The Internet did not only revolutionize the way we do our banking, the way we communicate and the way we advertise, but it has also effected a significant change in the world of literature: writers, everywhere, can help each other out on forums, can conduct research for a book that would otherwise require extensive visits to the local library, or can take advantage of the new gadgets and programs that have emerged online.
Today, I will take a look at five gadgets that I have found particularly invaluable to the services of a writer. And if you're a budding writer who is just getting his or her bearings in the wide field of fiction, you can consider this list a solid recommendation for what can assist you to blossom into a full-fledged writer :)
Today, I will take a look at five gadgets that I have found particularly invaluable to the services of a writer. And if you're a budding writer who is just getting his or her bearings in the wide field of fiction, you can consider this list a solid recommendation for what can assist you to blossom into a full-fledged writer :)
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| The Grand Canyon -- a majestic display of nature, definitely not located in the Carolinas. |
1. Google Maps and Google Street View
Both of the above gadgets come hand in hand, and both of them are of equal importance, but especially so if you are in the middle of plotting or writing for a piece that takes place in the real world.
When zoomed out far, Google Maps is quite useful as a world atlas, but when zoomed in, it becomes essential. I have used this function countless times, calculating distances and traveling duration, discovering the quickest routes from A to B by way of C, laying out my own routes based on the main streets and landmarks, or scouting out a small area of city or town to find a suitable place of residence for my characters.
Google Street View is also a nifty gadget: you can go up and down streets that you have never visited before, and may never visit at all. You can see the common architecture of a city's district, spot a landmark or two, notice the traffic flow and discover much, much more if you have a sharp eye for detail.
Google Maps is generally a great tool for writers whose stories take place in the real world and who wish to re-create the real world as meticulously as possible. But even if you are writing a piece of speculative fiction that is set on a different world or on a very altered version of our world, then having Google's map system at hand can give you an idea of the spatial values of your imaginary world.
When zoomed out far, Google Maps is quite useful as a world atlas, but when zoomed in, it becomes essential. I have used this function countless times, calculating distances and traveling duration, discovering the quickest routes from A to B by way of C, laying out my own routes based on the main streets and landmarks, or scouting out a small area of city or town to find a suitable place of residence for my characters.
Google Street View is also a nifty gadget: you can go up and down streets that you have never visited before, and may never visit at all. You can see the common architecture of a city's district, spot a landmark or two, notice the traffic flow and discover much, much more if you have a sharp eye for detail.
Google Maps is generally a great tool for writers whose stories take place in the real world and who wish to re-create the real world as meticulously as possible. But even if you are writing a piece of speculative fiction that is set on a different world or on a very altered version of our world, then having Google's map system at hand can give you an idea of the spatial values of your imaginary world.
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| Baby courtesy of Getty Images. Census sheet courtesy of the poor chump who had to fill out the whole damn sheet for the Bureau of the Census. |
2. Census Name Generator, Baby Name Sites and Name Meanings Sites
These are not technically gadgets -- only the census name generator actually has a claim to that title -- but they are well-deserving of a place on this list.
One of the most torturous and harrowing moments of a writer's career is spent on picking names for the characters. Sometimes it's relatively easy -- if you have a character who's an astute Amazon from New York, you might be inclined to call her Athena Jones. But for over ninety-nine percent of the time, you will be wracking your brain for an appropriate name -- that one name, that has a certain je-ne-sais-quois, a curious attachment to your character and a relation to his or her talents. To make matters more difficult, the name might belong to a specific culture or language, and it might even be a "fantasy" name, as in a name that does not really exist but is loosely based on existing words.
To circumvent the greater part of this frustration, many writers choose to have names chosen for them at random by the census name generator. If that doesn't sound awesome enough, you can also choose the rarity-level of the name you would like to have generated from millions of actual names collected from census forms.
If you're the kind of writer who doesn't just need a random name, but requires a name that has a meaning tailored to the character in question, then baby name sites -- which are actually intended for expectant mothers, but we'll ignore that technicality, after all nobody knows that you visited the site, and I certainly won't tell anyone -- and name meanings sites are the most benevolent creations on the internet.
