatever websites you choose — and on your own schedule.

Click here to buy Freedom.

Qwerkywriter Keyboard

Qwerkywriter Keyboard

Cost: $249.99 - $299.00

Notes: I LOVE my Qwerkywriter keyboard! It reminds me of the manual typewriter (remember those?) I learned on back when the earth’s crust was cooling. Yet the Qwerkywriter has all the modern conveniences upon which we so depend. It has the feel and sound of the classics but does all the work of the moderns. I wouldn’t trade mine for anything. In fact, I have one for each of my computers.

Click here to buy your Qwerkywriter Keyboard.

Marketing Tools

Published or not, you need your own website to build a following and increase your visibility. A well thought-out website is the most effective marketing tool you can have.

Setting up a website or blog seems daunting, but even if you aren’t technically savvy, you can easily set up one with these resources:

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Bluehost

Cost: $2.95 per month for basic hosting (exclusive deal)

Notes: Bluehost provides hosting, domain names, and other tools to help you easily create your author website.

Click here to get your hosting through Bluehost.

If you need help setting up your author website, I created a simple, start-to-finish guide to creating your very own within 30 minutes. Click here to check it out for free.

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Mailchimp

Cost: Free with paid options

Notes: Mailchimp is easy-to-use email marketing software that helps you turn website visitors into customers and subscribers — a must for growing your audience.

Click here to start using Mailchimp.

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Leadpages

Cost: Starts at $37 per month

Notes: Leadpages allows you to easily create landing pages (webpages where you can offer free stuff — like a story, a guide, or a free chapter of your book in exchange for a visitor’s email address). My team has used this to grow my email list to over 50,000 subscribers.

Click here to start using Leadpages.

Writer Coaching

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Interested in having me mentor you while you write?

As a member of my exclusive online Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, you get:

  • Intensive live online writing workshops with tips you can immediately apply to your writing
  • Interviews with top writing and publishing experts who reveal inside information
  • Live Q&A with me where you can ask me anything
  • A private community where you can connect and interact with fellow writers
  • And so much more!

Registration opens only a few times per year.

Click here to join the waiting list!

I offer several specialized, self-paced courses to help you hit the ground running with your novel or nonfiction book:

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Confidence Jumpstart Crush Your Fears and Write That Book!

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Fiction Jumpstart The Secrets to Writing a Compelling Novel

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Writing for the Inspirational Market — A Guide to Writing with a Powerful Message

Helpful Guides, Articles, and Writing Sites