#just a little profile alternative google doc!!

[pinkshaus]

୨♡୧ . 𝗸𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 !

( 🐝 )  ⸻ #𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 !

KPROFILES have updated HONEY'S profile on their website! CLICK THE LINK to check it out && vote for the FIC'S SWEETEST STAR!

[multiplicity-positivity]

i wish someone would just invent an app like simply plural but where you can easily share it. everyone says use google docs or something else like it where you can't create individual profiles that don't clutter the page. we have a lot of alters and we're getting increasingly frustrated that we can't find anything to list them in a way that isn't overwhelming. our alters also like to visually represent themselves but don't really have anywhere to have like a gallery or anything. we do video visits with our therapist so we can't physically show her our phone. it's so frustrating.

Ah yeah, we feel you there. Our system uses Simply Plural but it can be kind of clunky or difficult to use for our specific purposes sometimes (not knocking the app at all… We love the app and use it all the time, we just agree that there are certain features that it just doesn’t have).

Maybe making some sort of physical journal or binder could help you guys. If you have access to a printer, you could print out little picrews or other images to include, and you could also draw and write in it, too. That way, you could have something to bring to therapy that you could show your therapist without needing your phone for it.

Also maybe consider making a Carrd? Though I think the unpaid version of Carrd has restrictions for the number of pages and images you can include, so that could probably cause some issues.

We know the website Lighthouse doesn’t have an app, and we haven’t personally used it so we can’t speak to its features, but maybe it has some capabilities that might work for you? Could be worth checking out…

If anyone knows of any Simply Plural alternatives that work well for outside sharing, please let us know!

[boltedfruit]

How I Outline/Plot: Including Author Resources for Developing Characters and Self Publishing

First and foremost, everything I’ve included in this doc that references resources (such as the plot outline below), is also available for free on the authors’ respective websites. I just wanted to recreate the template Scrivener file I use when starting a new project as I’ve collected everything in one master file.

MASTER TEMPLATE GOOGLE DOC: https://tinyurl.com/boltemp

I recently posted the chapter count for my upcoming Mafia MM romance I'm writing for NaNoWriMo this year and was asked how I plot by @duckyreads

Below, I've included screenshots of the first couple beats of my process and how much detail I usually include when outlining. The template I'm working from is an edited one of Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes, who offers her beat sheet for free on her site and in a Scrivener Template.

Using Romancing the Beat, I first went through and made a separate page for each story beat for my protagonist, Zac. I can't do just normal three act structure as it's too vague for me. I need Too Much to work with, then I can whittle it down later. I then did the same for the love interest and Mafia boss, Joe. (name might be changed idk yet.)

The colored dots represent which act of the story I'm in. Light pink= Act 1: Set Up, Dark Pink= Act 2: Falling, Blue= Act 3: Retreating, and Purple= Act 4: Shake it Off.

I also want to note that even though the epilogue is written in for both characters' POV, I'm only writing it once, from Zac's POV. So not every single beat necessarily translates directly into its own chapter. A few from Joe's POV are definitely combined more than once.

So Chapter 1, Scene 1: Zac's sister Riley has made him a dating profile and set him up on a date with who will soon be revealed as a crime lord.

I'm repetitive, because I've gone back in at different points and added little notes here and there. But my basic points I want to convey right off the bat: Zac is a hot mess who drinks to excess at times, has a sister who loves him but he is always putting her in a hard position, and has issues with money and violence from his childhood.

I also like to include some dialogue or rough snippets for scenes because it helps make the scene feel more concrete to me. I don't always do this though.

This is Chapter 1, Scene 2. Very short and to the point. (This was something I originally started writing as a fic btw.)

This is Chapter 2, Scene 1 and is the first from Joe's perspective.

It's plotty compared to the first chapter. I haven't done any nitty gritty location research yet so I put stuff I don't know yet in asterisks or brackets or in something like "XXX", because XXX is easy to find and change with ctrl+f > replace.

This is from Chapter 3, Scene 1. Just vibes.

This is from Chapter 4, Scene 2, from Joe's POV after the date.

This is what I ended up with. I'm sure as I work through it, the chapter count will go down. I don't really want my romance book to be so long, but I saw recently that 50 Shades is apparently over 500 pgs, which is wild to me. I'm also doing alternating POV, so it'll be switching between my protag and the love interest.

My outlining/plotting steps:

Decide on genre and type of story structure I want to use.

Decide on my protagonist and lay out a new page/note for every story beat of whatever structure I'm using.

Go in order or jump around and write a little per beat based on how I want a scene to go. For me, feeling is more important than knowing exactly what's going to happen. I'm not naturally a plotter, so I still like to not be constrained when I'm actually writing. (ie I'm not adhering to some rigid word count per chapter.) And if I changed something or added a thing while writing, I go back to the outline after and add it in so it all lines up and I don't forget something I did.

If a beat doesn't fit its own chapter, I make it a scene. It's also okay for multiple beats to happen in one chapter too.

Do the same for any other POVs involved in the story. Try to make each character have their own arc as well, no matter how small.

Really my main advice is go with your gut first because you can always add on or retract later. Write what you want (with some awareness of genre tropes/audience wants if you're trying to write to market to some extent). All book publishing is fickle and mean a lot of the time. And honestly unless you're one of the few who gets picked up by traditional publishers and offered an amazing deal, you'll be expected to pay for all the things you'd be paying for with self publishing, except with fewer rights to your own work. I'd rather pay and manage my own website, ads, and ARC readers and retain total rights to my own creations than give my rights to a publisher who might hold my book up for years, and still expect me to fund my own advertising, book tours etc.

And besides, if you self publish, there is no rule you can't have another book (and then even your backlog) traditionally published later on. You can have both.

[pastafossa]

Hey I just wanted to ask a writer question. I really admire your writing and the amount of work and dedication you put into your stories and characters. You are one of my favourite authors ever. I have been wanting to get into writing and I was wondering how you flesh out your characters? For example you have a character that you’ve thought out, do you have a template that you fill in? Or just write a whole bunch of points about the character in a Google doc? I know that question might not make the most sense but I have a few characters that I’ve given quirks and backstories in my mind but I have no idea how to transfer them onto paper? Like Jane from TRT, is there just a big template or doc where you randomly put points into or some other type of organization? I know it’s not an easy thing to answer on text or even something you might not want to answer but even one sentence of advice is much appreciated :) Thank you so much for everything! I appreciate you. I will also put this into the ask thingy if you want to answer on there instead of PM 😁

I've managed to hammer this out in bits and pieces over the moments I've been more coherent so I think I'll make sense. First, thank you so, so, so much! I honestly love these characters so I'm always happy to hear someone likes it, even if I enjoy the work! 😭

Second - I do in fact have a template in doc form that I use to keep things organized! It's one I've been using since I took a novel writing course years ago by a published author, and in one particular class we went over character development, which is where I learned the template. The way I was taught (and the way I develop major characters) - first, even before filling in the template, I figure out their archetype(s). What story role are they filling? Who will they be a foil for? I like to think of those as your foundation, because every character is an archetype of some kind, and you can use that to build them up. To use Jane as an example, she's an antihero archetype, yes, but I've also pulled elements from: the Unscrupulous Hero, the Sympathetic Murderer, the Combat Pragmatist, and the Ineffectual Loner. Compared to Matt's hero archetype, she's the Lancer. Archetypes can help you if you're struggling to build up from the bottom.

Once I have the archetype, I start filling in the Major Character/Hero template, which roughly looks like this (if you don't fill it all right away, that's fine, because there's a step after this to fill it in the rest of the way). I like this one because I feel like it covers VERY important things that a lot of online character profiles skip, and has much less of a focus on looks (which I find way less important from a writing perspective):

Name: Age: Family History: Career: Physical Description: (include things like scars, notable or unusual features) Preferred Style of Clothing: (instead of listing brands, try to instead describe their style of clothing as it relates to their character - ex: Jane wears upper-end pantsuits in muted colors when meeting clients, because they carry a strong emphasis on professionalism; when hunting things down, she wears what is practical over anything to do with aesthetic) Goal: (every character should have one; what are they trying to do?) Motivation: (WHY do they want that goal?) Big Secret: (if it were Jane, it'd be what happened in Los Angeles; so what are they hiding? Keeping to themselves?) Self-image: (How do they see themselves? Are they confident and secure? Insecure and depressed?) Internal Conflict: (what are they struggling with?) Game: (What's some little game they enjoy?) Pet: (if applicable) Temptation: (what's aaaalways going to lure them in?) Vehicle: (if applicable; alternatively, how do they prefer to get around?) What makes them unique: (our fake post-apocalyptic character we made as a class had his teeth sharpened into points to scare people; Jane is often fidgeting with threads; just anything that stands out) How do they speak: (do they speak very precisely? Use lots of slang? Do they have an accent?) Quote: (What quote sums them up, or what quote do they relate to most? I have an entire folder of these for Jane tbh, and some for Ciro as well) Lesson Learned: (All characters should grow in some way, rather than stagnating. So how do they grow? What do they learn through the story?)

Now, this is something I was encouraged to do after the template, and also something I was already doing on my own. Once you have the template as finished as you feel comfortable with, you might feel like you need to develop the character a little further to fill in the rest, or solidify what you already have. The way you can do that? Write something short with this character. It doesn't have to be anything you need to post; it can be based on a short scene, based on a prompt, things like that. I like dumping them into: humorous scenarios, angsty scenarios, and Action Oriented (TM) scenes. Those really help you get into the meat of the character (aka: how they react to teasing/flirting/jokes; how they react to strong emotion; how they react in situations that might cause panic). Basically, it's your way of introducing yourself to them and becoming more comfortable writing them, because often a character might act a certain way in a cold, rigid template, but behave entirely differently once you drop them into a scene. Alternatively, you might get to writing and realize you need to make an adjustment so that they have better chemistry with the other characters. Writing a new character's a dance, and you're both going to step on each other's toes in the beginning, but once you learn how they move, it gets easier. And it helps them develop and grow as you learn about them!

