Links, Links, Links!

I'm a giver.  I like to share.  So, here are some fantastic little helpers I have found over time.

Dr. Wicked's Write or Die.  Dr. Wicked is great for those first drafts where you just need to spit it out on the page.  He forces me to turn off the inner editor and just keep the words flowing.  I like to choose the Gentle and Forgiving setting, because it reminds me to be gentle and forgiving of my writing.

750 Words.  750 words sends you an e-mail reminder to do your writing and gives you a place online to write and track your progress.  I use it when I want to give my inner editor a little more freedom and I want to take my time crafting my words.

Edit Minion.  This is also from Dr. Wicked and is nice for a first pass through a piece.  It highlights my lazy writing -- adverbs, dialogue tags. and overused "placesetter" words.

The Bookshelf Muses's Emotion Thesaurus. Show, don't tell.  Show, don't tell.  How many times have you heard that advice?  This emotion thesaurus helps you do that.  Is you character angry?  Then I imagine his nostrils will flare and he'll clench his fists and a vein will bulge from his neck.  Maybe she's frustrated.  Then she might grit her teeth or throw her hands up.  Lots of emotions, lots of options for each.

Descriptive Faces.  Another site to help you show, don't tell.  Charity Bradford shares descriptions of eyes, lips, noses, hair, body types, and expressions.

You know I love writing flash fiction, and you're thinking you'd like to give it a try.  Write Anything has a weekly flash fiction prompt.  If the prompt du jour doesn't thrill you, you can also try WritingFix's prompt generator and keep clicking until something clicks.  Adam Maxwell's Writing Lounge also provides a nice prompt generator.

52 Projects.  Finally, we all need to find ways to recharge our creative energy.  52 Projects lists ... well, 52 projects that you can do to give yourself a boost.  If you're a fan of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way (and I am! I am!), then these are perfect for a weekly artist date.

For more helpful links, visit my Toolbox right up there just under the title of my blog.  Or just click on the handy link I just provided you.

Do you have any wonderful tools that you use?  Let me know, I'd love to add them to my Toolbox!