| If you have worked for a large organization in a | | | | With Quick-Type you can turn into a speed typist. |
| regular office then you know that big businesses | | | | Did you know that an amazing 70% of our |
| use software applications that improve their | | | | computer typing is taken up by repetitive tasks? |
| employees' business productivity. | | | | We need to type email signatures, entries in web |
| Why should a freelance writing business be any | | | | forms, standard replies, and routine letters, over |
| different? | | | | and over again. Quick-Type automates these |
| There is writing software available that helps | | | | typing tasks for you. You simply provide all the |
| freelance writers to be more productive and can | | | | common pieces of text you type, along with a |
| save you many hours of valuable time. That | | | | keyword for each. Then whenever you type that |
| means more hours to take on additional | | | | keyword, it gets replaced with your text. |
| assignments or more time to spend with your | | | | CutePDF |
| family and your friends or otherwise enjoying | | | | Sooner or later you will want to turn one or more |
| your freelance lifestyle. | | | | of your manuscripts into Portable Document |
| Of course most writers already have word | | | | Format. The official Adobe Acrobat software is |
| processing software, so in this article I will | | | | fairly expensive but take a look at CutePDF. It is |
| mention a few of the other types of applications | | | | PDF-making software that comes in a number of |
| that can help freelance writers. | | | | versions, including a free version. The free version |
| Dragon NaturallySpeaking | | | | is excellent and can convert your document into |
| Are you tired of tapping on your keyboard? Now | | | | the PDF format in a few seconds. And the best |
| instead of typing you can speak to your | | | | part, it is free for both personal and for |
| computer and turn talk into text. Several years | | | | commercial use. |
| ago the software for this was still in its infancy | | | | Life Journal |
| and would create a manuscript full of errors. | | | | Life Journal is interactive journaling software |
| Speech recognition software is much more | | | | designed especially for writers. But it is much |
| accurate today. Two of the best applications are | | | | more than journal software. You can store your |
| Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which claims to be | | | | journal entries but also your drafts, anecdotes, |
| three times faster than typing, and MacSpeech | | | | research notes, poems, stories, and articles all in |
| Dictate, a speech recognition solution specifically | | | | one comprehensive program. |
| designed for the Macintosh. | | | | These are just a few of the applications available |
| Sonar | | | | for freelance writers. If you want your freelance |
| Sonar is a free manuscript submission tracking | | | | writing business to grow then you should check |
| program. It will help you to keep up-to-date with | | | | out those software applications that could help |
| where you have submitted each manuscript, | | | | you to do tasks more efficiently and improve |
| whether a piece has been sold or rejected and | | | | your productivity. That way you will work faster, |
| which manuscripts are gathering dust instead of | | | | probably have more fun, and most importantly, |
| earning their keep. | | | | improve your bottom line. |
| Quick-Type | | | | |