I'm not going to lie, I almost titled this post "Apps for Writers" because it sounded more catchy. My inability to incorrectly label this post, though, made me go with the word "technology" even if it isn't as attention-grabbing. Of course, anyone can write at almost any time. Only having a pencil and paper aren't excuses to stop working; in fact, sometimes going back to the basics can help. If there's anything that can make writing easier, though, why not use it if you have the opportunity?
The first thing I'd like to recommend authors get is Evernote. It's an app and a website, so you can access it from wherever. You can have all different notebooks within it for everything from grocery lists to plot twists. The best part, though, is that everything you write is stored in Evernote, which means you can access it from any device with Internet or the app. Plus, it's free. Score!
The second thing I'd like to recommend are baby naming websites or apps. If someone saw my search history, it would be a mess thanks to writing research. I've googled all sorts of things that would make me look like I was planning a crime, and I've visited more baby naming sites than some people who are actually expecting. The sites can come in handy, though, when you're searching for just the right character name. A lot of the time, I'll have a letter in mind, but nothing else. On the Internet, though, I can just search for names starting with that letter and get all results I could ever need! You can also research whether a potential name is popular (or when it was popular), its meaning, and its origins.
The third thing I'm going to recommend was suggested to me by my dad (hi Dad!). It's called Scrivener, and it's incredibly useful. It has templets for all sorts of fiction and nonfiction documents, and can store everything for whatever you're working on in one place, but in a way that it's organized. That means you can go between all your notes, background information, chapters, excerpts and anything else for your project with ease! You can leave notes for yourself to find later, and there are even helpful templates where you can answer questions about your characters or write information on places in your story. While this is a really cool tool, I wouldn't recommend it to a beginning writer, because it does cost money. I wrote two novels in Pages, and they turned out fine. I love using a new program this time, though!
My final suggestion is Pinterest. It's known for overflowing with recipes and crafts, but it's also a great tool for a writer (as long as you don't get sidetracked by it!). You can find more story prompts than you'll ever need, advice on writing all sorts of scenes, and knowledge on different situations your character encounters that you haven't to give your story more accuracy. There are tons of tips from authors or bloggers on how to begin writing, editing and revising, and how to figure out what to do once your novel is actually complete.
Pinterest is also great for when you're lacking inspiration. You can look at architecture, and even look at buildings from a certain part of the world, as a reference. You could find pictures of people that look like your characters or find outfits you could see your protagonist wearing. There are also just beautiful photographs waiting for you to stumble upon; the kind that make you want to get up and write an entire novel at once, run a marathon, or travel the world. That kind of motivation alone can get you through the first 15,000 words. As for the writing slump that inevitably follows, that's a bit harder to tackle. Who knows; maybe I'll have to post about how to tackle that issue someday.