Frugal Editing Tools

While there's no substitute for a human editor, there are some wonderful tools which can not only help you save money and time with your editor by presenting them a cleaner manuscript from the start, but which can also help you identify patterns of error and weakness in your writing. Once you know those patterns, you can improve your writing as a whole.

The three tools above (the pictures are linked to their product pages) are the ones I use on a daily basis when writing, revising, and editing. Let's dive a bit deeper into what these are and how I use them.

Scrivener--Drafting

• What it is: Scrivener is a text editor with lots of bells and whistles, including a bulletin board where you can organize and store virtual notecards and a research folder where you can store links and webpages, images, and more. I think of Scrivener as my digital Trapper Keeper. 
• Drag and Drop: If you've ever completed a novel length (or even novella length) work in Word, you probably have noticed that if you need to make a structural change things can get hairy. With Scrivener, your chapters and scenes are easily rearranged with simple drag and drop. 
• Learning to use: Learning the basics is easy thanks to so many wonderful folks who have created video tutorials on YouTube. Be sure to check out free intro classes/webinars, too. You don't have to buy what they're selling but the freebie sessions often show new tricks you can use later.
• How I use it: Scrivener houses all of my projects--from the brainstorming stage through the line editing/proofreading stage. I love the "binder" feature that keeps scenes organized and that I can take notes and write character and setting profiles in the binder to refer back to. Also, Scrivener can export in a variety of formats (.docx, .mobi, .epub, pdf and so on) which means I can still use Word or other platforms for formatting and final versions.
• Free forever? While Scrivener does have a free trial, it's not free forever. Reedsy has a book editor application that looks similar in terms of versatility. This looks almost like Google Docs and Scrivener had a baby. While I haven't used this app yet, I might consider it for NanoWriMo, especially if I wind up with a writing partner/critique partner this year.  See also Reedsy's blog comparing different platforms. 
  

AutoCrit--Revising

• What it is: AutoCrit is an editing tool that will help you identify patterns in your writing. With the free forever account you'll be able to run text through the software and identify pacing issues, repetition, filler words, and instances where you are telling rather than showing. The software runs specific reports and provides you with data regarding your writing. For instance, it will literally show you how many times you use "that" or how many times you use the adverb "swiftly." 
• What it isn't: Some people worry that you plug your writing in and AutoCrit strips your voice out. Or that it will somehow *force* you to make changes. 
• How I use it: AutoCrit works wonders on rough drafts--specifically by showing where my voice lags, where I fall into passive voice, where my verb tenses shift too much, where I'm not putting in enough dialogue. I often see people debating between AutoCrit and Grammarly--to me these tools are used for completely different things. While AutoCrit is labeled an editing application, it actually is more of a revision tool. 
• What NOT to do: Don't freak out if you're not scoring 100% in any area. Note that the website has plenty of "What's the Score?" demos on their blog that show some robotic perfection is not what the tool is for, really. Note that most best sellers fall in the mid to high 70s percentage range. At one point I was in a Facebook group for AutoCrit and I noticed a whole bunch of "score shaming" and boasting about scores with screenshots. The percentages don't really mean anything if the story is not good.
• Should I buy it? I used the free version for a good long time before investing in a lifetime membership at a discount. Before you buy, see how much you use the features in the free version. I found myself wanting more functions, so  when they did their yearly Christmas sale for a three month stint, I tried it out. I loved the premium version so much I invested in a lifetime membership through one of the organizations I'm in and now have full access for roughly half of the current price for an annual subscription. I'm not sure they still have sales or do offers like the ones I was able to take advantage of, but a sane option would be to sign up for a month of paid "PRO" service for the last round of reports before heading into your line editing phase. Then, when you have another finished project later, you can sign up again. Chances are they will start sending you discount codes to try and keep you around more than a month at a time.

Grammarly--Editing

• What it is: Grammarly is what it sounds like--an app that checks for Grammar errors. The free version is far more basic than the premium, but the basic version will help you with errors in punctuation, word choice, and syntax. Think of the free version as being a bit like Word's grammar and spell check on steroids. 
• What it isn't: As with AutoCrit, Grammarly isn't some robot that takes over your writing and steals your voice. You still have the power to reject Grammarly's advice.
• How I use it: I don't run any Grammarly checks until after I've put the manuscript through AutoCrit chapter-by-chapter to get the content and pacing where I want it. I then run chapter-by-chapter through Grammarly Premium, paying special attention to consistency and patterns of error.
• What NOT to do: Don't just accept all suggestions! Take time when using this tool to ensure you know why you make the choices you do.  Dialogue, for instance, often contains slang or nonconventional punctuation. If you just accept all changes to your text you may lose some voice. 
• Is the premium worth it? It is for me. Look for discounts. If you can't find a yearly discount that fits your budget, consider using the free version until you're at the final self-editing/proofing stage and then pay for a single month. Most of us can afford a single month and can get what we need out of it for those final stages of editing.
  

The key thing to remember with all of these tools is that you are in control and these are not quick fixes. Ultimately, using tools like AutoCrit and Grammarly will help you identify patterns of error or weakness in your writing and allow you to build customized revision plans and writing goals. While these tools won't replace humans for editing, they can help you polish your manuscript so it's as solid as it can be prior to paying someone by the hour to identify patterns of error in your work.