[moonxmagix]

My School Bully

Pairing: Revenge Frank Iero x Fem Reader

CW: bullying, enemies to lovers, fucking

Summary: After months of anguish and bullying from Frank Iero, your bully, you’ve decided you’ve had enough. One run in with him and your whole world changes, for better or worse?

A/N: Wrote 8 pages on google docs lol.

I started at a new school in New Jersey, previously being from the south, I was nervous. I did have a more alternative style but had that country twang. I was hoping my style would make up for the voice but I don’t think it’ll work. I can’t stay silent for long. 

I timidly walked through the halls of my new school as people were friendly with one another. Seemed like everyone was already familiar with each other, which means it’s gonna be harder for me to make friends. Thankfully we had uniforms so if someone wanted to bully me they couldn’t bully me for how “emo” I dressed. 

I got to my locker and as I opened it a random boy popped out of it, I screamed. This guy had blonde and black hair, a nose piercing, a baggy uniform, and was rather short. He looked at me right in the eye with a smirk on his mischievous face. “Who’s this creature?” he said while his friends laughed, flicking his finger on my forehead. 

I let out an “Ow” and rubbed my head. I tried to ignore him but they persisted in bothering me, “Did you even wash your hair? Could fry a fucking egg with that shit,” they laughed. I hid my face from them with my locker door, but all he did was slam the door shut hitting me in the head. “Can you just stop?” I asked softly. 

“What was that little mouse?” he said, leaning down, cupping his ear to pretend he didn’t hear me. “Nothing..” I said quietly. After that he and his little posse walked away. I peered at them before I went to class and caught the strange boy staring at me. 

As soon as I got home I went online to see if I could find out who that guy was. I went to the school's Instagram page and scrolled through their followers list to see if I could find his name first. No luck, so I clicked on a random person's account and looked through their following and followers list, AHA! Found it. I clicked on his profile and scrolled through it, lots of music related stuff, skating, smoking, drinking, typical edgy teen kid stuff. I clicked on a photo to examine it more but accidentally double tapped on it. I panicked and immediately un-liked it, I just messed up big time and I knew I was going to pay for it. 

I threw my phone across the room and screamed into my pillow annoyed with myself. I’ll just go to bed and pray I don’t run into him tomorrow. 

The morning came quickly and I got myself ready, dreading the day ahead. I said bye to my dog before leaving and waited at the bus stop. There was only me standing there, using my hand to block the sun. Out of the corner of my eye I see a group of loud boys approaching. My eyes widened as I realized who they were, I put my hand to the other side of my face to hopefully shield their eyes from recognizing me. 

It worked and I was able to eavesdrop on their not very quiet conversations. 

“Someone has a crush!” one teased. 

“It’s not a crush! I just think she’s pretty. I can be mean to her and also think she’s pretty,” the one who sounded like Frank said. 

“You’ve done this before Frank, you’re mean to them and then you fuck em’,” they laughed. 

I got on the bus in a flash and found an empty seat next to a window. I stared out the window, shrinking myself down so I wouldn’t be seen. But, at the same time it felt like a giant arrow was pointing at me saying, “LOOK AT ME! I’M RIGHT HERE!” 

They all got onto the bus and walked past me, I sighed realizing I was safe. The bus ride went completely fine until I got off, I pushed past everyone so I could get away from them. Before I reached the entrance the back of my collar was being grabbed, I squealed. “Piggy got something to say?” Frank said in my ear. I shook my head no repeatedly. 

“Are you sure? Liking my instagram photos last night says otherwise, you stalker,” he said, throwing me to the ground. His friends walked past laughing at me as I tried to get myself off the ground. I went to my locker but made sure he wasn’t there and put my stuff away. I stood there for a moment and let a few tears fall from my eyes. I sniffled trying to pull myself together shortly before walking to my class. As I walked down the halls I saw Frank pass me and turn back to look at me. 

I made eye contact for a few seconds but felt more like minutes. He had a random girl wrapped around his arm who looked like she had been around. For a moment, for a hopeful moment it looked like he had an ounce of remorse on his face. I doubt it though. 

I was able to go through the day without any more problems. 

~^~^~^~^

Today the weather was nice and wasn’t terribly hot so I decided to walk to school. I saw no sign of  Frank and his posse. I made it to school in a great mood and headed to my locker, then again no sign of them. I thought it was strange and just thought that they skipped school or maybe he’s sick. 

It was weird that I was just expecting to get bullied and ready for it. I’m just glad they have not terribly hurt me, at least yet. Gym class arrived rather quickly and before it started the gym doors slammed open, here they fucking are. I  groaned and rolled my eyes as the teacher told us to gather around on the floor. 

All he told us to go get changed and what we’d be doing today. I hurried to the bathroom and got changed in a stall and not around everyone else because it was just…uncomfortable. At this school even though we had uniforms we were still able to wear “normal clothes” as  gym attire. 

I had a The Cure shirt and some black jean shorts, definitely not in dress code but the teacher is a creep so he lets it slide. I threw my hair up in a ponytail but quickly took it down realizing it could get pulled. Class officially started and we were playing dodgeball, great. The team leader was a popular girl named Emmy and…Frank. 

One by one they picked people and I was the last to be picked. The popular girl said my name hesitantly but I’m surprised she even knew it. We got started and Frank had his eyes on me the entire time, instantly he threw balls at me. And he threw them hard. I threw the balls right back at him not taking my eyes off him, the teacher caught on and said, “Hey you two lovebirds! Stop targeting each other, that’s not how you play.” 

I started targeting other people, getting them out easily. Frank on the other hand had no plans on trying to target others. For a second I saw him gather the others and whisper something to them. In a matter of seconds I was being attacked with balls. I fell to the floor guarding my face with my hands. 

~^~^~^~^

Lunch thankfully was right after gym and I was starving. I got in line and as I had my headphones in I felt my skirt lift. I swung my body around and saw Frank’s friend towering over me. He had black hair that was a lot longer than Franks. “The fuck do you want?” I said in my lil country accent. He laughed and smirked, “I’m just admiring you, that's all sugar,” I scoffed in disgust. 

��Come on, don’t ignore me like that,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. I tried removing his arm but he had a strong grip. “I don’t even know your name. Not to mention you and your little friends decided to team up against me during gym,” I said matter of factly. He dug his head in my neck, “It’s Gerard. And it’s nothing personal baby, don’t be such a prude,” he whined. I rolled my eyes, “Whatever,” I said, getting away soon as possible. 

I found a spot outside where I knew I wouldn’t be bothered. I let out a few tears but was rudely interrupted by THE ones. I was stiff and didn’t want to move like a possum playing dead in the road. If I didn’t move they didn’t see me, “We have to find her. I need to be around her,” Frank said. Was he talking about that one girl I saw? Did he have a girlfriend? Does his girlfriend not like me? I don’t even know this girl!

I heard my surroundings get quiet as I had my head on the table, my eyes on the ground below me. I saw feet sit at the table and my eyes widened, really? Fucking really? I thought to myself. “What’s wrong baby?” Gerard said to me pitifully, but he didn’t care. I know. 

He rubbed his hand on my back, I pushed his hand off me and lifted my head avoiding eye contact. “What the fuck do you want?” I said annoyed. “I just wanted to ask you something, that's all,” Gerard said. “Well?” I said with an attitude. 

“Do you wanna maybe go out with me? Y’know, be exclusive with the one and only,” he smirked. God he was a douche. I didn’t even respond and just looked at him with disgust, “I’m just kidding jeez! I don’t know a single person who would want to touch you with a 10ft pole.” His friends laughed in unison. 

“You just fucking did but you don’t wanna tell them that do you?” I said scoffing. “You gonna tell them?” I said, while his friends asked him what he did. He didn’t want to respond so I left. 

~^~^~^~^

It was the beginning of December now and the bullying never stopped. I was shoved in lockers, held against the wall, food and drinks thrown on me, pushed to the ground, bullying in the gym, them stalking my social media, etc. 

One day as I walked home I noticed Frank walking in front of me, I gasped and covered my mouth immediately taking a different turn. When I looked up from the ground Frank stood in front of me, “What the fuck do you want?” I said to him inches from his face. 

Frank smirked, “Wanted to see to my favorite punching bag.” My blood boiled and I saw red. I’m tired of being this “punching bag”. 

“Y’know what, Frank? I’m SICK of this,” I yelled. “The FIRST day at this pretentious shit school you tormented me. What did I ever do to you? Of course you just have to pick on the new girl,” I splurt out in a fit of rage. He stepped back and softened his gaze, he looked back at me with guilt and regret. “I don’t fucking know,” he said shaking his head. “I guess I just…I don’t know. I like you and thought you were pretty, I didn’t understand how to convey my emotions to you. You just seemed…different from everyone else,” he said tearfully. 

He got down on his knees in the snow, holding my hands. “I’m sorry Y/N. Please let me make it up to you,” he said begging. I sighed, biting my lip unsure what to do or say. “I need a little bit to think about this, I really do. I’m sorry I can’t give you an answer now,” I proclaimed, getting away as soon as possible. 

~^~^~^~^

Weeks went by as Christmas break was approaching. I still hadn’t said anything to Frank but anytime we had interacted he was beyond friendly. I saw him and the guys sitting at a table in the far corner, so I decided to go up to him. “Hey Frank,” I smiled nervously. 

“Hey,” he said, tone cautious. “I just wanted to thank you for apologizing to me. I appreciate it,” I said. He shrugged, “It’s nothing, I was such a jerk.” 

I stood there for a moment hesitant to talk, “I really admire your ability to change and admit you were wrong. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here.” I smiled, giving him a hug. Before he could say anything I left, my cheeks were bright red and hot. 

Later that day I texted Frank on Instagram:

Me: hey sorry for leaving so abruptly earlier 

He replied within minutes. 

Frank: it’s no worries, i’m sorry for not saying much

Me: Do you wanna hang out this weekend? Just us? 

