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21 Instruments for Freelance Writers to Assist You Keep Organized and Productive


As a contract author, that having the suitable instruments could make all of the distinction. Listed here are 21 important instruments that may assist you write higher, sooner, and extra effectively.

A dependable laptop computer or laptop and cozy workspace

That is maybe an important device for any freelance author. In any case, you possibly can’t write and not using a gadget to sort on. Ensure that your laptop computer or laptop is quick and environment friendly so you possibly can keep away from irritating delays when engaged on deadlines.

These are our favourite laptops:

Product Title

Product Title

2022 Apple MacBook Air Laptop computer with M2 chip: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Show, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, 1080p FaceTime HD Digicam. Works with iPhone and iPad; Midnight

Microsoft Floor Laptop computer 4 13.5″ Contact Display screen – AMD Ryzen 5 Floor Version – 16GB Reminiscence – 256GB Stable State Drive with Home windows 11 (Newest Mannequin) – Platinum

Lenovo Flex 5 Laptop computer, 14.0″ FHD Contact Show, AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, 16GB RAM, 256GB Storage, AMD Radeon Graphics, Home windows 11 Residence, Graphite Gray

One of many advantages of being a freelancer is which you can work from wherever, however irrespective of the place you’re employed, you’ll work higher if you happen to’re comfy. So contemplate making a workspace in your house that features:

  • A snug chair. You’ll be spending plenty of time sitting down to jot down, so it’s essential to have a snug chair that helps your again and posture. Spend money on a good-quality chair that you need to use for years to return.
  • A desk or work floor. Once more, you’ll want a spot to place your laptop computer or laptop the place you possibly can comfortably sort for lengthy durations of time. A desk or work floor offers you the area it’s worthwhile to focus whereas writing.
  •  Blue mild glasses. Blue mild has been proven to suppress melatonin manufacturing, which makes it tougher to go to sleep at night time. In case you don’t already personal blue light-blocking glasses, get them now!

A Dependable web connection

An web connection is crucial for any freelance author. In any case, you want to have the ability to analysis your subjects, pitch potential shoppers, and submit your work – all on-line.

Ensure you have a quick and dependable web connection so you possibly can keep away from irritating delays and issues with shoppers. 

If the web is spotty in your space, be sure to have a backup plan for the way to submit your work.

phrase processor – one thing with sturdy grammar and spell-checking options

phrase processor will assist you write higher, sooner, and with fewer errors. Ensure you select a phrase processor with sturdy grammar and spell-checking options so you possibly can keep away from embarrassing errors.

Our favorites embody:

  • Google Docs. This free service permits you to create paperwork, spreadsheets, shows, drawings, and kinds on-line. It additionally gives highly effective collaboration instruments like Google Drive chat and e-mail integration.
  • Microsoft Phrase. Microsoft Phrase is likely one of the greatest packages accessible for modifying textual content. It’s simple to be taught and comes with many helpful options.
  • Scrivener. Scrivener is a sophisticated program designed particularly for writers. It helps you arrange concepts, handle initiatives, and collaborate with others.

Lastly, at the side of an excellent phrase processor, contemplate additionally having an excellent note-taking app – one thing easy and simple to make use of. 

You might not take into consideration this as a “device” per se, however a note-taking app is crucial for any freelance journalist. Whether or not you favor pen and paper or digital notes, a note-taking app will assist you preserve monitor of your ideas and concepts

An Simple to Navigate Web site

A well-designed web site makes it simple for shoppers to seek out you and be taught extra about your providers. Ensure that your web site is skilled and simple to navigate so you possibly can entice the suitable shoppers.

Take into account the following pointers when designing your web site:

  • Use clear navigation. Shoppers wish to know what they’re moving into after they rent you. They gained’t spend their cash on somebody who doesn’t present clear instructions.
  • Preserve issues easy. Don’t overload your web site with an excessive amount of data. Preserve it clear and centered on offering worth.
  • Provide samples of your work. Showcase your expertise by providing examples of your earlier work.
  • Clarify the freelance writing providers you provide. You don’t need somebody reaching out about e-mail copywriting once you truly work as a weblog submit author.
  • Provide contact information. Embrace a contact kind and your e-mail tackle at a minimal.
  • Ensure that your web site hundreds shortly. You don’t need shoppers to attend round earlier than they will learn your content material.

