Groovy Software for the Writer

I just got back from lunch with my writer friend, Adele Slaughter. She told me about this great tool on Scrivener that counts your word usage - not just the number of words, but the number of times you use a specific word. And it gives you an entire list of words that are repeated and the number of times they are used.

In other words, how many times does the word "love" come up in your poetry manuscript? Why is this important? Well, if you want to be a more specific writer and, even more important, a more interesting writer, this tool is invaluable. Find the word you repeat, replace it with a more specific word or even better, cut it altogether - all in the name of clearer communication.

I actually purchased Scriveners about a month ago. It's inexpensive, $39.95 and it offers a screenwriting format, index card feature and the ability to move things around; like change the order of your poetry manuscript at the touch of a button instead of the tedious cut & paste, or re-order chapters in the same way. I also love its short story template (ready for submission).