Romance Writer’s Toolkit Update: New Character Sketch Sheet, Character Name List, and more

I’m in the process of revamping and adding new materials to the Romance Writer’s Toolkit section of my website.

The following worksheets were recently added:

  • Scene List – Keep track of your novel’s scenes, including each scene’s POV, purpose, setting, and more in this downloadable worksheet.
  • Character Sketch Sheet – Includes loads of questions to create a customizable character sketch.
  • Character Name List – Featuring 900 ideas for character first names. Also track which names you’ve already used in this handy spreadsheet.

I hope many of you fellow writers out there find these tools helpful. I’ll be adding more names to the character name list and adding additional worksheets to the site soon, so be sure to check back.

Writing Quotes, When Words Fail, and Dreaming on the Page

The For Writers section of my website has recently been updated. I’ve added the following resources:

  • A Quotes on Writing section. This will eventually be expanded to include lots more quotes with categories so writers can find the perfect inspiration, support, or validation for what they’re experiencing.
  • Some of my previous guest blog posts about writing that are no longer available online. This includes articles titled: When Words FailDreaming on the Page, and What Makes a Hero Stand Out.

I hope some of these resources help other writers out there. My plan is to add more of my own original articles, author resource recommendations, and tools for writers soon, so be sure to check back in with my writing resources page in the coming weeks.

Planes, Trains, Automobiles & More Setting Inspiration Photos

Images are a great way for authors to get inspired when writing setting descriptions. Here are my latest “transportation” finds for my Setting Inspiration series.

car-1030876_640

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

airport-1515448_640

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

rowboats-2570_640

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

airport-1659008_640

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

sailboat-1620315_640

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

passenger-car-96750_640

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

cabin-70165_640

Photo License: CC0 Public Domain

China-497-1

Sleeper on steam excursion

If you can’t see the embedded images above, you can check them out at the original blog post.

When you feel sad…

quote_WhenYouFeelSad

15 Apps for Writers

The following apps are ones I’ve either used or have heard about from other writers. Each app offers help with productivity, promotion, creativity, or the actual act of writing a story. They are listed in no particular order.

I’m linking each of these apps to the Apple store, but many are also available at the Google Play and/or Amazon App Stores.

IntervalTimer

1) Interval Timer: Focus on your productivity and beat procrastination. By Nasa Trained Monkeys

Evernote

2) Evernote: Capture notes and sync across all devices. Stay organized. By Evernote

OneNote

3) Microsoft OneNote: Lists, photos, and notes, organized in a notebook. By Microsoft Corporation

Word

4) Microsoft Word: A word processor. By Microsoft Corporation

Pages

5) Pages: A word processor. By Apple

TheBrain

6) TheBrain: Dynamic Mind Mapping, Note Taking and Information Management. By TheBrain

SimpleMind

7) SimpleMind+ Intuitive Mind Mapping: Helps you organize your thoughts, remember things and generate new ideas. By xpt Software & Consulting B.V.

ListsForWriters

8) Lists for Writers: Ideas for creative writing. By Thinkamingo

ThRex

9) Thesaurus Rex: a thesaurus with modern content and synonyms for new words. By Dictionary.com

MW

10) Merriam-Webster Dictionary By Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Wunderlist

11) Wunderlist: To-Do List & Tasks By 6 Wunderkinder

Hootsuite

12) Hootsuite: Schedule Posts for Twitter, Instagram & More. By Hootsuite Media Inc.

Pocket

13) Pocket: Save Articles and Videos to View Later. By Read It Later, Inc

WhiteNoise

14) White Noise: Ambient sounds of the environment to help you stay relaxed and focused while you write. By TMSOFT

YogaStudio

15) Yoga Studio: Play, create, customize and schedule easy-to-follow HD video yoga classes. By Gaiam, Inc.