Aside from My Book Therapy (learntowriteanovel.com), which is hands-down the best writer’s resource available, there are a few invaluable websites and applications that I use on a regular basis. Here are my top five:

1. Evernote.com can be used as a web-based or a desktop application. It simplifies my historical research immensely. I can clip websites, articles, images, or notes with minimal effort which are automatically labeled and sent to a designated folder. Since I am able to sync everything between my laptop and my phone I can take notes anywhere and they immediately show up in my folders sorted by project. I wish I had discovered Evernote years ago, I would have saved a lot of time from scrounging through notebooks of research.
2. SimplyNoise.com / SimplyRain.com Because I am a musician, I cannot listen to music which I write. I know, it sounds strange, but if I listen to music my ears are drawn to lyrics, harmonies, and chord changes, which distracts me. However, I need something to mask household distractions so Simply Noise and its sister-site Simply Rain have become my best friends. Simply Noise plays white, pink, or brown noise with, or without, oscillation. Simply Rain plays soothing rain sounds with variations of intensity and even the option of thunder. Both of those drown out background noise without pulling me out of my story world.
3. Etymonline.com The Online Etymology Dictionary is a great resource for those of us that write historical fiction. I can look up any word, and many figures of speech, to find out how and when they were first used, which helps me to avoid anachronisms.
4. OneLook.com/reverse-dictionary.sthml is a Reverse Dictionary that is a thesaurus of sorts, but instead of choosing only words that have the exact meaning, it includes words or phrases that are related to your original concept in some way.
5. SelfControlApp.com For those of us writers who are, ahem, a little tempted by the big, bad internet, there are a few apps that limit or completely block usage. I use Self Control on my Mac, which limits my access to only the websites that I designate as “whitelisted” during my session. And voilà! No more temptation.

Try a couple, or all, of these in your next writing session. Perhaps they will become your favorites too! What are your top web-based resources?

~*~

 Connilyn Cossette has a passion for writing stories of timeless grace that draw readers into a personal encounter with the rich ancient world of the Bible, and its Author. Her debut novel, Counted with the Stars, will be released with Bethany House Publishers in Spring of 2016. Connect with her at www.connilyncossette.com.