Day 2 - Resources for Freelance Writers

Today's challenge in "31 Days to Build a Better Blog" is the list post, meaning a post with a list in it. I spent a while trying to brainstorm a topic for this list, so following my theme of talking about freelance writing, here is a list of useful resources for new and experienced writers alike.

• Online dictionary and thesaurus - Every writers knows these will be great resources. Words being the main tool of writers, having access to their meanings, synonyms, and antonyms is a very powerful thing.
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) - It is always a good idea to stay brushed up on your grammar and technique. This site is full of great writing exercises for new writers, out of practice writers, or any writers that just plain knows their weaknesses. (Mine is commas.)
• OpenOffice.org - An all in one office suite. Basically, a free alternative to Microsoft Office. Does word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and powerpoint presentations. You can even save your documents in the Microsoft Office formats.
• Article Checker - Checks for duplicate content on the web. It is usually a good idea to run your articles through it just in case. Most people will put their articles through a similar site when they are received and refuse them if they do not pass.
• Grammar Checker - While not 100%, it may catch some grammar mistakes you miss. I know I always make sure to use it before sending an article to a client.
• Text Analyzer - Analyzes your text for keyword density, word count, and more. A very useful tool. 
• Citation Machine - Helps create citations in the proper format.
• Wikipedia - Online encyclopedia created and edited by the public. A great place to start your research since you will find information on almost everything here. Remember though, it is edited by the public so important facts should be double checked.
• Online Encyclopedia - Search on many different online encyclopedias for information.
• Wikimedia Commons - Tons of images that anyone is free to use or contribute to. A great resource for finding images for articles and blog posts.

I hope this was useful. If anyone has a useful tool to add to the toolbox, feel free to comment below!