Times are hard. We all know about credit crunches, spending cuts and tax raises.
So I've looked around for some free useful Writer tools for you.

1. Google Docs - a simple online word processor, with the ability to share and collaborate, as well as chat.
2. Open Office – a Microsoft Office alternative that's completely free. It has a few glitches, but it does the job rather nicely.
3. Lotus Symphony  – another free Office contender, with a variety of plugins.
4. Evernote – a free note taking application like Microsoft's OneNote. I highly recommend it.
5. WordWeb – free one-click English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows, Application independent.
6. Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary – free (online only)
7. One-Look Reverse Dictionary – free (online only)
8. RoughDraft - a free wordprocessor providing special modes for screenplays, novels, short stories etc. (Development discontinued, but don't let that stop you from trying it.)
9. Sonar 3 – Free submission tracking tool
10. FreeMind – Free Mindmapping software, which can be great for brainstorming.

Well, there you have it. That's just 10 of all the ones out there. I tried to be a little diverse and I hope you enjoy (and possibly benefit from) these tools.

Happy writing!

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I don't often donate to something.

Money is tight, after all.

However… I tripped onto Wikipedia today — as I do so often — to look something up.

There was a banner up top, and I clicked on it after I read up on what I needed to read up on.

I read the message there, and I was struck by how genuine it sounded. And then I thought "What if Wikipedia weren't here? What if it weren't free? What if every page were littered with ads?"

The first… I don't even want to consider it. Life without it would be a step backwards.

The second… I'd probably pay for access, but what about all the people who can't afford it? What about all the people who contributed to the wealth of knowledge on there? Wouldn't they feel cheated? Wouldn't they want to be paid to contribute, if Wikipedia charged people for access? Ergo… I hate that idea, because it would wreck Wikipedia.

The third… I'm very pleased to see at least one place on the web where I can be sure not to be hit in the face with some flash ad for whatever product might fit in with the subject search.

If you use Wikipedia, then consider making a donation. If you can't afford much, then give what you can. Let's keep it free for everyone. Let's keep the knowledge available to everyone.

I am proud to have helped a little bit. The button was added to the side, in an effort to promote their effort.

Please.

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I have to bitch a little, on behalf of my significant other.
He stubbornly insists I should open a library, because everywhere he goes, there are books.

He’s right, you know.

However, I have my own pet peeve.

The publishers of reference books for writers are missing a trick.
I would probably buy far more of them… if they were in digital format. Searchable.

You know what I mean. It’s all very well to have a huge list of something in a book — if you end up sitting there, flicking through pages, looking for something specific.
One of my all time favorites is the Reverse Dictionary. It’s great. I recommend getting one. (Random House, Word Menu)

BUT!

It would be even greater if I could type in a keyword and it flags up everything with that keyword.
The same goes for writing books. I would prefer those in digital format.
Writer’s Yearbook? Give it to me as an ebook, seriously.
Name books? Same thing.
I bet I’m not alone with this, either.

Aside from not having 20 different reference works sitting on my desk, I could have them on the computer, I could take them with me on a laptop. I could cut down the time I take looking something up to almost negligible. Time I could spend writing.

So here is the thing:

Offer an electronic edition. Please.

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