Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas y'all! Before we take a deep dive into how the 7 Must-Have Tools For Every Writer's Toolbox in 2025 actually helped me, I just have one small request? No? Okay, well I'll ask anyway. I would just ask y'all, me included, to not forget what it is that this holiday is supposed to be about, and that is the birth of little baby Jesus.
Let's Get Into It
In Part II of 7 Must-Have Tools For Every Writer's Toolbox in 2025 we will take a closer look at some of the tools reviewed in Part I, by showing how these tools can help you hone your writing skills and increase your chances of getting published. Well, let's get right to it.
Show Don't Tell
No, not Show and Tell, Show Don't Tell. I'm sick of hearing it, and if you're a new writer or a student, I'm sure you are too. Show Don't Tell, they preach, Show Don't Tell! I think the reason I'm not fond of the number one rule in creative writing, is because it's hard to do. First of all, what in the heck is Show Don't Tell anyways?
In a nutshell, show don't tell is the process of writing using action and the five senses versus writing with descriptive narration. It is writing with strong nouns and verbs, as opposed to writing with modifiers like adjectives and adverbs. If you are like me, this is a constant battle, but thanks to apps like AutoCrit, Authors A.I., and ProWritingAid, help has arrived!
All three of these apps analyze your writing and then provide various stats and reports. Here is a chart I created from one of the reports that shows words or phrases that are telling. It also shows the number of times the word appeared in my book, along with notes and editing suggestions.
App Functions (what they do for you)
As I mentioned, most of these apps perform similar functions and I tested them all with an identical file to see how each one differs. For the most part, they all seem to agree with each other, at least in regards to my novel Mysterious Ways. That tells me two things:
1. These apps are actually reading what I upload and giving critiques and suggestions.
2. I'm a horrible writer
However, while these robot beta readers may get most things right, they don't catch everything. For example, AutoCrit said I need to work on the pacing of my story, while ProWritingAid said my pacing was spot on. So take what these apps give you with an open mind and compare the results against other apps. Use your best judgement along with common sense and only follow their suggestions if you agree with the findings.
Here are some of the criteria these apps search for.
1. Adverbs
2. Misspelled Words
3. Passive Indicators
4. Frequent Words/Phrases
5. Cliche
6. Show Versus Tell
7. Initial Pronouns
8. Generic Descriptions
Hone Your Craft
I realize everyone has their own method of learning, their own tricks, their own strengths and weaknesses, but I'll tell you how these apps have helped me hone my writing. First, I convert all this analyses to a spreadsheet so I can manipulate it to my preferences and alpha-sort the lists.
Now I have a workbook with all the data I need to fix my novel, and believe me, there's a lot to fix. But it works to my advantage. While going through my manuscript and deleting, changing, or leaving alone the word "grabbed" 134 times, it's now drilled in my skull—don't say "grabbed". Most of these apps have ai elements that will go ahead and fix these instances, but those are typically premium options. And that brings me to the next topic—Free or Premium Plans.
Premium Versus Free Plans
Almost everything I review on this blog is based on a Free or Trial plan, including all the apps I reviewed in Part I of this post. The Premium plans provide more detailed reports and the option of letting ai do all the work, which saves time. But by manually editing these things, I can see other changes I need to make.
Of course, nothing beats having an actual human editor go over your book and give you advice, but if you need quick answers and don't have a big budget for editing, you can always try one, or all of the apps in this post.
And Now, the Moment You've All Been Scrolling For—My 100% Reliable, 100% Free Secret Writing Weapon!
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