Have you used writing productivity software to help you write faster or better? If not, you could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table in lost productivity. That's because writing productivity software doesn't just help you with your own writing. It can also help you make money as a ghostwriter by writing better and faster.
As a ghostwriter, the faster you write, the more work you can do without having to work longer hours. And the better you write, the more value you add to your ghostwriting clients. The more value you add, the more you can charge. The more you can charge, the less work you need to take on to pay your bills. The less work you need to take on, the more time and attention you can pay to each ghostwriting clients, and so on and so forth.
I call the progression I described above, the ghostwriting value cycle. With the ghostwriting value cycle, everyone wins: you win because you make more while working less; your clients win by getting better writing, more of your focus, and faster turnaround times; and the readers win by getting better books or articles. Everyone wins.
Here are seven writing productivity tools that can help you begin your progression through the ghostwriter value cycle using in your business.
Focus Writer: This is a full-screen writing app to help you keep your focus. It gives you a blank document to write in, and most else is customizable from there. You can insert a word count tracker, daily goals, spell check, and even typewriter sound effects. Its goal is for you to get words on the page–you can worry about formatting and titles and anything else later.
Self-Control: A Chrome app to avoid procrastination. You set blacklisted sites that the app will block for whatever time period you set as a session. If you find yourself planning on writing, only to end up distracted with Facebook or your favorite online magazine, this is a good app to get into the habit of uninterrupted work sessions.
WriteOrDie: A website that lets you set writing goals and holds you accountable for hitting your goals through either an on-screen reward (for hitting your goal) or consequence (for not hitting your goal). Set your writing goal, words per minute, time goal, and grace period. If you stay on pace and hit your goal, you're all good. If not, you could end up with a pretty frustrating consequence. By default, the screen begins to turn red and the app plays an annoying sound, like the sound of nails on a chalkboard. But you can also add what it calls “Kamikaze mode, which also deletes words written if you fall behind. If you're into avoiding pain more than achieving pleasure, Write or Die might be for you. Don't say I didn't warn you though….
Pacemaker: Another goal tracker, this one for any internet program. There’s a free and premium version, both work great. Again, gives you a place to set goals, shows what you should do each day to complete them, and the progress you’ve actually made.
TypeIt4Me: This is a one-time-purchase program ($19.99) that you download to your desktop. Through it, you set up keyboard shortcuts that you use frequently, and when the app is running it’ll automatically fill in the writing. TypeIt4Me is great for people who are slow typers and write the same text over and over again, people who are less than spelling inclined, or even people whose writing includes a lot of long and difficult-to-type jargon.
I use TypeIt4Me for sharing my email addresses, physical mailing addresses, web addresses, calls to action, and even to input “form” language on podcast show notes, ghostwriting proposals, and other longer-form messages I write on a regular basis. All I need to do is write the shortcode and it populates the whole form. Then, I just change what I need to change and I'm good to go.
Headline Generator: A headline generator for different types of articles. Insert your topic and goals and it’ll give you a format to follow. It May not be the best for personal essays or other, less promotional, types of writing. But still good to check out and get a feel for.
Capitalize My Title: A handy website that gives you the formatting on how to capitalize your article title. Choose the style in which to capitalize it and just paste in what you have. Makes it easy if you don’t feel like hitting the shift button too many times or if you’re confused about capitalizing that one “to” in your title.
We’ll be the first to admit that writing is hard, but sometimes all you need is that extra push to start. These seven apps can help you get started, get going, and get better and faster at writing. And that's a recipe for productivity and high profits as a ghostwriter!
Have you used any of these apps? If so, which is your favorite? And let us know what other writing apps you love! Join the conversation in our free Facebook Group, Ghostwriter Growth. And don't forget to download your free ebook, How to Get Started Ghostwriting.