Do you ever feel you need a writing coach to encourage you and show you how to make your way in the crazy arena of writing? Well, you’re in luck! This month on You Gotta Love This Writing with Ann KroeKer, this busy author, speaker, and writing coach shares with us several of her favorite resources for writers.

Ann KroeKer uses those writing resources on a daily basis—and here at Reviews by The Banks, some of those productivity tools are a staple in our writing lives. So we are glad to see them being featured. Thanks, Ann!

Without further ado, here is the best of writing with Ann KroeKer in her own words… 

You Gotta Love This Writing with Ann Kroeker

As a writer and a writing coach, I use a variety of apps to support my creative and business needs:

Teachable

I joined Teachable with plans to serve more writers than I could with 1:1 coaching alone. With courses, I could offer another way for writers to get the information they need to take their work to the next level. 

Teachable makes uploading content like video, audio, worksheets, and workbooks super easy for me, and it makes watching, downloading, and completing lessons easy for students.

I’ve used it to deliver materials for group coaching, as well, so members view content or complete assignments that we discuss in our group space on Facebook. Another way I use Teachable is to store onboarding information for 1:1 clients. 

As soon as the system receives payment, the new client enters a “course” where I share with them a new client form to learn more about them, the method for scheduling our coaching calls, steps to share content, and how to use Zoom, our video conferencing system. I want new clients to feel confident with their next steps; delivering that information through Teachable makes it seamless.

 Zoom

I use Zoom for coaching calls so we can interact using our cameras and actually see each other, although if the client is traveling or has other technological challenges, he or she can easily phone in. 

Zoom allows me to record the calls, which I make available to clients for personal use. Sometimes we’ll produce content for projects on the fly as we brainstorm and when the client often articulates her ideas clearly, she can transcribe what she said and turn that into a draft. Many clients have told me those recordings have been one of the most valuable tools in the coaching experience.

Blubrry (podcast host)

When I learned how long Blubrry has been in the podcasting game and how their PowerPress plugin created a seamless workflow for uploading to my website, I decided to go with Blubrry over other hosting options. 

They’ve provided me with great support, answering my newbie questions, and set me up for a positive experience with my launch back in 2014. I’m a happy affiliate, if you want to work with them to host your podcast.

Google Docs

As an author, coauthor, and coach, I use Google docs for all collaborative writing, coaching, and editing because it allows us to make (and track) changes within the document itself and leave lengthy comments in the sidebar—and it’s available across devices so I can be on my phone or iPad and quickly access something if I’m not at my computer.

For example, my clients and I can hop into a working draft and discuss details in real time, making changes that go live instantly. No more passing Word documents back and forth via email attachments, confused about which version has the most recent changes. And…Docs continually saves changes. No more lost documents!

Hostgator

Years ago someone recommended Hostgator to me when I switched to a self-hosted website. Bluehost was the top dog at the time, but because of the recommendation I went with Hostgator. The price was right and with the package I chose, I could add on other websites at no additional cost. 

This has worked great as I have needed to create additional websites for various purposes. It would be a good fit for someone writing in genres under pseudonyms. Each “author” could have his or her own website featuring those books. Hostgator’s live chat operators have walked me through several pressing concerns and resolved my problems every time.

Stencil and Canva

We writers are no longer simply writing—we’re building an online presence and platform, which means we’re dealing with images to include with our words. Hiring a designer would be easy and result in high-quality images, but most writers don’t have the means to do that. 

That’s where a program like Canva and Stencil come in. They simplify the design process so even someone untrained in the best combination of colors and fonts can produce a quality image to accompany blog posts and landing pages.

Canva works well for certain projects, but I find myself using Stencil more often these days because of its WordPress plugin. I purchased Stencil’s pro plan when it was promoted on AppSumo for a rock-bottom price. 

When I realized the plugin integrated easily with my blog, I saw how I could save time in my workflow: when I finish writing and prepping an article for my website, I access Stencil to create images sized for Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. In just a couple of clicks, the images are automatically uploaded and embedded in the post—and I never leave my WordPress dashboard.

Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach podcast

I’ve been producing podcast episodes since 2014 to help writers reach their writing goals (and have fun!) by being more curious, creative, and productive. I provide practical tips and motivation for writers at all stages, keeping episodes short and focused so listeners only need a few minutes to collect ideas, inspiration, resources, and recommendations to apply to their work. (In the past year I incorporated a few interviews, and those are longer.) With over 200 episodes, new subscribers can binge-listen or pick and choose topics relevant to their stage or struggle—hours and hours of coaching, for free!

Did you miss any of the previous editions? Check out the YGLTW page for more business tools and writing resources.

 As an author, speaker, and writing coach, Ann Kroeker helps writers reach their writing goals by providing resources and inspiration to be more curious, creative, and productive.

She co-authored On Being a Writer: 12 Simple Habits for a Writing Life That Lasts and has coached multiple authors whose books have hit bestseller lists. In her podcast “Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach,” at her blog, and on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter @annkroeker, she curates and shares resources for startup, emerging, and established writers.