Frank: Can I come over now? I’m already on my way

Me: what? I mean go ahead but my room is a lil messy

Before I knew it Frank was knocking at my door, I shoved the stuff that was on my floor into my closet and vigorously brushed my hair out. I ran to the door as fast as I could and opened it smiling, he embraced me in a tight hug. 

I led him up to my room, “Sooo, this is my room,” I showed him around. I stood in front of my bed and Frank pushed me onto the bed, hovering over me. “Wha-” I began to speak but was cut off by Frank pressing his lips to mine. It took me a couple seconds to adjust under his kiss but I wrapped my arms around his neck. 

“I’ve waited so long to do this, Y/N,” he said, lifting my shirt up. “Just shut up and fuck me,” I said to him which made him blush and push his hips into me harder. I could feel his hard cock through his jeans. 

Our clothes came off in a matter of seconds and Frank was shoving his fingers inside of me. The way he worked his fingers in and out of me made my hips buck and head go back. I moaned his name and just prayed hoping no one was home. “God you’re so hot Y/N,” he said, shoving his mouth into my soaking wet cunt. 

“Frank, fuck me, please,” I begged. “You dirty girl,” he said with a chuckle. He grabbed me forcing me into a doggy position, he grabbed my hair pulling hard. He slammed himself into me making me scream in pleasure, it was like all the anger he had was being taken out on my pussy. He flipped me over into missionary and slowly shoved his entire cock inside me, going slow. 

He stopped and started fucking me rougher, “Frank you feel so fucking good,” I moaned. “Is that right baby? Does daddy feel good?” he groaned in my ear. He stared at me right in the eyes, am I kinda glad he bullied me? I mean, if he didn’t I wouldn’t be getting the best dick around. 

I came several times on his cock and he finally came all over my boobs. We both got cleaned up and I got curled up in bed. “Are you staying the night?” I asked, hoping he’d say yes. “Of course I am, how could I leave you after that?” he smiled. He turned the lights off and got in bed with me. I was the little spoon and he was the big spoon. 

He nuzzled his neck right into my neck leaving small kisses, “Can I ask you something?” he said. “Always,” I replied, turning to him. He stroked my face with his thumb, “Will you be my girlfriend?” My eyes lit up and a wide smile grew on my face, “I’d love to.”

[wonryllis]

wahhh perfect timing thank you so much for letting us come to you for help 🥲

is it possible to write and do everything on mobile tumblr even if it's inconvenient? i'm a new writer and i really want to do all what other writers on here are able to do (like the formatting and all those aesthetics i suppose!) but i'm worried i'd specifically need to have a laptop to publish my works as proper as theirs, but since i don't have one i'll have to make do 😞 you seem to be knowledgeable about it so i want to know if it's possible to do everything on the mobile tumblr (just with a little more hassle, but possible nonetheless!) or should i try website tumblr on mobile? i'm afraid it would refresh any time though and i lose progress 😵‍💫

how do people do the wordcounts? i can never seem to get the hang of it, do they write their work somewhere where words can be counted or does tumblr already have that feature that i don't know of? bc if so, i don't know any apps for that (all i really have is my phone TT) and if it's okay, can you perhaps let me in on what you use for it or alternatives on the phone, please? (i'm really a newbie with tumblr and all🥲but i want to be able to navigate it expertly soon :))

i have also noticed that some writers do not have a cut to their work, like you know the 'keep reading' button? yes, i had this fic in my likes that had 30k wordcount and no cut at all and i had one heck of a time scrolling through my likes to find some things whenenever i come across that fic 😭😭😭 i thought that tumblr automatically cuts your work if it gets quite long, but it seems to be done manually if i'm not wrong? 😀

you seem to be the perfect person to ask these questions to so i hope you don't feel bothered by how much i've just blurted out :')

oh yes let's go bubbles it's time for me to shine＾ㅁ＾you have found the PERFECT person for these questions!!

you're welcome love, you can come to me anytime you have any queries i'd love to help!! it's totally okay and don't worry with time you will be able to expertly have your way around the app it's not that hard! and like i said you can always ask for help, if not me then someone else. and no you did not bother me at all <33

( 001. ) i dare say close to all of that formatting, aesthetics, writing and literally everything a blog needs is 100% possible just using the mobile tumblr!

i personally have never used the laptop for my tumblr besides just looking through my notifs when my phone is on charge. i legit do everything single thing from my phone, even the writing.

though i would say some things require you going back and forth with the web tumblr but it's okay cause it's not like an everyday thing.

things you can do on the mobile app: writing, post layouts(the three picture thing, different fonts, dividers, read more line thing), add the links(in posts), asks(answer and send including pictures and links and anonymous), change your description(including colors and fonts), change your background and accent colors, change your profile picture, queue, schedule and reblog posts, making side blogs and literally anything besides those mentioned below.

things you can not do on mobile tumblr and hence have to use the web tumblr: using colors(including gradient) for your fonts besides the default colors allowed on the app(you have to do it through html post editor available on the web tumblr post editor options), adding links in your description, blocking someone from your side blog, checking your activity status as in how many followers or notes you gained in a day or week or month, mass post editing(which is like editing the tags of multiple posts at once this one you need the laptop!) and that's all i can think of for now but it's the main things.

the chances of losing progress on tumblr is possible whether you use mobile app tumblr, mobile web tumblr or laptop tumblr. best thing is to use your google docs to write and then copy paste it to tumblr at the time of posting.

( 002. ) bingo! you are correct. tumblr does not have the feature to show the word count so writers do use different apps for it. google docs has the word count feature and i use it for my longer fics, wattpad also has the word count feature so for my headcanons and reactions i usually use wattpad.

( 003. ) this one is a bit complicated in a sense, let me explain it in small steps. so when you publish something you always have the option of putting the keep reading cut anywhere you want.

tumblr has this thing where under a specific tag, let's say enhypen imagines tag, in order to not clog up the dash of that specific tag it automatically adds the keep reading if your keep reading cut shows more than what tumblr allows. however all the other places like if anyone has liked it or rebloged it, the post will appear as originally or as presently the post is formatted.

so if in your likes that post is showing the entire fic it means the writer has not added the keep reading cut anywhere. but when you search up the enhypen imagines tag and find the same fic it will show a keep reading cut as per tumblr's rules.

this is the button for the read more option!

[vixen-academia]

My study & organization apps as college student

First of all, is important to say that I’m 4th year Geography student and I use my cellphone (iPhone SE 2022) and a tablet (Samsung tab S7). Some apps are available just for one system, some are available for both. Biased that, some apps make sense for a GEOGRAPHY student, but may not be that helpful for other courses.

Notion

This one is a classic by now, right? I think I don’t have a lot to say about it, seems a little like a bullet journal but virtually, were you can creat a lot of pages and centrals. I use as a bullet journal + agenda + diary + note taking app!

Todomate

So, I discovered this app on Twitter and i’m IN LOVE with this! It’s like a social network, but where you can do to-do lists! As I said, it’s a social network, so you can add your friends and see their own to-do lists! You can also interact with them, liking their daily feelings and their tasks. It’s really fun and easy to use! You can also create private lists, routines etc. Love it! (That’s my count in the print, btw. You can add me there if you want to: HexGurlAcademia! My todo lists are all in portuguese? Yes, but…)

Windy

The must have to geoscience students! It’s an app that shows you a lot of geodata! Really good to check when there’s a storm coming or any climate event.

Noteshelf

Usually people use OneNote to do class notes, BUT it’s not available to android 🫠 but I founded this one! You can create groups, notebooks, transfer pdfs… I love to use this to read papers and texts for classes.

Samsung Notes

Another alternative to android users who wants to have a virtual notebook. You can also use the app in your PC!

Discord

So, did you know that there are a LOT of study communities on Discord? There are language learning communities, college servers (my university, for example, have one!), study buddies servers… I use to have study buddies and use pomodoro bots! There’s also a server I LOVE that has lo-fi rooms.

Classify

This one is a routine app! You can put not just your semester classes, but all your extracurricular activities! You can count study hours, add when your exams will be, homeworks… I really liked this one!

Habitica

Another routine app, but this one makes your tasks become a game! As more tasks you finish, you earn coins which you can exchange for things to up your character. You also earn xp to level up your character! I highly recommend it specially to teen/kid ADHD students! Trust me, it helps a lot transforming your life into a little game 😉

Yeolpumta (or YPT)

This one is a study chronometer! You can create your on profile, add friends, create and participate of study communities etc. I like this app, but may be discomfortable to people with anxiety, cuz you can see how many hours the others have been studying. If you study a lot of hours, your avatar changes and you go up in the groups and general rank. I stop using this so much cuz I was really anxious about it :/

Agenda Escolar

This one is a Brazilian app! Works very similar to Classify, but it’s a little simpler and 100% in brazilian portuguese.

