20 essential apps and tools for writers

This list of 20 essential apps and online tools for writers will get you started on curating your own set of preferred tools of the trade.

1. Clippings.me. This site allows you to create an online writer's portfolio where you can display your work proudly.

2. Skype. This is a familiar tool, but necessary for interviews and client conversations.

3. Pear Note. This app records a conversation and syncs it with your notes. You can then pick a spot in your notes and play back the corresponding portion of the conversation.

4. Google Docs. While there are many options for online word processors, this is a favorite for collaboration.

5. Evernote. This application is also known for collaboration and is great for storing notes and research too.

6. Scrivener. Writers across the web swear by this software and claim that 'all-in-one writing tool' doesn't do it justice.

7. Ulysses. This program is highly regarded for its ability to transfer plain text into beautiful content.

8. Write or Die. Trouble with productivity? This tool delivers consequences no writers want to face.

9. Ommwriter. This is a minimal writing app for distraction-free writing to get those words on the virtual page.

10. Cold Turkey. This program lets you lock yourself out of certain sites for a period of time to remove the temptation of procrastination.

11. F.lux. This nifty app, available on pretty much any platform, adjusts the brightness of your screen automatically to reduce the inevitable eyestrain of modern computer-based writing.

12. The Economist Style Guide. Whether you have a house style or not, this resource provides a good standard for writers.

13. Mellel. This online word processor is meant to handle long documents and large projects.

14. Hemingway. This app doesn't just check readability, but rates your sentences so you know how to fix them.

15. Lorem ipsum generators. For those moments when you simply need words - any words -to fill some space. Our list adds a few laughs.

16. Scapple. This brainstorming tool allows you to easily map and track ideas.

17. Pomodoro.me. Try the Pomodoro Technique to boost your writing productivity.

18. Dragon Dictation. This application transfers your recorded voice into text. Record notes on the go.

19. Quora. Ask a thousand of your closest friends for help. There’s bound to be an expert on the subject in there somewhere.

20. Ted Talks. For inspiration and information, look to experts and innovators in every subject under the sun.

Whether a journalist, a novelist, a blogger or a freelance writer, every writer needs the right tools to get the job done. Find a combination of online tools and resources that suit you and get to work!