When creating your web site, keep in mind that engines like google like Google and Bing have a look at web sites in a different way than people do. So, if you happen to’re attempting to rank excessive in search outcomes, be sure your web site has related key phrases and descriptions.

Your Web site Ought to Be Cellular Pleasant

It’s no secret that most individuals now entry the net from their telephones. If you wish to attain them, you’ll must design your web site to be mobile-friendly.

This implies ensuring your web site seems nice on smartphones and tablets. Your web site ought to load shortly and show correctly on totally different gadgets.

In case you have hassle with this, contemplate hiring a designer that can assist you out. There are many inexpensive choices accessible by way of websites like Upwork.com.

Grammarly To Assist with Modifying

In case you’re not a fantastic speller or have hassle with grammar, then Grammarly is a must have device for freelance writers. This app will be put in in your laptop or used as a plugin to your net browser, and it’ll assist you to appropriate any spelling or grammatical errors in your writing.

The app works by analyzing your written paperwork and highlighting errors. When you’ve corrected these errors, you possibly can click on on the highlighted phrases and see recommendations for the way to repair them.

There are different apps that supply related performance, comparable to Spell Examine Plus and Grammarly Premium, which is arguably top-of-the-line investments a contract author could make.

Hemingway To Simplify Your Writing

If you end up utilizing too many phrases or difficult sentence buildings, then Hemingway is a superb device to assist simplify your writing. This app highlights:

  • sentences which are arduous to learn,
  • sentences that may very well be less complicated
  • the studying degree of your writing
  • once you’ve used passive voice too typically

In case you’re a contract author that creates weblog posts or articles Hemingway will be an effective way to scrub up your writing. In case you create even longer types of content material comparable to ebooks, it’ may not be as useful.

Your headline is the very first thing that potential readers will see, so it’s essential to make it possible for it’s catchy and crowd pleasing. The Headline Analyzer device from CoSchedule will assist you to create headlines which are each efficient and attention-grabbing.

You merely enter some textual content into the field and the app will analyze it and provide you with tips about the way to enhance it. For instance, it can let you know whether or not your headline makes use of lively voice or passive voice.

It additionally offers you concepts on what else you might add to your headline to extend its effectiveness.

Canva To Create Visuals

In case you’re not a fantastic designer however must create visuals to your articles or weblog posts, then Canva is a superb choice. This on-line device enables you to create professional-looking designs with none prior design expertise.

All it’s worthwhile to do is add a picture or select one from the library, sort in some textual content, and choose a background shade. You may then drag and drop parts onto the canvas to construct your design.

When you’re performed creating your design, you possibly can obtain it as a jpg or different file codecs or share it straight by way of e-mail.

AI and CopyScape To Pace Up Writing and Guarantee Originality 

AI is one other useful gizmo that lets you write higher. AI will help you to shortly create a tough draft for an article or submit. Nevertheless, whereas AI generally is a useful device it’s essential to recollect it can’t substitute your writing expertise and the job of writing an excellent article. 

AI is infamous for producing factually incorrect content material, which is why you’ll discover it most helpful in areas the place you’re an skilled and may simply appropriate the AI. Use AI as one other writing device in your arsenal reasonably than a alternative for you doing the work.

Personally, I like utilizing a mix of Jasper.ai and Frase when writing weblog posts. Try this submit on the Finest AI for Bloggers to seek out out which one could be greatest for you.

You’ll then wish to make it possible for the content material you’ve created with the assistance of AI is free from any plagiarism.

Copyscape scans your doc for situations the place you’ll have inadvertently copied one thing from someplace else, and it’ll spotlight these situations so you possibly can repair your content material

This course of takes lower than 5 minutes and is tremendous inexpensive, typically costing only a few cents per article.

Jasper AI

Cease spending a lot time writing weblog articles, social media posts, and gross sales emails… let Jasper write for you.

We obtain commissions from purchases made by way of our hyperlinks.

Phrase Counter Plus Chrom Extension To Know How Shut You Are to Being Achieved

In case you’re engaged on a undertaking with a selected phrase rely, then Phrase Counter generally is a useful device. This extension enables you to see what number of phrases you’ve written and the way shut you might be to your objective.

