The Apps Every Serious Online Writer Should Make Use Of.
Online writing can be daunting, especially without ample preparation which falters the process and the outcome. Most people who delve into online writing, unsurprisingly, have become seduced by the allure of money-making, an instant skyrocketing of viewership and fame. They quickly realize that it first requires passion to write.
The views and money are simply part of the sidebar; it is the quality that takes center stage.
And for quality to prevail, every online writer requires keenness in ensuring they are adequately prepared.
For new writers in their initial stages of content creation, there is a determined single-mindedness to write that first post, blog, or book, which can easily disillusion them into cranking out as many of them as they can in the shortest time possible. It is as though time is running out, or age is catching up, and they might soon fade into non-existence without having reached their prime, and had their work read by as many people as possible.
But no.
Less is more, dear writer.
Would you rather write ten flimsily-edited and poorly researched pieces, or two well-polished and aspirational pieces?
There is virtue in slowing down and taking time to ensure that the written content will be impactful to the reader and be something that the writer can look back on and be proud of.
And for quality to prevail, every online writer requires keenness in ensuring they are adequately prepared.
In pursuing this very end, I believe that it is imperative for me to share with you some of the applications/websites that can be of help in preparing your content.
They will be categorized into drafting, editing, proofreading, scheduling, publishing, and marketing tools.
DRAFTING
Drafting is the first step of creation. In this process, a writer will be required to note down a skeletal summary of what forms the body of their content. Traditionally, pen and paper would do any writer a world of good. But it’s 2023, people! The Internet has made it easier for writers to draft their ideas and kickstart the journey to conceptualizing them.
Here are the three applications to use:
1. Evernote
2. Concepts
3. Google Docs
EDITING AND PROOFREADING
The first draft will likely be messy and all over the place. The process of refining drafts and the ideas therein into coherent information is known as editing. Might I add that it is a gruesome process that will whittle down the draft’s content because of grammatical errors, plot holes, unnecessary verbose language, and inaccuracies?
But it is for the writer’s — and reader’s, too — benefits.
A poorly edited piece will bring to light the writer’s deficiency in properly relaying information concretely. The reader will simply be appalled and put off, choosing perhaps to never consume content from the writer.
Ouch, I know.
Proofreading is like the final boss in a video game. It is the process of checking for minor errors and inconsistencies that might have passed the editing sieve. It is a surface process before the final text is released.
Here are the applications to use:
1. Grammarly
2. Hemingway
3. CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
SCHEDULING
This is the process of arranging and planning how the content will be released by selecting the time of its publishing, the marketing method, and optimizing the content for consumption. Schedules make the subsequent processes much easier and allow the writer to plan ahead.
There is one very cool website to use: Tailwind.
PUBLISHING
There are numerous applications and websites that an online writer can use to publish their content. Publishing is the process of formally releasing content for consumption by the target audience. It is at this stage in writing that the writer, if unanchored in their choice of publishing site, can fail to broadcast their content to the desired audience. It is important to have a central hub where the writer can showcase their catalog and invite readers and other stakeholders in.
The applications to use include:
- WordPress
- Medium
- Squarespace
MARKETING
The process of content marketing is arguably the most important but the least emphasized in online writing. While publishing enables content to go live, the content will spread to larger audiences through marketing. This is where social media comes into view — Social Media marketing is a niche opportunity that online writing can smoothly gel with if used wisely and strategically.
Caution is to be taken here; most online writers will likely fall into the trap of over-marketing their content rather than focusing on the quality of the content. Sticking to furnishing and improving the content quality will attract the niche markets the writer desires more than the intensity of the marketing itself.
The sites to use include:
- X (formerly Twitter)
- TikTok
It is my hope that these applications will help you hone your skills of writing and up your game in content creation and marketing. A deep dive into each of these applications will be released soon so as to expound on how to optimally use them in your writing.
Wonderful writing, dear friends.
