Technology Tools for Authors: Help or Hindrance?

Is technology sabotaging your writing?

Are you spending too much time searching for new tools and systems to “help” you?

Do you find yourself going down a rabbit hole until your head is spinning?

You are not alone.

I am always looking for something new to help me work smarter and not harder.

Scrivener, Evernote, reMarkable and ToDoIst are all good technology tools that cost extra money and then there is a learning curve.

You need to ask yourself if something new will help you where you are.

I’m “old school” when it comes to my writing tools and I try to save money where I can.

Here are my top tools.

Microsoft Excel

Excel is my go-to spreadsheet for tracking. It comes with a subscription to Microsoft Office.

It is easy to use, and I track anything from projects and expenses to my editorial calendar.

Microsoft Word

Word is great for all types of things, and it is simple to use. It comes with a subscription to Microsoft Office.

Here are just a few ideas to use Word.

  • Templates for coaching, meeting minutes and notes
  • Outlines and chapters for a book
  • Articles, stories and personal experiences
  • Journaling if you like to type instead of writing long hand

ChatGPT

The free version of ChatGPT is easy to use and has been a great tool for me.

You can use it as a guide to help build out your characters, get help with your outline or need some ideas or inspiration.

One-Subject Paper Notebooks

One-subject paper notebooks are great for journaling anything.

You can purchase 12 at a time, so you have one for every month of the year.

Some types of journaling are:

  • Gratitude – journal what you are thankful for
  • Success – celebrate your wins and accomplishments, even if they are small
  • Work out a problem with a story or character
  • Free writing

Planner

The inamio planner in the 6.5″ x 8.5″ size is a good paper planner.

For reminders, I generally use my Google calendar.

Index Cards

Writing affirmations on index cards and reading them every day helps you keep up your momentum.

Example: Progress, not Perfection.

Miscellaneous

Here are a few miscellaneous tools I use.

  • Pens, medium point blue and purple
  • White out tape
  • Binders – one and two inch
  • Notebook paper
  • Sticky notes

Remember, what works for one writer might not work for another.

I would love to hear what kind of tools you use?

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8 Comments

  1. Thanks for this, Sandra. Though I would never use AI for writing, I have used it for ideas for a book cover. Have you checked out Claude? The level of detailed recommendations is amazing.

  2. Thanks so much, Sandra, I often feel the same way when it comes to all of the different kinds of technologies, and what is best for certain kinds of writings. This will also serve as a great resource for me! I look forward to coming back again, soon. 🙂

  3. Sandra, thanks for this article. There are so many tools out there now to help us get our words down and be more organized writers. I use Excel to track my word count and I used to hate Excel. I use Google Docs for writing and ChatGpt for outlining (yuck), crafting characters and all of the other stuff that comes with prepping before I start writing. I use Claude for editing/revising and Gemini to do cover mockups especially when I don’t know what I want on my cover. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my human editor. She has more in her head about polishing my words so they shine than I ever want to know about (and I am a trained editor). Awesome job!

  4. Sandra, thanks for this article. There are so many tools out there now to help us get our words down and be more organized writers. I use Excel to track my word count and I used to hate Excel. I use Google Docs for writing and ChatGpt for outlining (yuck), crafting characters and all of the other stuff that comes with prepping before I start writing. I use Claude for editing/revising and Gemini to do cover mockups especially when I don’t know what I want on my cover. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my human editor. She has more in her head about polishing my words so they shine than I ever want to know about (and I am a trained editor). Awesome job!

  5. Thanks, Sandra, some interesting tips here. I use Scrivener. It is not costly ($50 last time I looked), and it keeps me organized and all my work in one place. There is a learning curve, and I only use the basic things. I know it could help me more if I listened to the videos, and I think at some point I will learn more. But I think it’s a good investment.

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