Some Important Dead Guy: The Super Self-Editing Tool! · 1:32pm Aug 18th, 2017
Hey, guys!
First, have an adorable Sunset Shimmer, courtesy of mirroredsea:
So I'm sure you've seen a bunch of post-Bronycon blogs, and you're probably sick of them (also I'm so late to this party that mentioning this is nearly irrelevant), so I'll summarize my experience:
It was awesome, and I hung out with a whole slew of great people.
There. Good talk. Now, on to the real reason I'm blogging.
While lurking on Imgur on a slow worknight (I know, I'm a terrible person), I found a link to a word editor called Hemingwayapp. It's an online editor that helps you pick out numerous pitfalls in your writing, such as passive voice, adverbs, complex phrases, and overbearing sentences. An example from an upcoming story of mine:
It's excellent for early editing—stuff to knock out real fast before actually digging deep into your prose or before sending it off to your editor. Sadly, it doesn't have very powerful grammar checking stuff. So like, it won't yell at you for forgetting a period or creating a comma splice (although the fallout of those sorts of errors inevitably create run-on sentences, which the editor will pick out). You'll still have to find those yourself or rely on Word/GoogleDocs or your editor to snag all those little things.
Pros:
-Little 'scoreboard' on the right side shows you how 'well' you're writing in terms of concision and simplicity (and readability, as measured by a K-12 scale)
-Fast and easy to use
-Copy/paste entire fanfics into the editor (comes with full word count stats and even an 'estimated reading time')
-Maintains formatting from copy pastes and all your normal ascii letters like Ă©
-Color coded for quick scans of your words
-It's free!
Cons:
-Free version is online only (the $20 version is a desktop app that can be used offline and comes with a few other conveniences like exporting format-coding for publication on websites and stuff)
-Cannot differentiate dialogue from narrative, so it will still point out 'issues' in what your characters are saying
-Minimal grammar/syntax assistance (only a spellchecker, really)
-No font size adjustment
-Times New Roman only (I'm sorry, my Calibri brethren)
All that said, it's still a remarkably easy tool for that quick first pass. Seriously, give it a go!
P.S. The story for the above excerpt should be out soon(tm). Currently working on a story for Oroboro's Sunset Shipping Contest, so that takes precedence.
As always,
Onward and Upward!
This is neat! I wish it let you toggle on and off what you want to check for -- I'm okay with longer sentences.
Damn, wish we'd had this for the BC panel.
4639167
I know, right?
Yeeeees
4639167
4639201
We coul have. People have been using this tool for years. I remember someone, I think Cassius, bringing it up 3 or 4 years ago. It's a little more subjective than most, as you have to buy into what it's calling "good" and "bad." Some of them I'd agree are bad if you do too much, but then the question becomes how much is too much.
4639314 Then why didn't you bring it up?
4639336
Didn't think of it, since I don't use it. I think it's also a tool that's probably better for more advanced writers who can make more informed decisions about what's good and bad.
4639351 Fair enough
It thinks "fly" is an adverb.
I don't know what to do with that information.
4639486
Maybe I shouldn't have spotlighted this thing then
4639314
How much is too much is a good point to bring up. Why is there never an easy answer to this kind of stuff?
4639486
It ends in -ly. What more do you want!?
4639576
competence >:B
Interesting. Thanks.