Words on a page

I generally don’t put a lot of stock in grammar or style checkers. In my experience, they’ve tended to be a bit too wedded to strict rules. These kinds of checkers don’t take into account personal writing quirks and attempts at trying to make your writing a bit more original and fresh. Two aspects of writing that I think set you apart, and make your writing more interesting and readable, if done properly.

That said, I know more than a couple of people who do rely on grammar and style checkers. A few of them are, in fact, professional writers. Lately, I’ve been recommending After the Deadline to some people.

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Information. It’s the stock and trade of the professional writer. Notes. Facts. Quotes. Sundry bits and pieces that help us when it comes time to write.

One problem that writers face is keeping all the information that we collect in one easy-to-access location. That can be hard because we’re often never in one place at all times. Take me, for example. My main computer is the laptop on my desk at home. When I’m running around, I often carry a netbook. Often, but not always. Sometimes I only have my BlackBerry with me. Sometimes not even that.

So, how can you easily organize that information? Read on for a few suggestions.

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Over the last few weeks, I’ve been using software called Adobe AIR quite extensively. If you’re wondering what AIR is, check out this article at Wikipedia.

But I also find AIR and its applications to be a useful addition to my writer’s toolkit. The applications are useful, and many of them blur the boundary between the Web and the computer desktop. While many AIR applications are general purpose, or designed for a specific set of users (like Web designers), there are a number that are quite useful for writers.

Here are a few.

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A lot of cliches apply to freelancers — wearing many hats, fingers in many pies, juggling multiple tasks. In order to do everything that you need to do, you need the right tools. Aside from the usual suspects — productivity and publishing software, Web sites, and blogs — there are a number of essential tools that all freelancers should have at their disposal.

Here are a few that I frequently use. Many are free, some are Web based. But they all definitely help me get the job done.

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I’ve been living with an eBook reader for the last couple of months. In that time, I’ve rarely picked up a dead-trees tome.

While reading, I’ve been thinking about formatting an eBook for the small screen. And I’ve learned a few things. Like what? Keep reading …

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