Google stuff (Drive, Classroom etc)

Well, guess Skynet… I mean, Google, really dominate everything now… My college use Gmail to creat the institutional email for teachers and students, so EVERYTHING Google offers we use. Gmail, Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Meets, Classroom… Not that happy about it, but yeah, I have no scape anyway lol

[ao3feed-hitoshi-shinsou]

Deep Down and Above the Surface

deep down and above the surface by sleepyillusions

stuck in an unfortunate home situation, hitoshi is forced to turn to... alternative methods to financially support himself.

after so many years of making a name for himself in the underground, it seems the leader of the newly re-emerging shie hassaiki has taken an interest in him and his obtained civilian profile.

sensing an opportunity to glean information, hitoshi accepts his offer. but after going back and forth with the group, hitoshi thinks that maybe he's a little in over his head, after all.

he had plans to break it off entirely, to get the information to a hero and do his best to not have overhaul out him as a literal child---that was, until he met eri.

or: hitoshi is playing double agent between the shie hassaiki and his underground contacts, izuku is just tired of his best friend hitting radio silence every other day as he tries to keep up with his online analysis, and eri might get a chance at a normal life yet. -- UPDATES EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY AT ~8PM CDT || the actual fic is not in lapslock

Words: 3994, Chapters: 1/12, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen

Characters: Shinsou Hitoshi, Chisaki Kai | Overhaul, Eri, Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Sasaki Mirai | Sir Nighteye, Tsukauchi Naomasa, Kayama Nemuri | Midnight, Fukukado Emi | Ms. Joke

Relationships: Chisaki Kai | Overhaul & Shinsou Hitoshi, Eri & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic

Additional Tags: BAMF Shinsou Hitoshi, Informant Shinsou Hitoshi, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Parental Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead and Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic Adopt Eri and Shinsou Hitoshi, background hacker izuku midoriya, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi are Best Friends, Analyst Midoriya Izuku, i gave eri a family name, nemuri/emi adopt izuku, internal worldbuilding, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Quirk Discrimination, Canon-Typical Violence, implied/referenced child neglect/abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Quirkless Forums, very minor joke/midnight, friendship w google doc spellcheck canceled grammarly is my bff now, shinsou will solve all the problems, but not without pages of emotional torment beforehand

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42356751

[snowflake-of-destruction]

This isn’t something I normally participate in, but, since I didn’t write much in June and shared hardly anything(something I plan to change in July if I can), I thought I should give some proof of (creative) life if anyone wants it.

Under the cut, a series of tiny excerpts, most more than six sentences, of different Kingdom Hearts pieces to be rescued from the limbo of “half finished chunk of something in a google doc.” Some of them belong to WIPs and some are from various other things started and then interrupted or....we’ll say set to a back burner.

All excerpts headed by a bolded header in the style of 

Title of Piece This Belongs To (Brief description of what kind of fic that is in between parenthesis)

Advantage Rule (Isalea Modern AU. First Chapter Up On AO3. More Info There.)

"You lost or are you the new caulk?" The speaker didn't fit the typical profile of a tech professional, especially one that worked behind the scenes with the coders. Mid-fifties judging by the lines on his face with thinning blond hair so light you could hardly tell where some parts had gone silver combed to stick up as a compensation for where it threatened to recede and leather skin that said he'd worked outside in some decade past, paired with a southern accent that seemed stronger than it was with the effect added by the toothpick precariously balanced in the corner of his mouth. He'd rejected business attire in favor of cargo pants and a dark blue flight jacket that looked like they'd been bought in the last century, and the look in his eye was so fierce without prompting that Axel had to wonder if he was a failsafe for the air conditioning breaking down.

"Am I the what?"

"Caulk." The toothpick switched sides of the man's mouth with a roll of his bottom lip. "Fixing the leaks? The cybersecurity specialist? Axel Lea?" His impatience mounted by the moment. Working on the fourth floor would certainly be interesting.

"Yes, sir. That would be me." Axel tried to smooth the way with deference and the easy smile that rarely steered him wrong. "Does that make you...?"

"Cid Highwind. I'll be showing you the ropes. Now that you've seen fit to grace us with your presence." Cid continued to stare him down and Axel wasn't sure if he was supposed to apologize or bare his teeth and smack his chest like a gorilla to challenge the alpha.

Without False Hope ( First Chapter Up On AO3. More Info There. Akuroku KH/FFX crossover)

Axel was waiting for them, or  it seemed that way at least and Roxas didn’t think himself vain for thinking so, when Roxas spotted the lanky redhead not jogging himself but leaning against a pole until he saw the Crusaders approaching and then falling in next to Roxas just behind Xion as she bellowed, "Young Crusaders gather 'round,"  the beginning of a call and response chant that the rest of them would answer with a promise to knock enemies back and stand their ground or an alternate about beating Sin beneath the ground if they were feeling

Axel finished the line a beat before the Crusaders would have, substituting his own words. "...Eager for Sin to put you in the ground." Roxas's heart, which had soared for a moment when Axel had come up beside him and dared to hope that Axel's first words would be a version of sorry or an invitation out somewhere without other people, took a sharp plummet to his toes then returned to his chest angry at being mocked.

Assorted grumbles and shouts showed many others felt the same way, but Xion seemed to take it in stride, sing-songing her own improvised lines that continued the cadence of the original chant without missing a beat, "Young civilian come to heckle and stare. What would you do if a fiend attacked and we weren't there?"

Axel near stumbled but recovered and let out a short bark that might have been a laugh he wasn't sure he was allowed without inviting training Crusaders to make him pay for it, afterward rumbling in an impressed tone, "You, I like,."

"You should. " Xion shot back and her casual tone alone was enough that everyone else in the formation knew Axel was an acceptable stranger even if he was rude, and that they should ignore the intrusion. "I'm not sure I like you back. Roxas has been mooning and it makes him impossible."

Guardian Force (Akuroku. Axel and Roxas in the next life, living as NPCs in the world of/during the story of FFVIII. Part of my eventual plan to show Axel and Roxas living out every Final Fantasy game. Unpublished/First chapter never completed because I decided on Without False Hope/a FFX crossover instead)

"You often talk to yourself?" an insolent lazy drawl came from somewhere to Axel's left and he turned, eyes narrowing to see a boy in a rumpled Balamb cadet uniform lying across the second highest step, book in hand, vibrant blue eyes, ice eyes like he'd junctioned Shiva right to his vision, trained on him over the spine.

"To my Guardian Force," Axel explained, though that seemed worse. Over six foot of height and lean muscle and the SeeD uniform Axel wore at least enough parts of for it to be vaguely recognizable that he belonged to the elite unit, all usually worked together enough that there was usually no reason to be embarrassed by anything he let slip out.  Nobody would laugh even if Axel welcomed it.

"Thought you didn't like using Guardian Forces," the lounging student's voice was just as nonchalant as it was before, but his gaze was sharp, interested, and he spoke as if he knew Axel.

"Have we met?" Axel knocked the sole of his left boot against the side of his right as if scraping mud off the bottom. It wasn't odd for him to shift constantly even when mostly still, unless he was specifically called to stand at attention. There was an air of discomfort about the present action though, when taken with how jade eyes known for constant analysis on and off the battlefield, seemed attracted to the handrail of the steps rather than searching the face of the boy that had just spoken to him with familiarity.  Axel's normally iron stomach soured immediately at the idea they had met and he'd forgotten, to the point he couldn't even bring himself to try and jog his recollection. All he could do was force out his least favorite question next to 'when did that happen?'

Lollipop (Soriku and Akuroku. College AU/Modern AU. Unpublished. Sora and Roxas in an acapella group because that was the only way I could work out how to get them to sing and do choreo for songs that get stuck in Shaky’s head, which was the Goal of the Day one day before I got distracted)

When Sora said he had a new idea for a piece for the CrescenDudes' next performance, Roxas had been more than happy to volunteer to work on the arrangement with him. Sora was great for ideas, large picture and little flourishes that made a song a show, and he was, hands down, who you wanted doing choreography, even if he tended to get carried away and not realize there weren't many others with the dance and movement background he had in their group, but he wasn't suited for the musical side of sculpting a piece. He'd sing what he was given and he'd stay on pitch doing it, but he had no idea to weave songs together to form a mashup that sounded natural and created the right feeling in a crowd,  and he'd forget to accommodate  for everyone's voices or go the opposite direction and try to highlight everyone and have twenty solos. So it was up to Roxas to take his vision from neat idea to reality, and he jumped at the chance. He'd do anything at this point to distract Sora from dragging him into wedding planning for a few days when that should be Riku’s job as the other groom.  

Hourglass (Unpublished. Self-indulgent BBS Era--at least for this excerpt-- story about KH Squall/Leon and Seifer growing up in Radiant Garden and explaining how they got to be on separate planets and separate ages by the time KH1 rolls around. May be competed and posted to AO3 or just used as a base/record of headcanon for sprinkling backstory references in other pieces.)

Seifer challenged Lea and Isa to break back into the castle and come back with proof this time. He would have just called Lea a liar, but that would lead to Lea trying to fight him, which would lead to Isa trying to fight him, which would lead to Squall getting in the way, thinking Seifer couldn't handle a two on one fight with some chicken wusses. Then Squall would still try to sneak into the castle himself to see Ellone anyway--and she wasn’t in the castle in the first place...probably. Seifer would have to drag Squall’s ass out of there, and, if they got caught by the Royal Guard, then they’d be the next rumored prisoners in the basement.  It was safer to make it be Lea and Isa's challenge.

Lea took the bait. Isa, surprisingly, added they were planning a return trip anyway. Squall shot Seifer a questioning look, which he ignored in favor of taunting Lea and sealing the deal, "I can't wait to see you two hobble in tomorrow after getting your asses beat by the Guard. Try not to hit your thick skulls on the flagstones when you get thrown out."

Drowning (Unfinished/unpublished. Placeholder name. Sorikai. Supposed to be for the Sorikai Summer Event. Prompt: Drowning. Long one shot about eight times one of the Destiny Trio has nearly drowned and then been saved by the others)

Their first prototype of a raft had fallen apart underneath them in open water, the ties that lashed the planks together having not been as securely tied as they could have been--the book on sailor's knots Sora had provided was a lot more obtuse than it had seemed at first, descriptions dense and picture demonstrations too sparse. Kairi and Sora each fared well, each grabbing onto a floating plank to drift a minute and orient themselves after being plunged into the water. Riku was less successful, being fixated on saving as many of the supplies Kairi and Sora had gathered (coconuts, mushrooms, and bottles of water mostly, though there had been a tackle box that Riku's father would kill him for losing if he had to go back and face him, and that was what Riku was primarily focused on) and exhausting his breath on too many dives in a row without recovery in between until he was lightheaded from not taking in enough air in his hasty gulps when he broke the surface and increasingly imprecise in where he chose to come out of the water until he hit his head on the bottom of the plank he was loading the recovered supplies onto and went down without resurfacing.

No Set Recipe (Unfinished/unpublished.  Sorikai. Supposed to be for the Sorikai Summer Event. Prompt: Ice Cream. Kidfic. Sora’s mom is left with the job of explaining polyamory while making homemade ice cream with a group of five and six year olds.)

