Writing Tools

Welcome to my writing tools page! Simply click on either the title or the image to go to the resource.

List of Fantasy Magazines and Journals

List of Fantasy Writing Groups

Over the years I’ve invested way too many hours scouring the web for short story publishers and ezines, publishers of novels, book reviewers and writing groups.

On my way, I made notes of them all, as well as other writing tools. And then it clicked—wouldn’t other writers find this useful too? So I put together this writing toolkit.

So what can you find in this writing toolkit then? Well, everything you can see above. Plus, you have my writing podcast, which I host with JM Williams. We cover everything from how to write short stories, to the greatest fantasy books ever written.

Also in this writing toolkit is my blog. You’ll be able to find lots of writing guides and resources that will help you when it comes to writing a book. Tools that will teach you all you need to know and set you on the path to success.

And finally, in the writing toolbox, there’s my exclusive online writing group. It’s my belief that as writers we’re all better off working together than working alone. So I sought to bring people together in a friendly group of like-minded writers. Come and join us!

That’s why I created these writing tools—to help other writers. Why should you have to endure the frustration and hardship that I’ve already undergone? It doesn’t make sense!

I’m always coming up with new writing tools and ways to help my fellow writer.

More About The Writing Tools

Within each of these writing tools, you’ll find some insights I’ve picked up over the years to help you find success. In my list of fantasy magazines and journals, for instance, I provide a rundown on how to write cover letters, how to format a manuscript and definitions of some industry terms.

I get no greater satisfaction in life than by helping people, so I sincerely hope you find these tools useful. And be sure to keep checking back. I both update and add to these writing tools as often as I can.

Other Writing Tools

There are some other online writing tools that you may find useful.

I have a free and easy-to-use book description generator. It’s designed to help your book descriptions stand out more on Amazon and Goodreads. You can find lots of useful instructions and step-by-step guides. And the difference it makes is huge.
The Hemmingway app, also known as the Hemmingway Editor, is a very handy, and crucially, free writing app. It’s essentially a writing checker, free and online. Simply copy and paste your text into the software and it’ll scan it for adjectives, adverbs, passive voice and the like. It’ll also assess the complexity of the writing. The insights the Hemmingway app can provide can prove crucial when it comes to editing.
One of the best free apps for writers, and probably one of the leading book writing apps overall, is Grammarly. It describes itself as a ‘free online writing assistant’, though in reality, it’s a grammar and punctuation checker. I use it every day in my job as a copy editor. In fact, the entire company uses it. While it’s not perfect, it’s a damn sight more accurate and useful than other grammar and punctuation checkers and other similar pieces of software for writers.
I see many questions about what the best novel writing software is. There’s Scrivener, amongst others. For me, I’ve always used a word processor. Microsoft Word is the go-to gadget, but there are other free alternatives that work just as well and which I’ve used myself for many years. Libre Office I will forever fondly regard. It’s basically a lite version of Microsoft Office, but totally free. You can still save in .doc and .docx. In the same vein, Google Docs is another alternative, and again it’s one we use every day in my marketing company.
Check out my page full of creative writing lectures

I sincerely hope you enjoy these writing tools. To stay up to date and to meet and collaborate with other writers, why not join my Community of Writers?

Author
Recent Posts

richiebilling

Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. He's had over a dozen short stories published in various magazines and journals, with one adapted for BBC radio. In 2021 his debut novel, Pariah's Lament, an epic fantasy, was published by Of Metal and Magic. Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft.

Most nights you can find him up into the wee hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.