These are not technically gadgets -- only the census name generator actually has a claim to that title -- but they are well-deserving of a place on this list.
One of the most torturous and harrowing moments of a writer's career is spent on picking names for the characters. Sometimes it's relatively easy -- if you have a character who's an astute Amazon from New York, you might be inclined to call her Athena Jones. But for over ninety-nine percent of the time, you will be wracking your brain for an appropriate name -- that one name, that has a certain je-ne-sais-quois, a curious attachment to your character and a relation to his or her talents. To make matters more difficult, the name might belong to a specific culture or language, and it might even be a "fantasy" name, as in a name that does not really exist but is loosely based on existing words.
To circumvent the greater part of this frustration, many writers choose to have names chosen for them at random by the census name generator. If that doesn't sound awesome enough, you can also choose the rarity-level of the name you would like to have generated from millions of actual names collected from census forms.
If you're the kind of writer who doesn't just need a random name, but requires a name that has a meaning tailored to the character in question, then baby name sites -- which are actually intended for expectant mothers, but we'll ignore that technicality, after all nobody knows that you visited the site, and I certainly won't tell anyone -- and name meanings sites are the most benevolent creations on the internet.
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| From left to right: DollDivine and Azalea's Dolls' LOTR and Hobbit maker, TekTek Gaia avatar creator, and Rinmaru's Ascension Couple creator. Also, the lady on the left is supposed to be Luthien, but I forgot how she looked like. |
3. Doll creators and dress-up games
This may come as a surprise to most writers, especially to the male ones, but these seemingly immature flash games for little girls are actually invaluable character creation instruments. There are male as well as female and even animal creators and dress-up's out there, and by making good use of them you can put together a doll that roughly matches the character that has hitherto been confined only to the recesses of your imagination.
Adversely, if you have the personality of a character ready, but are in need of a physical appearance, you can fiddle around with the options until you've come across a certain haircolor-eyecolor match, an interesting hairdo or a fashion style that fits perfectly with the character you've had in mind.
For those of you who do not wish to waste hours rifling the good, the bad and the ugly of dress-ups and creators, here are a few links to some of the best character creators on the web, which are also the ones that I use the most frequently:
- Tektek avatar (a Gaia Online character creator)
- Hero Machine (specializes in super heroes and super villains and super...people)
- Banned Story (Maplestory character creator, including background options, multiple layers, more than one character, and attack effects)
- Rinmaru games (excellent dress-up games and do-it-yourself mangas. Also, recently they are publishing their very own visual novels!)
- Dolldivine and Azalea's Dolls (Two doll creators who often collaborate to create some of the best dollmakers and certainly the best scenemakers you can find on the net, constantly updated. I just love their LOTR scenemaker)
- eLouai (an oldie but a goodie: still updates with new dress-up's, but the older ones, like the Candy dress-up's, are extensive and plain fantastic)
This may come as a surprise to most writers, especially to the male ones, but these seemingly immature flash games for little girls are actually invaluable character creation instruments. There are male as well as female and even animal creators and dress-up's out there, and by making good use of them you can put together a doll that roughly matches the character that has hitherto been confined only to the recesses of your imagination.
Adversely, if you have the personality of a character ready, but are in need of a physical appearance, you can fiddle around with the options until you've come across a certain haircolor-eyecolor match, an interesting hairdo or a fashion style that fits perfectly with the character you've had in mind.
For those of you who do not wish to waste hours rifling the good, the bad and the ugly of dress-ups and creators, here are a few links to some of the best character creators on the web, which are also the ones that I use the most frequently:
- Tektek avatar (a Gaia Online character creator)
- Hero Machine (specializes in super heroes and super villains and super...people)
- Banned Story (Maplestory character creator, including background options, multiple layers, more than one character, and attack effects)
- Rinmaru games (excellent dress-up games and do-it-yourself mangas. Also, recently they are publishing their very own visual novels!)