It was all Selphie's fault to start with, though if she was going to be ascribed the blame for the hurt feelings, she would have to be given credit for all that happened after, which Riku and Sora both agreed she did not deserve, even if Kairi was more magnanimous, so it became habit just to talk of the ice cream and the impact it had on their future. Still, the most accurate account begins with: one day when they were all young-- too young to even be allowed to swim in the water surrounding play island without an adult in the surf with them, if that gives perspective--Selphie, to everyone's surprise, scored the winning goal in the game of land-blitzball the group of them were playing in order to decide what game they would really spend the day playing, and chose, to absolutely nobody's surprise, house.

Everyone accepted their fate and divided into family units with minimal grumbling, phrasing which means that Wakka threw the blitzball into the sea and lost it forever when Jecht--the parent chaperone on play island that day who was five minutes away from falling asleep on the sand and typically didn't care what they did, unlike most parents who at least had restrictions about not hitting each other in the head with wooden swords or throwing sand, and was the favorite of the children for that attitude of freedom to make mistakes being a better teacher than rules--refused to go into the water after it.

Selphie, however, found a problem with Sora, Riku, and Kairi's family. Specifically, she didn't like that the family was Riku, Kairi, and Sora all together parenting a yellow coconut Kairi was trying to rock to sleep while Riku built him a bed out of sand and palm fronds and Sora cooked dinner for the household--a savoury stew of sticks, sand, and mushroom. She stood with pursed lips and hands on hips, and declared that their proud coconut son, Rekka, couldn't have all three of them for parents because that wasn't how things worked.

"Why not?" Sora asked with all the curiosity and innocence of a child.

Riku tried a more practical, solution based approach with, "Can we change the rules?"

Kairi was more direct and firm, her, "It does if I say so," leaving very little room to argue.

[ssercndipity]

i’m working on a google docs muse page and that will come. . . eventually !

character tags & pinterest !

femmes.

blair ; mafia boss’ daughter, second in command, assassin, artist. she’s only ever been known to sugarcoat her words for kids, the one soft spot the woman seems to have. outside the inevitable one for her family, both blood and crime. doesn’t believe relationships are worth her time because she doesn’t believe that she will ever have the opportunity for that in her life.

sutton ; a little bit crazy, free spirited and wild, murderer? lol. she’s a vixen, rotten since birth. she blamed her sister for a while, like she somehow managed to soak up all the goodness while they were both in the womb, but the older she got, the more alike she was to their mother vivian. the older she got she realized it wasn’t her mother that needed to be blamed for sutton’s rotten behavior. instead, she thanked her for it. found it made her special, in her own wicked way.

vivian ; scientist, but her specialty is natural poisons. viv has always had a green thumb. could bring to life nearly any plant her mother killed. her love of science was something her father brought to life and she had a knack for that too. how were they to know she’d grow up and find a way to use all that good for bad?

angela ; strip club owner, inspired by hustlers. angie worked her way from the bottom up. she fought tooth and nail for everything she has. still, she’ll never claim it’s clean.

anastacia ; sometimes vigilante, sometimes thief? 

katana ; vigilante, mama bear vibes low key.

lorelai ; private eye, sarcastic, chill, loyal.

mk ; detective, inspired by la’s finest.

raeya ; law/lawyer, beauty and brains, a little less confident than she appears.

josie ; music loving small town girl turned overnight sensation. alternatively though, i just like to play her as the small town, music loving girl.

gen ; child actress, oscar nominee, party girl who everyone loves, but low key has a tendency to fall apart. alternatively i take out the acting and replace it with socialite. 

honey ; 

mal ; socialite, idgaf attitude, always prefers her own company.

evie ; socialite, kinda of a spoiled brat tbh, loves dancing, hip hop is her specialty.

lilith ; business owner. comes from money and has always been considered the golden child. there is a human somewhere in there though.

nicola ; business owner, chef. party girl, very free spirited, adventurous.

addison ; she’s like honey beneath it all. hides behind her art and her smiles. kind soul that tries a little too hard to hide how big her heart is at times.

melody ; curious girl, wanderer, has way too much fun causing trouble. she wanted to write stories, but they didn’t pay as good as exposing the high profile secrets did. that had its own reward.

ceyda ; she comes from a dangerous family but she is soft and gentile and kind. all of the things her family despises. she see’s the best in even the worst and wants to fix the world with love unlike her family.

charlie ; very independent. her family comes from old money but her father and her have never been aligned. he paid her way through college but only because he presumed she’d follow in his footsteps. a bit of a black sheep because of that. doesn’t tend to be a very open person right off but she is completely different once you break through.

emory ; soft southern belle. sunflowers in the summer and delicate snowflakes in the winter. she’s so worried about winning her parents love. feels guilty for things she didn’t even do and in turn has sort of lost herself in all of that. the kind of person who puts everyone above themselves.

brynn ; black sheep of the family. the minute her parents caught her kissing her female best friend she was done for. it was lucky for her she wasn’t banking on their blessing. she’s seemed to have missed out on the need to have her parents love, her younger sister yearning for it enough for the both of them. she is very guarded and tends to think the worst of people. always waiting for the other shoe to drop, always waiting for them to let her down.

brooke ; exclusive/closed.

masc.

rafael 

jayden

parker

kian

billie 

giovanni

carlos ; p much inactive rn

august ; p much inactive rn

mythical.

serephina.

demet.

sibel.

verse/ship tags pt 1.

[arecomicsevengood]

AGING ALTERNATIVES

We live in a culture that worships the large-scale spectacle of the obvious. Partly because of this, the most affecting thing a person can do is something with a large amount of effort behind it, delivered to a small audience: An elaborate meal cooked for a loved one, a labored-over zine in an edition of ten. But of course, time has this great leveling effect, and attempting something large scale can easily crash and burn, and in so doing become something only for a limited audience.

There is an ongoing conversation being had about older comics but they are almost always superhero comics, with some weird eighties genre trash thrown in. This conversation includes a great many alternative cartoonists, but it is very rare for a forgotten art comic to slide its way into the discussion. There’s numerous reasons for this: The larger the print run, the larger the chance a work will find its way to a bargain bin. But also, artists are competitive, and largely inclined to promote themselves or their peers. Once an artist is no longer producing work, they are rarely championed.

Obviously, not everyone finds their way into “the canon,” but you would think that work intended to be somewhat personal would end up being valued enough by individual people that you’d hear about it now and again. The case for alternative comics is the same as it ever was: It’s an artistic medium that can do anything, and it’s released in the fairest most egalitarian way, via mass production, for it to find people who will support it. The art is immediately striking in a way that gives it an edge over the written word, but it’s distributed to shops across America rather than galleries, and so should have long life after its initial release. Of course, the vision falters due to the reality that most of what gets produced is pretty bad, and not really expressing anything particularly unique or individual, and this only goes unspoken at the time of a work’s release due to admiration for the amount of labor that nonetheless went into it.

But what ends up happening in retrospect is this thing where banal superhero work gets reevaluated, with certain aesthetic decisions dictated by the technology of the time (like the coloring) becoming romanticized and recognized as things of beauty, while tons of black and white comics made by people who were desperately trying to push the medium forward and make something that works as art or literature get tarred with a blanket dismissal, associated with either the indulgences of the highest-profile practitioners or simply casualties of their pitiful attempts at graphic design. Only the small handful of practitioners whose publishers have steadily championed them and kept their work in print get to escape this fate. But obviously, if you’re working at something risky, you might end up working with publishers who are not economically viable in the long term, or, if they are, it’s because they’re being subsidized by projects way more commercial than yours.

There’s plenty of stuff which had a large enough print run for copies to be found, but functionally exist at the level of visibility of a zine. But, while I might be interested in extending the same amount of charity I would to someone making work with no hope of commercial success, to engage with the work honestly means that the fact that it was attempting to find its place in the world of commerce must be taken into consideration when thinking about the goals it set out to fulfill. That so much fails to meet these commonly-held goals can make one feel pretty depressed about the medium, and maybe this is another reason for people to avert their eyes: When you’re talking about superhero comics of a certain vintage, while they might not have attempted to be art, at least the people making them got paid.

Obviously, The Comics Journal has been fighting this fight for decades. I am sure all of the books I am going to write about, they have already covered, and they probably came to the same conclusions, and depending on the writer, they might’ve been more entertaining to read than I will be. But I want to offer these reconsiderations in light of all the other reconsiderations being made, that are coming to the opposite conclusion of what The Comics Journal would’ve. It is easy to look back at the 1980s now and say, for instance, that Elektra Assassin is a better comic book than American Splendor.  There’s a discrepancy between what is the best work being produced at a given historical moment and what is the most exciting scene to be a part of. I like to think if I had been writing for the Comics Journal in the early nineties, I wouldn’t have gone all-in praising Palookaville, but I get that in the moment it would’ve felt important to do so. Now, of course, there is very little that feels exciting at all, in the context of real-world community, due to the global pandemic. This is an incredibly lonely moment, and nostalgia has a powerful allure.

But I’d like to ensure the nostalgia we feel compels us to fight for what’s human, rather than allow us to simply surrender our past to the colonizing forces of corporate interests. In the interest of the human, I will not make any grandiose claims for the works I’m writing about. I’m not describing anything as a masterpiece. These instead fulfill the humble virtues of being charming, cool, interesting. They didn’t upend my value system of what the comics medium could be. But, since it was all of the Picturebox releases that shifted my perspective on comics on its axis when I was in college that caused me to ignore some of this stuff, that its virtues can endure after such a flip is itself notable. Anyway, I have no reason to have written such a long preamble. I could’ve easily just made separate posts for each comic I wanted to talk about, but all this additional context seemed important to me to articulate. All of these are books I bought online over the past few months.

