Now that we know how to get our heroes into all sorts of trouble and torture them in ways both subtle and extreme, we face the next challenge.  How exactly are we going to craft these awesome stories and package them in ways that leave readers begging us to take their money?

I’m not talking about the process of writing the scenes.  I’m talking about what platform do we work on and what tools do we employ to write, edit, polish, and publish our stories?  Imagine the story like a house want to build and list on the market.  Do we use hand saws and wooden pegs, or power tools?  Not every new tool on the market’s worth the time and effort to master, but some of them are.  How do we decide?

Gone are the days when a writer banged away at a typewriter one sheet at a time.  The advent of word processing software like Microsoft Word revolutionized the process.  It was like replacing that hand saw with a skill saw.  The process of publishing that manuscript has changed even more dramatically.

The revolution continues, and it’s never been a better time to be a writer.  We have choices, options, and tools available now that no one has ever had before.  We can craft our own writing and publishing toolbelt from an astonishing array of software and tools.

In May we’re going to explore some of those tools  and software for writers and share experiences and advice that might offer better ways to do things.  Some examples may include:

• I wrote my first couple of novels as single, huge Word documents.  Now I use Scrivener.  How or why is that a better tool?  Is there something even better available now?
• What about editing?  Are there tools more effective than the built-in spell check?
• How about when we blog.  Where can we best find cheap or free images to include without infringing on copyright?
• Are there better ways to reach our readers than we have in the past?
• When indie publishing, what’s the best tool for prepping our manuscripts to meet the myriad requirements of different vendors, and is it easy for authors with little technical skill to do this on their own?

These and many other options will be explored this month.  None of us can keep up with all of the new tools available across this rapidly changing industry, but together we can explore many of them.  By the end of the month, we hope everyone walks away with at least a couple of new tools in their toolbelt.