- Dolldivine and Azalea's Dolls (Two doll creators who often collaborate to create some of the best dollmakers and certainly the best scenemakers you can find on the net, constantly updated. I just love their LOTR scenemaker)
- eLouai (an oldie but a goodie: still updates with new dress-up's, but the older ones, like the Candy dress-up's, are extensive and plain fantastic)
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| Absolute Write Water Cooler -- this particular subforum is called Story Research: Experts and Interviewees Wanted. No question is too silly or grotesque. ...Well, almost no question. |
4. Writer's Resource Forums
Again, not technically a gadget -- but considering the readiness and knowledge of fellow writers, many resource forums might as well be regarded as gadgets. But these are gadgets that you need to give in order to receive. These forums, such as the Absolute Write Water Cooler, Authonomy or various SubReddits, are the places where you give out advice, receive helpful tips from others and communicate with fellow writers.
This kind of forum is the one place where you can ask which cleaning products are best used to wash blood off the sofa, without looking like a homicidal weirdo. It's also the one place where you can actually answer such a question without inspiring the police to knock at your door the next morning.
On a similar note, TV Tropes is also of considerable interest to a writer as an informal encyclopedia of tropes, cliches, archetypes and more. Perhaps you'll recognize a trope that appears in one of your works. Or perhaps (actually, very likely) you'll get wonderfully lost in a sea of amusing trivia for hours on end.
Again, not technically a gadget -- but considering the readiness and knowledge of fellow writers, many resource forums might as well be regarded as gadgets. But these are gadgets that you need to give in order to receive. These forums, such as the Absolute Write Water Cooler, Authonomy or various SubReddits, are the places where you give out advice, receive helpful tips from others and communicate with fellow writers.
This kind of forum is the one place where you can ask which cleaning products are best used to wash blood off the sofa, without looking like a homicidal weirdo. It's also the one place where you can actually answer such a question without inspiring the police to knock at your door the next morning.
On a similar note, TV Tropes is also of considerable interest to a writer as an informal encyclopedia of tropes, cliches, archetypes and more. Perhaps you'll recognize a trope that appears in one of your works. Or perhaps (actually, very likely) you'll get wonderfully lost in a sea of amusing trivia for hours on end.
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| This is supposed to be an image of white static, but knowing the reliability and precision of Google Images, this could also be a close-up of gravel. |
5. Background noise generator
You'll probably notice that this entry is, in a way, the odd-one-out. It is a gadget that does not directly aid in the writing process. However, it is indirectly a valuable assistance and friend to the writer, as it helps him to focus and tune out all disturbing sounds around him. Such noise generators tend to have various modes and degrees of "noisiness", ranging from ocean waves to radio static, and from white noise to brown noise to pink noise.
You choose a mode that suits your current surroundings, turn it on, lean forward and write. Whether you're at home or in an airport terminal or in a painfully silent library, noise generators will have a soothing and comforting effect that soften the toil and hard work that, as a writer, we must go through in order to achieve satisfying results.
You choose a mode that suits your current surroundings, turn it on, lean forward and write. Whether you're at home or in an airport terminal or in a painfully silent library, noise generators will have a soothing and comforting effect that soften the toil and hard work that, as a writer, we must go through in order to achieve satisfying results.
I, for one, use alternately background noise generators, orchestral music and movie or video game soundtracks to get into the mood of writing and to make writing a more pleasurable, bearable experience. As much as I love to write, there is no denying that writing is strenuous work -- that is, when it is done right and in all seriousness (or in all lightness, if you're working on a comedy). Whenever I open up a work-in-progress on my computer, I just turn on a noise-maker and start typing away. However, this is gadget is not solely for those whose writing is confined to the computer. Even if you prefer the pen and paper variant, you can still turn on your computer, select a noise generator, turn up the volume of the computer's stereos, and write away on your desk.
With that, I give you five online gadgets that you, as a writer, should at the very least try out -- I am positive that you will find them of great use to you in your literary adventures.
- Wager
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