Shuck Unmasked, by Rick Smith and Tania Menesse

Feel like the main thing holding this comic back is a certain lack of joie de vivre to its line. There’s a certain cuteness to its designs that seems reminiscent of Jeff Smith or Goodbye Chunky Rice era Craig Thompson but it’s a little bit stiff in ways those cartoonists aren’t. The mask Shuck wears resembles the face Chester Brown draws himself having in Paying For It. I feel like this is maybe the only comic I’ve seen that frequently has dialogue that’s misspelled in an attempt to capture phonetic dialect and presents that through lettering that feels like a font. There’s a sense of being rounded instead of being scratchy, a lushness that feels hinted at, but also tamped down. There’s a literary flavor to it, an attention to the language, a deliberate and delicate sense of stately melancholy that’s present.

The Shuck of the title is a demon, living on Earth, tasked with making sure the dead don’t escape the afterlife and roam around. Despite his horned form, he’s able to wear the mask of an old man, and fit in with his neighbors, which include a little girl, with whom he develops a bond. There’s a gentle quality to it, but also a sense of darkness that prevents it from being cloying, an interest in the esoteric that suggests the profound. The premise could be a recipe for sitcom-ish stasis, but actually the status quo shifts quite a bit, over the course of these self-published comics, collected into a book by Top Shelf.  It feels like each individual chapter should be reread a few times before proceeding on; the chapters have a nice density to them. That’s the funny thing about a lack of velocity to the line, it suggests a studiousness with which to approach it, but doesn’t invite the eye to return to it. Two issues of a sequel were self-published afterwards, I would read those.

Tales Of Woodsman Pete, by Lilli Carré

I’ve heard a couple people call Lilli Carré the best cartoonist of her generation. The first time I heard it said, I had never read anything by her, but I was struck by the assertion because there’s so many heavy hitters in that cohort I’m not comfortable making such declarations about anyone. There’s a collection of Carré’s short stories I’ve checked out from the library, but I found that collection inconsistent, with notable highs that didn’t still didn’t quite bowl me over. This could be partly an issue of format - Few cartoonists of Carré’s generation have a short story collection of their work available, and it might not be the best way to examine the work and see its strengths.

(A sidenote irrelevant to the larger thrust of this conversation - I started keeping a google doc of what years cartoonists were born, and have a my own idea of “generations” of cartoonists in terms of whose work it makes sense to consider alongside one another. 1960-1967 is one cohort, then 1968-1975, then 1976-1982, then 1983-some point unclear to me at this point, there’s a generational divide for sure but I don’t yet know the rules of it. I lump Carré in with Eleanor Davis, Dash Shaw, and Michael Deforge, rather than the slightly older group which includes Kevin Huizenga, CF, and Sammy Harkham. That’s not to say the people championing Carre are making the same distinctions, these generational lines are weird and arbitrary and some people are “on the cusp” and everyone chooses their own peers to a certain extent. However, I do think these generations are important or useful to think about, in terms of who came up with access to alternative newspaper strip jobs vs. the Xeric Grant vs. Tumblr, and it’s just generally interesting to think about what was around to serve as an influence at a formative age. People born after 1967 have had very few opportunities or chances for institutional support, by my reckoning. Over time, more people became acclimated to making uncompromising art, and there also became way less economic opportunity for people making work intended for adults. I suspect the forthcoming generation will be more inclined towards making content for kids because they grew up with things targeted to children, and they can be part of the push to make that stuff more diverse. This coincides with all of the economic infrastructure except for libraries being obliterated.)

Tales Of Woodsman Pete is a smaller object, of digest proportions, that Top Shelf released, early in Carré’s career. It’s worth noting her style nowadays is far more experimental and minimal, although I suppose at the time her work might’ve been considered pared-down, closer to folk tales than novels. This comic follows a woodsman, who monologues to no one, speaking to the trophies he’s made of his kills, in a series of short strips. This is juxtaposed against bits involving Paul Bunyan and his ox Babe, who share a camaraderie between them that doesn’t truly abate Bunyan’s sense of loneliness. It is, like Shuck, a gentle thing, and is able to conjure up some emotion, but I wonder if the sense of tweeness present within it is something Carré feels she’s outgrown? That’s not to say I object to it, just that I recognize a shift away from that stuff. I believe Carré is a Calvino fan, this stuff might be closest to the early stories in Our Ancestors, but Calvino’s work became far more overtly experimental afterwards. I don’t know, I still don’t have a bead on who Carré is or where she’s going. And that’s great, why should I?

Hectic Planet: Checkered Past, by Evan Dorkin

In high school, I read a Hectic Planet comic called The Bummer Trilogy, and liked it a lot. That was a single issue collecting three short stories that were the last work Evan Dorkin would do with the characters. While in retrospect, high school is probably the ideal age to read this material, those strips still feel more mature, in a sense of being personal, than much of Dorkin’s work. He’s written some superhero comics for the big two that never did much for me, and he has some collaborative genre comics I’ve never read, but he’s most associated with his humor cartooning, which I have kept up with despite only finding them intermittently funny. There’s always a sense of Dorkin as a performer of his material, where the humor tends to feel angry, but his most self-consciously autobio material is about the fact that his psyche is a dumping ground for assorted pop culture detritus. What’s interesting about this material is that is, in fact, still kind of immature, but it’s moving away from the science fiction premise, to be present enough to make jokes and talk about feelings. It’s the falterings towards finding a voice and having confidence in it, a youthful move towards what might not be maturity, but is, at least, work. So chunks of this are about a dude who’s heartbroken because he caught his girlfriend cheating on him and so he’s annoying all of his friends by complaining all the time and he’s thrilled to meet girls who like the same bands as he does and he goes to the grocery store and only buys junk food and while this might sound dumb, in context, it’s the beginnings of a worldview that feels fairly true to life for someone who would’ve been that age, at that point in time.

So, considering the era, and the sense of a science fiction premise being abandoned, it might make sense to think of this comic as following in the footsteps of Love And Rockets, albeit from an East Coast Jewish male perspective, and nowhere near as good. It almost feels like if a low-budget eighties sci-fi movie had cast a stand-up comedian in it, and when the budget got cut, they let him fill out the runtime with his routines and riffs, in an attempt to make it a star vehicle in case he ever got cast on SNL. Slave Labor put out a lot of alternative comics, and they all kind of got looked down upon to one degree or another. Much of what they published is both really poorly drawn and nakedly chasing whatever youthful subculture audience they could. Dorkin is easily one of the better artists they had, but the desire to be cool according to the terms of the subculture of the times makes for comics that feel dated now. All the characters in this book are really into ska, the back of the book has all these images taken from ska compilations and 7-inches featuring the characters. But that’s also interesting, because sensing the book’s quest to find its readership lends such authenticity to the young adult milieu, of what it means to be on your own and trying to find your people. It’s from a moment in time when talking about young people put a work in dialogue with alternative culture and not major book publishers, who due to generational differences, would not have understood any of the things this comic is about.

(This piece is sort of a variation on what I talk about in my article in But Is It… Comic Aht 2, by the way. There, behind a beautiful Lilli Carre cover, you can see me talking up more explicitly “all-ages” comics Slave Labor published, like Zander Cannon’s Replacement God, and Scott Roberts’ Patty Cake. Halo And Sprocket was a little bit later than the time period the article focuses on, but I liked that as well. Maybe the most interesting thing I’ve read from Slave Labor that wasn’t all ages and was never collected into a book would’ve been Jon Lewis’ series Ghost Ship. I also like the issues I’ve read of Bernie Mireault’s The Jam, which ran at multiple publishers, and I would like to read more of.)

[bevvydraws]

Update on the Agrest Academy AU “We Could Be Heroes” : 

I’ve decided to postpone continuing my fanfiction based on my AU. I would like to explore the idea more before I set anything into a concrete “canon” for this AU. 

HOWEVER, I will be continuing to post one-shots/ficlets about the AU. I’m going to begin working on a google doc with some basic info on characters, their powers, how they fit into the canon, etc. 

In the google doc I will also have links to every ficlet I’ve written that fits into the AgAcaAU world. Or alternatively, I was thinking of creating a little “website” that will act as an archive for information on all of my AUs. That way I can post reference pictures and character “profiles”. 

Creating a fanfiction right now just feels like too much of a commitment so I think I’ll just enjoy messing around with the idea and sharing my creative process with all of you. I’ll likely be unpublishing it from AO3, but I will in exchange be uploading all of my one-shots as previously mentioned if anyone is interested in reading them there. 

Thank you for your understanding and much much love from me to all of you! 

[artmwrites]

How I Write Blog Posts and Why You Need a Writing Routine

A lot of small business owners want to start writing blog posts for their business. Writing takes one part discipline, one part research, and one part art with a touch of psychology to do. I’ve written this post to help those starting out building their own writing habits. Writing is like any other skill, it takes practice and dedication. We all start somewhere and every one of us can become pro bloggers.

Planning

The first step I take to write my content is to sit and plan the post out. Writing isn’t like the movies where you sit by a sunny window and type away building a million dollar blog. Writing quality content takes practice and planning. You can achieve both over time.

Planning your post starts with your topic. Planning topics can be a huge roadblock and many people quit writing before they begin. Develop categories for your blog based on your products or services. After that develop topics for each category. Try to develop 10 to 20 topics to start. These topics can be further broken down or developed into long-form content.

Once you have a topic you know you can write 300 or more words for, start to plan out the post. On a Word document or Google Doc, start with a basic title you'll build-out later. Make a section for keywords to help get your post ranked. Make a section for SEO meta titles and descriptions. Finally, outline the actual post with headings for each point you want to make in your post.

Research for Your Blog

Researching key aspects of your blog before you write will help you create content that brings value to the people that need to read it. Researching before you write will refresh your memory and help you back up your facts. With researched data and info, you boost your authority and trust with readers. People that trust their information sources are more likely to convert.

Persona

Personas are a fictitious person that represents a segment of your target audience. Building an in-depth profile for your persona including a name, family, job, and pain points humanize your persona. Personalizing personas give you a “person” to create your blog post to read.

