I usually do my writing with two tabs open, one to Dictionary.com and the other to Thesaurus.com (even though they're both technically the same site, it saves a step bouncing back and forth). Anyways, ever since I typed "writing" into google ONCE, I'm being bombarded with Grammarly ads. I've never used it, as I've always felt my grip on grammar was fairly competent, but I am curious. Does anyone use Grammarly? Or any other software for that matter? Are there any other good resources to have open on my browser while I write?
My favorite softwary thing for checking my writing is my wife. She's both soft and wary. She graduated second in her class from HS way back when; her grammar knowledge is top-notch. And all it costs me is some red pens and my pride -- and half my day-job income. A bargain, all things considered. In all seriousness, I doubt any software can compare to a skilled and trusted friend.
I concur. Unfortunately, my wife is neither of those things! I still love her though. Her best friend, however, not only writes professionally for regular publications but also reads far more than anyone else I know. Even though she owes me nothing, she's agreed to read over my manuscript and give me her thoughts. I would, however, prefer to give her something that's not a dumpster fire. The last thing I need is her rubbing her eyes and wondering just what she signed up for!
I know what you mean. But all I have experience with is Word's grammar checking, which actually got worse when I was forced to upgrade from Office 2013 to Office 2016.
I have a bookmark folder full of crap. Some specific to the story I'm working on, and then a lot of just like inspirational stuff. Not like, "you can do it!" Here I'll give a few examples: https://www.audenjohnson.com/p/writing-fight-scenes-resources.html https://www.dailywritingtips.com/100-words-for-facial-expressions/ https://www.bryndonovan.com/2015/04/05/master-list-of-facial-expressions/ Like inspirational in that if I am stuck and not sure how to describe something I have a bunch of links with prompts. ETA: There are actually a lot of articles I have bookmarked from here too that are super helpful. Check out the resources tab.
I use this one. (My laptop sits on top of my old large print Thesaurus) For pretty much everything else I have to research cause Sci-Fi.
I find Word to be adequate for catching grammar errors. If Word is telling you that there is a problem with a sentence, there probably is. Reading critiques on WF shows me that a lot of people who think they have a handle on grammar do not, and are just frustrated that no version of a badly constructed sentence will make the green underline go away. I generally just google synonyms. You don't have to click to read the results, and the results are links themselves.
Right now I have Prowriting Aid software, but I've been through Grammerly, Autocrit, and Whitesmoke they all had good and bad points.
I usually consult The Chicago Manual of Style whenever I get stuck on a grammar issue. Other than that, a dictionary and thesaurus are great to have on hand as well. I also just remembered Grammar Girl. That site is a great resource for quickly looking up answers to common grammar questions.