To make use of the extension, all it’s worthwhile to do is set up the Chrome extension and open the web page containing your work. Then click on on the extension tab on the high proper nook of the display.

You might also be capable of use the settings in your phrase processor to robotically show the phrase rely as you write.

Unbiased Contractor Settlement – Don’t Work With out One

In case you’re going to have a contract writing enterprise, then it’s essential to have contracts in place. This doc will define the phrases of your settlement along with your shopper and will help to forestall any misunderstandings or issues down the street.

The very first thing you need to embody in your contract is cost data. Ensure you know precisely how a lot cash you’ll receives a commission every time you full a bit of labor.

Subsequent, you need to specify the variety of hours you’ll spend on every task. In case you don’t agree on a set period of time, then it’s seemingly that you simply gained’t end the undertaking on time.

Lastly, you need to state what occurs if you happen to don’t meet your deadlines. It’s at all times greatest to provide your self loads of time to finish initiatives, however generally issues occur past our management.

Embrace a clause stating that you simply retain possession of the copyright to your work. Which means that despite the fact that you agreed to offer the shopper with unique rights to their materials, they nonetheless aren’t allowed to distribute it with out your permission.

Quickbooks – Simple to Ship Invoices and preserve monitor of your online business funds

As a contract author, you’ll must preserve monitor of your earnings and bills. Quickbooks is an app that permits you to do exactly that. You should use it to ship invoices, monitor funds, and see how a lot cash you’re making (and spending).

It’s simple to make use of and has a easy interface that makes it fast and simple to navigate.One in every of it’s greatest options is that it’s going to robotically ship cost reminders to ensure your shoppers truly pay the bill on time.

Contena – A Freelance Job Itemizing Useful resource to Save You Time Having to Examine A number of Locations

Whenever you’re on the lookout for new shoppers, it will possibly take plenty of time to seek out them. That’s why a single job board with filters generally is a large time saver.

With Contena, you possibly can arrange alerts to be notified when a job posting is out there that meets your area of interest and earnings necessities.

Learn our full overview of Contena right here.

Group Instruments to Make Positive You’re On High of Every little thing

There are occasions once we really feel like we’re drowning in emails and different messages. We wish to make it possible for we keep organized in order that we by no means miss something essential.

That is the place instruments like ClickUp, systemized file naming, and backups come into play. These three instruments will assist you arrange the whole lot out of your e-mail inbox to your recordsdata.

ClickUp

ClickUp is a undertaking administration device that helps you handle your workflow

In case you’re a freelancer who works on a number of initiatives without delay, you then may want some method to preserve monitor of which of them are accomplished and which of them are nonetheless lively.

That’s the place ClickUp is available in. With this device, you possibly can create duties and assign them due dates in addition to reminders, subtasks with due dates and a lot extra. You may even create separate shopper process lists to maintain the whole lot clearly organized.

Scrivener To Assist Arrange Your Writing

In case you typically have hassle organizing your ideas or getting began on a writing undertaking, then Scrivener generally is a lifesaver. This app enables you to create folders and sub-folders to arrange your concepts, and it features a built-in phrase processor so you can begin writing immediately.

Google Sheets To Monitor Your Stats

If you wish to preserve monitor of your writing targets and progress, then Google Sheets is a superb device to make use of. This app enables you to create easy spreadsheet paperwork that can be utilized to trace issues like phrase rely, article subjects, submission deadlines, and earnings.

Dropbox – A Should for Backing Up Your Work

You might assume that having your entire work backed up on-line is sufficient, however there are occasions when it’s worthwhile to again up your work offline too. Dropbox is likely one of the hottest apps for backing up your knowledge on-line.

The free model of Dropbox permits you to retailer 2 GB of knowledge, whereas the paid model offers you 2 TB of space for storing.

A File Naming Protocol

One of many largest issues that writers face is holding their recordsdata organized. In case you don’t know what folder construction to make use of, then you might find yourself losing hours attempting to determine what goes the place.

So it’s worthwhile to determine how you’ll construction your file names so you possibly can simply discover them later.

Backside Line

There are plenty of nice instruments for freelance writers on the market that may make your job as a contract author simpler. Do a little analysis and discover those that work greatest for you. And don’t neglect to share your favourite instruments within the feedback beneath!



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