Having these personas allows you to write like you are having a conversation about your company to a friend. Knowing who you are writing for is a huge step in creating great blog posts. 

Keywords

Keywords act like triggers for search engines when people are looking for specific topics. Finding keywords can be tricky if you don’t know where to look or how to use them. How to do keyword research is an entire post on its own

Brainstorm a list of words that you would use to search for the topic of your post. You can use a tool like Google Keyword Tool or a free tool like Ubersuggest by Neil Patel to get an estimate of how much traffic those keywords get. Once you find a handful of relevant keywords, search them on Google, and look at the “People Also Asked” section. This is a great way to either find new topics related, refine your post, or find your alternative or long-tail keywords.

Authoritative Sources

The last thing to research to create your post is several sources to back your content and show trust and authority. Trying to find at least one credible source per point will help with readers and your SEO. You can also learn something new about the topic you’re writing about. If you use someone else’s work to back your post then it’s only right to give them credit.

Blog Writing

Now comes the fun part. Many people, myself included, get stuck in the writing phase. Here are a few suggestions and tips I use to start and finish a blog post.

Make Time to Write Like it’s Your Job

You need to set aside time to write. Create a block of time in your workday to just sit and write. Write one or two blog posts for practice and to publish later. Writing can be a very Zen-like activity once you start to develop solid writing habits. You’ll get better at writing as time goes on and you’ll start writing more and faster.

If you write your blog post a little bit a day, eventually you’ll find it takes 2 months to finish and by then the entire thing could be outdated or look like a jumbled mess. You need to sit and get your thoughts down while everything is fresh in your mind.

Find a Place to Write

Finding a comfortable place with little distractions is the next step. Unrestricted writing is key to getting your post written quickly. Find a space to call your own and camp out to build your writing habits. You need as little interruptions as possible to get all your thoughts on paper.

Don’t Stop to Edit or Think

One of the biggest contributors to writer’s block I run into is when I stop to correct grammar, spelling, or anything that doesn’t look right to me. I’ll fix all those little red underlines from Grammarly and next thing I know, boom there goes my train of thought.

When you start writing, don’t stop until you’re finished. Get all your thoughts out and in a logical order for your blog post. You’ll have time after to edit, add, or take whatever you want away. This is why large publishing companies and marketing agencies have editors. Their job is to fix errors and make sure the post is readable. Don’t let imperfections stop your progress.

Blog Editing

My process for editing my blog posts is waiting a day until I even look at the post again. By waiting a day to read and edit the post, I give myself a fresh set of eyes and detach from the post. I can make sure the post is accurate and conveys the message I need it to.

The first thing I do is make sure grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct through an app like Grammarly. I use the free version which works great for me. Using another app like the Hemingway app will help you when you’re starting out to keep your post readable.

Next, I read through and make sure the information is organized and makes sense. I may reword sections or even completely remove anything I don’t see as relevant. Sometimes on more complex posts, I’ll ask someone to read it and make sure they understand what I wrote.

Blog Publishing & Distribution

Once the post is edited, it's ready for publishing. Before you publish, find a few decent and relevant images to add to the post including a featured image. These can be stock images or photos you took for your business. Your photos need to look professional and you need to be able to size them appropriately.

Once you’ve entered your post and images into your preferred platform, optimize it for SEO. Make sure you have one H1 and the other headings follow suit according to importance. Use ALT text on your images. Add your meta title and description. Any links need to be semantic for Google. Finally, make your URL short and descriptive for Google and readers.

Once you publish your post, decide what platforms and when you’ll distribute your post. Just writing a post won’t get eyes on it. The more traffic you get to your post, the more authority your post will get. Decide how you want to section your post for social media. Do you want to publish to Medium? Maybe you want to repurpose the post into a video for YouTube. There are a ton of possibilities. The most important thing is to get your post out there.

Repurposing Blogs

Repurposing your posts is something to consider down the road. There are several key ways to repurpose content that works great. Repurposing allows you to take an existing blog, build it out or fix it, and keep your existing link and SEO juice.

Pillar Posts

Pillar posts are for posts you can easily make into 3,000 plus words and create a web of links between smaller posts. Pillar posts are a comprehensive, long-form post that acts as the hub for a web of similar links. Pillar posts are amazing for boosting SEO.

One downfall is you need around 10 posts on the same topic you can tie together to start your pillar post. Once you have a good amount of posts on a topic, it's truly something you need to consider.

Updating Blog Posts

Google loves when content is updated with new information. I’ve seen client posts skyrocket and do extremely well with SEO once they were updated and given a fresh headline. The best part about updating posts is you get to put a new perspective and eyes on it while keeping the SEO you earned for the original post.

Alternate Media

Making your post into different media types is a great way to create funnels with video, infographics, podcasts, and other content types. Having your message out in multiple formats gives you a great opportunity to get more eyes and ears on it. The more funnels you get out there, the more traffic you get back to your site.

Social Media Posts for Funnels

This isn’t so much repurposing but a way to build more funnels with your post. I usually add this as part of a content marketing strategy. Planning to take stand-alone parts of your post with custom graphics make great social media posts. If you have a post with enough info, you can have months worth of social media posts from one piece of content.

Conclusion

Writing a blog post can be daunting and sometimes writer’s block will hit you and you’ll give up. Hopefully, this post will give you a little light on how someone who does this for a living handles it. With planning, research, and practice, you’ll become a pro in no time.

If you find yourself stuck or just don’t have time to start building your content, feel free to contact me to learn more about how I can help. I’m a content marketer, writer, and SEO specialist helping small businesses build an online presence for more conversions and sales. Contact me or email me today.

[osreviews]

REVIEW: Chuwi HeroBook - $200 Laptop w. Ultra-Large Touchpad & 14” IPS Display

Great Value for the Money, Strong Chromebook Alternative

Find it on Amazon:

https://amzn.to/2XN7YhJ

Watch our hands on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAZBa6R1leI

Historically speaking, budget Windows laptops are full of compromises: usually they have poor displays, sluggish performance, or mediocre construction. In particular, slow performance - attributed to entry-level processors combined with the resource-heavy Windows operating system - has allowed Chromebooks to gain traction in the budget space. This is despite Windows-powered machines having support for a wider legacy applications and programs.

Luckily, the Chuwi HeroBook seems to be an exception to the norm - breaking free from all the usual issues I’ve encountered with cheaper Windows laptops. To keep things short: for $200, this is one of the most consistent laptops you’ll find - performance is surprisingly quick for basic tasks, and it has very little compromises.

Positives:

1) Design - Although the body of the laptop is made out of plastic, it feels solid and dark grey color could pass as a much more expensive model. I was delighted to see that the lid can be opened using just one hand (a detail usually only flagship devices have). The weight is well balanced, and the hinge mechanism feels smooth. The profile is slim, and makes the laptop easy to travel with.

2) Input - The keyboard takes advantage of the entire width of the laptop, resulting in larger keys than most 14” options. Overall, there’s a good amount of tactile feedback from the keys, making it a great choice for writing longer docs,  even though the keys aren’t backlit.

The touchpad, which measures over 5”, is super spacious. Gone are the days of tiny trackpads on cheap netbooks - this one allows for comfortable scrolling and multi-touch gestures.

3) Display - For the price, most laptops have a TN panel at HD (720p) resolution. Chuwi instead opted for a FHD (1080p) IPS screen, which means wide viewing angles and sharp looking details. More importantly, the screen is matte, which means I was able to still use it in challenging lightning conditions, as it doesn’t glare as much as glossy finishes. Overall, it’s a great panel, even though it’s not a touchscreen.

4) Performance - The processor inside is the Intel X5-E8000. Although it’s part of the Intel Atom family, don’t confuse it with the more commonly used Z8350. Whereas the Z8350 struggles on even the lightest tasks, the E8000 is one of the higher end chips in the Atom series. In benchmarks and real-world usage, I found it closer to an Intel Celeron in performance. Although it’s still not a powerhouse, web browsing is silky smooth (3-4 tabs open), system navigation is snappy, and boot-up times are almost instantaneous. It’s a noticeable step forward in speed.

Other components include 4GB RAM and 64GB storage (other models for the price usually have only 32GB system storage).

Reception is also above average. I found that in areas where other budget laptops would disconnect from Wi-Fi, this laptop still held onto the signal. This is essential, because a laptop can have blazing fast internals, but it’s only as good as it’s weakest link. A poor Wi-Fi antenna can result in unusable web browsing, so it's great that Chuwi have put in extra effort on this component. And yes, there’s Bluetooth as well!

5) Battery life - One benefit of an Atom family, is that they are really energy efficient (and fanless). On a full charge, this laptop can last me approx. 9 hours of use. For a 14” device, I think this is pretty impressive, and gets me through 1-2 days of use before I need to recharge it.

6) Clean version of Windows 10 Home installed (fully activated)

Negatives:

1) Charger is a proprietary round plug (Chuwi’s other devices have shifted to USB-C, which I think is a more convenient design).

2) Back in the days of Windows 7, home edition (especially laptops geared towards students) would often include a version of Microsoft Word/Office for free. On here, it’s simply a trial of Office - although you could always use OpenOffice or Google Docs in-stead.

3) 4GB Ram is good for an entry-level laptop, but for heavier multitasking (or programs like Photoshop/video editing) it won’t be the fastest experience (be reasonable with these expectations)

4) Could add some more metal/aluminum parts to the construction in a future model

Conclusion:

Overall, the Chuwi HeroBook is an impressive showing. Despite the low price, it’s managed to get all the essentials right - from solid hardware, stable performance, to a long lasting battery. Areas of improvement are minor and easy to forgive at the price; making this my favorite budget Windows laptop I've purchased thus far!

Score: 4.8/5 Stars, Excellent  

Find it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XN7YhJ

Watch our hands on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAZBa6R1leI

[siliconwebx]

25 Best Productivity Apps for Busy Professionals in 2019

As a smart and busy business or site owner, you’re likely always looking to improve your efficiency to get more done. This way, you’ll have more time to focus on other things you care about besides work. This is where productivity apps come to the rescue.

