Here’s a neat editing tool which I recently discovered while paying a visit to Jo Robinson’s blog. Jo is an eclectic blogger and also one who takes helping fellow Indie writers to heart. Her post linked to Nina Soden’s blog where I discovered the Pro Writing Aid.
I was (and still am) in the midst of preparing to enter 3,000 words of my crime novel into a competition. I entered last year (same manuscript) and although I didn’t even get long listed, I was in the top 25 out of over 500 entries. Things like this are encouraging and so here I am, one year later, re-working my manuscript. During the year I had the 3,000 words edited by two different editors.
I don’t like editing my work because most of the time I know there’s something wrong but either I don’t know what exactly it is and/or how to fix it, or even if something needs editing.
Then I read this on Nina Soden’s post:
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PRO WRITING AID – This is an online writing editor and personal writing coach. It checks grammar and spelling; helps to improve overall readability; finds overused words; improves dull paragraph structure; locates repeat words and phrases; checks for consistency of spelling; hyphenation and capitalization; warns you about clichés and redundancies; and so much more. I learned about this tool through a friend that does line editing as a freelancer. She told me that it was an inexpensive way to help improve writing as you go and that it was extremely user friendly – SHE WAS RIGHT! I highly suggest trying it out. What is the worst that could happen?
I gave the Aid a try with my 3,000 words. For the freebie, you can only feed the software 1,000 words at a time but, believe me, you wouldn’t want to work with more.
The Pro Writing tool instantly analysed my writing and provided me with an analysis summary similar to the one below.
The analysis of my text showed that I had a total of 53 issues! 53 issues that paid editors missed!
Okay some (few) errors reported had to do with names. Still, that only brought my total down by a hair.
Besides a free version, there’s also a premium version (of course). The free version reports all the issues that the premium version does. Also, both show you exactly where the issues with your text are and at times provides suggestions.The difference, as far as I saw,was that the premium version allows you to edit as you go along. Nice time saver!
Even after using the free version I found my text to be tighter and cleaner. It also made editing more enjoyable.
For more information on this tool just click here.
Have you tried this aid?
Carol Balawyder 
I’ve used it in the past, but for the last few months it only allows me to insert texts of no more than 200 words. So I had to use other online tools. Granted, it was VERY good.
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A very helpful post Carol, thanks
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I haven’t heard of this tool. Thanks so much for posting about it. I’ve bookmarked it and will definitely give it a try in the future. It looks like an excellent resource.
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I’m going to check it out. It never hurts.
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What a great idea, Carol! Thanks for sharing.
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I tried the free version a couple of years ago. A most helpful tool. At first I cried because of the overwhelming ‘corrections’, but it taught me more than any writing workshop has. Fabulous post. Wonderful tool. I haven’t used it since and have never tried the purchased version.
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Yes, I’ve tried this editing aid, and it is just that – an aid. It’s very useful for cleaning up a lot of mistakes in your writing, but if you’re thinking of publishing, it doesn’t come close to replacing what a copy-editor would do for you. But for a first cleanup of the writing, it’s an excellent aid.
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I couldn’t agree with you more, Anneli. I think this aid is really useful before sending your writing out to a content and copy editor but it doesn’t replace them. .
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this is terrific Carol, thanks for sharing. and all the best with the competition!!! 😉
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This sounds like a great tool and I appreciate that you shared it with us. Editing isn’t always easy! Happy Friday, Carol 🙂
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Happy Friday to you as well.
It’s a pretty neat tool, although as Anneli pointed out it doesn’t do what a copy editor does.
I’m not sure that it would work on poetry though! 🙂
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Oh that’s okay. I write fiction too 🙂
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Thanks for sharing, Carol. Sounds very helpful and I definitely could use the extra eyes to catch those little errors that can be easily missed when one is too close to the work.
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That’s exactly what the Pro Writing Aid does. It’s really not meant for content editing. Let me know what you think if you decide to try it. 🙂
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I never knew that something like this existed.
