Headline Analyzer
Screenshot by Robin R.
https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer
This tool takes whatever crazy headline you've come up with and tries to help you make it better by analyzing how it will do in searches and SEO. Perfect for when you question yourself and how you've labeled that recent article.
Topic Generator
Screenshot by Robin R.
https://www.hubspot.com/blog-topic-generator
Brain freeze. Writer's block. Just an idea, but no direction. Whatever you call it, this tool can take a few general words and turn them into a great idea when you just can't figure out what you should write about next.
Trello
Screenshot by Robin R.
Are you a more visual person who likes to see an outline or idea before you write it? Do you sometimes collaborate with other writers? Then, Trello is for you. A visual board of sticky notes for any idea or project can guide your thoughts before you sit down to write.
Cliche Finder
Screenshot by Robin R.
Over the moon. Leave no stone unturned. Few and far between. Cliches are so much fun, but sometimes too many can make your work look a bit childish. Avoid a massive amount of cliches by running your writing through the cliche finder. Once it is done you can pick and choose which cliches you want to keep and which might be hurting your writing.
Pro Writing Aid
Screenshot by Robin R.
Pro Writing Aid is an amazing tool that searches text for so many things that might be wrong with it. This system fixes the flow and style of your writing and helps you find the best way to say what you wanna say without sounding awkward. It also checks your sentence structure so you'll never have to worry about a run on again.
Grammarly
Screenshot by Robin R.
While Pro Writing Aid does check your grammar, it only checks it in the part of the text you input manually into their system. Grammarly, on the other hand, checks all your writing everywhere. You can have it in Word on your computer, in your browser as an extension, on your phone as an app, and more. Grammarly does exactly what you think it does, checks your writing for grammar issues and tells you why they are wrong. It also suggests the best way to correct those errors.
What are your favorite writing tools to use in 2019?
To Those With A Negative View Of Odyssey, Here's Why It's Worth My Time
I'm not a clickbait farm, I'm a young, aspiring writer.
Something that I will never understand is why people have to be so negative when they're online. As a writer on Odyssey, it's hard to see some of the comments that people leave on articles or on Odyssey's Facebook page. From people tearing down writers who are vulnerable enough to openly share their opinions to people downright attacking Odyssey's brand, I'm here to say that I am a writer for the Odyssey and I am proud of it.
When I first joined Odyssey, I had no idea what was in store for me. I didn't know much about the company besides the fact that I see their articles circulate on my Facebook feed. But I can say that my experience writing on Odyssey has only been positive. I have grown as a writer and have learned how to communicate, work and collaborate in a professional manner. It has taught me discipline and has encouraged me to support and value others' viewpoints.
One of the most rewarding things about Odyssey is my position. I serve as the current editor-in-chief for my community (James Madison University) and get to help each and every one of my creators establish identities and learn all the things that I did as a content creator. I learned the importance of packaging articles and get to work one-on-one with professionals who help me whenever I need or want to.
I've found writing on Odyssey a very rewarding experience, so it puzzles me why people have to be so cruel and quick to bash my fellow Odyssey creators. One criticism I see a lot online is that Odyssey doesn't pay its users, but this isn't entirely true. We don't receive a payment for every article we post online, but if an article goes viral, the author is eligible for that article's ad revenue. After all, rewards should be earned, shouldn't they? Like most student writers, I don't write for money. I write because it is something that I love to do and I want to share my passion with the rest of the world.
(But for the record, I have gotten paid for some of my work, which helps motivate me to keep making my work better.)
Sharing your values and opinions openly isn't always the easiest thing to do. It's people like you who make us scared to do what we love. But you know what? It's also people like you who inspire us to keep doing it. Our goal is to spark conversation. There will never be a day where everyone on this planet agrees with one another and that is OK.
We are here to share our thoughts despite that.
We write so that others out there to know that they're not alone.
We write so that even if people don't agree with us, they can still see our work and form an opinion.
We write so that we can decompress.
We write so that we can prepare for a professional career and learn the skills that it takes to grow as a writer.
We are all human and we all have our own opinions. As a writer, I have learned to take things I don't agree with and write a professional response to it. Now, I don't know if that's just me, but it sounds much more intellectual than leaving a comment on Facebook stereotyping those of us who choose to write and shaming a company for sharing our work.
Odyssey is a great way to sharpen your writing skills and grow. My community has deadlines, meetings, rules, and expectations. We don't just scribble words into a text box and click post. I edit articles and the members of my community have to make revisions. It's not easy but it is so rewarding. It's an opportunity for our writing to be seen and for many of us, it's the start of making a name for ourselves. To be an Odyssey creator, you have to be open-minded and accepting of criticism. You have to be disciplined and committed to putting yourself out there, which is why it's so amazing to me that people try to put us down for what we do.
But hey, at the end of it all, one of our biggest goals is to gain as many people talking as possible. Whether you love our articles or hate them, your snarky comments make it clear that you've at least viewed our article, so thank you for adding to the conversation.
If you're still feeling so negative toward Odyssey and the people who create the content you see, I hope you're able to grow and find something that you are passionate about, just as I am about writing. I challenge you to expand your mind and become a more accepting individual and understand that people will never agree — instead of bashing people who choose to be vulnerable, congratulate them for putting themselves out there. Odyssey has taught me to support my community and everyone who writes chooses to write, whether I agree with their words or not. I hope you can learn to do the same.