3 More Writer Resources, Plus a Question

Hello, Everyone!
Today I'm wrapping up our series on Writer Resources. I also want to remind you that this is the last day to enter our giveaway of the 2017 edition of one of the best writer resources for those who write for children and teens: the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market (Writer's Digest Books). This edition features my co-blogger JoAnn Early Macken's article "Be Your Own Literary Agent." See JoAnn's post to enter.

If you're new to our blog and you missed the other posts in this series, here's a link that will allow you to scroll through all of them, as well as previous posts on the topic.

Here are three final resources for you, plus a question:

Grammarly 

Grammarly provides software that you can use to check spelling and grammar, not only within documents but anywhere you type. It's checking this blog post and flagging errors as I write it. I've been using the free version, which includes weekly reports on how accurate and productive I've been in comparison to other users. So far, I'm doing okay. 😊

Google Blogger Emojis/Special Characters

See the smiley face at the end of the last paragraph? It used to be difficult to include emojis and special characters, like the copyright symbol, in blogs hosted by Google Blogger. I just recently noticed that there's now a searchable drop-down box filled with them built into the posting toolbar. 👌

IFTTT (IF This Then This)

to Automate Repetitive Activities

Wikipedia defines IFTTT as "a free web-based service that people use to create chains of simple conditional statements, called applets. An applet is triggered by changes that occur within other web services such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest." For example, I mentioned in January that I'd finally activated the Twitter account I set up long ago (@carmelamartino). Now I'm also on Instagram (@cmartinoauthor). I used IFTTT for the first time this week, to set up an applet that automatically posts my Instagram photos to Twitter. I'm hoping to find other ways IFTTT can help automate my social media activity. If you have suggestions, do let me know, either here or on one of my social media sites.

Now for the question:

What Writer Resource Do You Recommend?

In particular, I'd like to know if any of you have used TextExpander, or a similar product, to create shortcuts for text you type frequently. Or do you have any other resources that help you as a writer? Please tell us in the comments to this post or on our Facebook page.

Before I sign off, I'd like to share a link to a new website promoting young-adult fiction that features Catholic characters and themes: CatholicTeenBooks.com. I'm honored to have my novel,
 Rosa, Sola, included there.

And don't forget that today is Poetry Friday. See the roundup hosted by Michelle Barnes at Today's Little Ditty.

Remember to Write with JOY!
Carmela