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I recently looked at a similar one called autocrit. It was too late for Shallow Waters but I will run my drafts through before sending to editors. It good for things like overused words that you just become blind to.
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Exactly. It is a tool to use before sending to an editor. Happy Weekend. 🙂
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Sounds very cool! I should check it out. Thanks so much for always sharing great stuff, Carol! 🙂
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Most welcome! 🙂
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Interesting software. I gave it a try. A lot of suggestions, however, didn’t really take into account “creative” style/phrasing so important in fiction. Apparently this is a Premium option, which is a good deal at $35/year, but is not compatible with Word for Mac (which I use). So, interesting, but not a great fit for me, personally.
Good luck with the Debut Dagger (I’m assuming that’s what you are entering). I recently read Rosemary McCracken’s Safe Harbor. Her first attempt didn’t make it, but her second attempt, she was short listed. And now she’s published! My blog with her interview will be posted on Sat, Jan. 24th.
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Hi Judy-
The software does have limitations, especially when it applies to creativity. I’m looking forward to your blog post on Rosemary McCracken.
I’m not certain I’m eligible to enter the CWA debut dagger because I already have some books published (although not crime and not traditionally published). I’m waiting for their response.
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Thanks for sharing this, Carol. I’ll have to try it out. Like others have said, it sounds like a great tool to use before sending to an editor. You’ll save $$ on the editor not having to do so much editing 😉
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Getting your manuscript ready (and saving $$$) is really The Pro-Writing Aid’s purpose. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. 🙂
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Interesting. I had a little go with this, putting in the first 900 words of my non-fiction book. The problem is that it is a computer, so even if something is in quotes, it doesn’t treat is as dialogue and corrects the style and grammar. Capitalisation confuses it, so it doesn’t like War Office or Prisoner of War… perhaps it wasn’t fair to give it non-fiction. It did find one bad error and showed me a couple of elements I will attend to, but I’d worry about taking too much advice from a programme that can count brilliantly, but cannot think.
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Wow… What a great tool… Thanks for sharing…
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Wow, thanks a lot Carol. What a great idea. This would be like pre editing before sending to editor, I suspect? Can’t wait to check it out! 🙂
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That’s exactly hat it’s for. By the comments some people liked it; others not so much. I think it’s worth a try. 🙂
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I checked it out. Like you said, yes, only so many words at a time we can download, still better than nothing. Also, you can download to your Word program and as soon as you use it once, it says we have 14 days to use free without purchasing a license. 🙂
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Just make sure you put on your calendar when the 14 days is up, if you don’t want it.
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Good point! 🙂
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very helpful tool and creative – I always enjoyed using it and was great of use!!
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I haven’t used it… yet, but I’ve bookmarked it. Thanks for the heads-up. 😀
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I use pro-writing aid… it’s a brilliant tool. 🙂
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This is something I’ll need to check out when the manuscript is drafted. I’m trying not to edit too much as I write this draft!
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It is worth giving it a try, especially as a touch-up tool. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Wish you lots of luck in your draft.
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I have not, this is the first I hear of it, but it sounds like a cool tool, so thanks for passing it along.
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Great post, Carol!… Very interesting and useful, mainly for writers but also for bloggers, such as me! All the best to you Aquileana 😀
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Great tool. Thank you, Carol. I’ve used a similar software, but can’t remember the name. Will certainly give this one a try. Any help is appreciated, and I absolutely agree with you: we are too close to our own work to be editors.
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Thank you for sharing this Carol. This seems cool to try 🙂
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English is not my native tongue, so editing is a must. I find it really tiring to do, reading back and forth just to check if I used proper formatting, punctuations, passive/active voice etc. I don’t even understand how to identify some of the grammar issues LOL. But I have to keep trying to make at least small improvements.
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I hope the pro-writing aid helps you. If you try it, do so just in short sections at a time. Otherwise you might find it too overwhelming! Good luck! 🙂 Let me know what you think if you try it.
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