The term “productivity app” is pretty broad. It can be defined as any software you use to improve your workflow and collaborate with others more effectively. In this article, we’re going to take a close look at 25 of the best productivity apps available, and help you figure out which ones are a good fit.

Let’s get to work!

25 Best Apps to Increase Your Productivity in 2019

Every app in this section can help you increase your productivity, although most of them focus on a different approach. With this in mind, we’re going to break them down into different categories. Let’s begin!

Productivity Apps to Collaborate With a Team

For this section, we’ll focus on apps built around teamwork and communication, starting with the most popular ‘office chat’ service around.

1. Slack

At first glance, Slack looks like a simple chatroom. It enables you to set up ‘channels’ for your team, specific projects, and any topic you want (including design), among others. However, you can jump from one channel to another, share files, send private messages, and more. It’s also worth noting that Slack can integrate a plethora of other online services, which makes it a productivity powerhouse.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

2. Trello

With the popular Trello, you can set up boards for your projects, add tasks to each one, and assign people to them. When something is complete, you can mark it so, which lets people know how you’re progressing. In addition, Trello can connect with lots of other apps, including Slack, Dropbox, Evernote, and more.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

3. Asana

On the surface, Asana is similar to Trello. Both productivity apps use a board-based approach to helping you get work done. However, Asana also enables you to design visual project plans, which play out like ‘mind maps’. These enable you to see who’s working on what at a glance, and check the status of each project.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

4. Teleport Sundial

You may know Teleport as a suite of apps geared towards help you find the best places to work around the globe. It does this by letting you compare quality of life indicators, salaries, and much more besides.

Sundial is just one app within this suite, and it enables you to check up on all your team’s working hours and timezones, so you know when everyone’s available. This way, you won’t panic if Jane from marketing doesn’t answer your latest email in five minutes, because you’ll know she’s probably still asleep.

Price: Free | More Information

5. Skype

If you and the rest of your team don’t work in the same building, you’ll need to use a tool that enables you to stay in touch with each other, be it via voice or video calls. Sure, Skype also includes group chat options, but this is not its primary selling point. In any case, it’s still the king when it comes to online conferencing.

Price: Free video conferencing but charges for phone calls | More Information

6. Google Docs

A lot of the work that goes on in most offices relies on simple apps, such as text editors and spreadsheet managers. Google Docs provides you with both of those classics, as well as form, slide, and site-building tools. Plus, it makes collaboration easy by enabling you to share documents and choose who can edit or comment on them. If you want even more functionality, you can also check out the entire G Suite, of which Google Docs is just a part.

Price: Free, but G Suite is a premium service | More Information

7. Basecamp

At its core, Basecamp is relatively similar to Trello and Asana. With this app, you can set up manage multiple projects, each including to-do lists, message boards, schedules, and shared files. However, Basecamp shines due to how simple it is to pick up and use. Plus, it offers excellent support, so we can recommend it if you want to keep the project management side of things simple.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

Productivity Apps to Help You Automate Key Processes

In many cases, the best way to increase your productivity is to automate tasks that don’t necessarily require your input. This is exactly where these apps can come in to the rescue!

8. Zapier

Zapier is a service that takes almost every popular productivity app you can imagine and enables you to connect them in creative ways. With Zapier, you can set up ‘triggers’, which are specific actions within any app you choose. Then, you can configure what happens when a trigger is hit, which is usually an action on a different service.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

9. IFTTT

Using If This Then That (IFTTT), you can connect applications and services and create ‘applets’. Recipes work much like triggers in Zapier – when something happens on app A, it triggers a reaction on service B.

Overall, IFTTT offers fewer applet options than Zapier. However, it shines in an entirely different area – helping you automate aspects of your home life. Just to give you an idea., you can connect IFTTT to an ecosystem such as Amazon Echo, and set instructions to control elements such as your lightbulbs, or applicances.

Price: Free | More Information

Productivity Apps to Help Organize Your Life

Life isn’t all about work and even outside the office, you might need some help to keep track of everything you have to do. After all, if your personal life is in order, chances are you’ll be more efficient all around.

10. Todoist

As the name gives away, Todoist is a ‘to-do’ list app. With it, you can set up as many lists as you like, be reminded of specific tasks, help you build habits through reinforcement, and prioritize goals. However, our favorite feature provides you with handy little charts and graphs to check on your progress at any time.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

11. Pocket

The coolest thing about the internet (in our opinion) is the unrestricted access as much information than you could ever digest – and it’s all there for the taking.

Pocket enables you to save those interesting pieces of content so you can read it later, which lets you stay focused during the day. Think of it as a bookmark, only Pocket downloads the whole article for your later convenience.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

12. LastPass

We’re big fans of apps and online services of all kinds, as you might have guessed. However, every time we want to try a new app, we need to come up with a unique password and username, then try to remember both.

The solution to this problem lies with password managers. This type of tool enables you to generate secure and unique passwords, store them safely, and autofill forms when needed to save you time. There are plenty of password managers you can try out, but LastPass is one of our top picks.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

Productivity Apps to Help You Keep Track of How You Spend Your Time

Most of us like to imagine we’re productivity juggernauts. However, chances are when you take a look at how much time you actually spend working versus browsing around the web, you’d be surprised. With these apps, you’ll be able to improve how you manage your time!

13. Toggl

Toggl is all about helping you track the time you actually spend working. With this productivity app, you can track how much time you’re spending on each project, as well as your idle minutes (or hours). You can then look back at the end of each day and see if you’re making good use of your time.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

14. RescueTime

As far as functionality goes, RescueTime is pretty similar to Toggl as it enables you to track how you’re spending your time on a per app basis. However, this particular app includes a couple of standout features of its own, such as enabling you to block specific websites, so you don’t get distracted. You can also use it to configure notifications to let you know once you hit a milestone on any activity you want.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

15. FocusBooster

We’ve talked about the Pomodoro Technique previously, and it’s a great method for increasing your productivity. In a nutshell, it’s all about focusing on work for a specific stretch of time – usually 25 minutes – then taking a short break before repeating the process. FocusBooster is built around this technique, and it enables you to keep track of your ‘Pomodoros’, and exactly how much work you’re getting done.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

16. Freedom

Not only does it have a catchy name, but the Freedom app also enables you to stay productive by blocking all the websites and apps that conspire to distract you. It works across all major platforms, and you can configure it to either block anything you want during specific periods of time, or alternatively every time you start a work ‘session’.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

Productivity Apps for Storing and Accessing Important Information

You likely have to juggle a lot of information at work. For example, you need to remember who’s assigned specific tasks, how to get in touch with certain people, when your next meeting is, and more. The following apps help you store and access all of those tidbits of information more efficiently, so you can focus on more important things.

17. Cloze

Cloze simply provide you with one central hub where you can store information about your contacts. It can even generate profiles for each contact automatically, depending on the apps you connect it to. Within each profile, you can check out your latest communication, keep track of future appointments, set up reminders, and more.

Price: Plans start at $17 per month per user | More Information

18. Evernote

Sometimes, low-tech solutions are the best answer to a problem. However, if you’re not a low-tech person, and you like taking notes, Evernote could be an ideal solution.

This platform’s goal is simple – to help you create quick notes of any kind, such as jotting down ideas, creating to-do lists, and more. Plus, it enables you to accompany your notes with media files. What’s more, you can check them out from practically any device.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

19. Google Keep

Here’s another recommendation for a top-notch note-taking app. The difference is, Google Keep is perfect if you’re knee-deep into the search giant’s ecosystem.

For example, you can use and sync Google Keep across your mobile devices, but there’s also a Chrome extension available – and you can access your notes from Google Docs. If you want to keep things inside the Google family, it can be a great alternative to Evernote.

Price: Free | More Information

20. HelloSign

Getting documents signed is part of almost any modern workplace. Maybe you or a member of your team needs to sign something, or you have to send a contract to a new client. In any case, dealing with a physical trail of paper can be a huge time sink.

With HelloSign, you can create or digitize documents, submit them, and have the recipient sign online in a legally binding manner. Better yet, the app enables you to store all your contracts in one place, or alternatively download them.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

21. Dropbox

Dropbox hardly needs an introduction – the service enables you to store files in the cloud, which makes it a great option for backing up important data. You can also use it to share files with other people, making collaboration easier. If you use Dropbox for Business, you also get options to collaborate on files and have better control over who can access them.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

22. Google Drive

Admittedly, Google Drive shares most of Dropbox’s key features. However, it’s a no-brainer if you rely on other apps from the G Suite for work, since they’re all part of the same family.

Price: Free with additional storage space available for purchase | More Information

Productivity Apps to Help You Stay on Top of Social Media

Social media plays a big role in many aspects of our lives. If you have to deal with social media as part of your job, it can pay off to look into apps that enable you to do so more efficiently. Here are just a few.

23. Buffer

With Buffer, you get a dashboard that connects to all of the social media accounts you specify. It supports the most popular options, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and others.

From within your dashboard, you can publish new content, schedule future posts, reply to comments, and more. Even better, Buffer enables you to track the performance of your social media publications and interactions.

Price: Free with premium plans available | More Information

24. BuzzSumo

One of the best ways to grow your social media presence is to share content people care about. The key, of course, is to figure out in the first place what it is people care about.

BuzzSumo enables you to keep an eye on the kind of content people are consuming and sharing on social media. It helps you identify the top posts and pages for practically any keyword you want, so you have an idea of what to focus your efforts on.

Price: Plans start at $79 per month | More Information

Productivity Apps for Managing Your Finances

Last but not least, managing your finances effectively is key if you want to stay productive. For this section, we decided to focus on a single, standout app.

25. FreshBooks

Whether you work alone or as part of a team, keeping track of money can be a hassle, which is what makes an app such as FreshBooks so invaluable. This particular solution can keep track of invoices, expenses, and even process payments.

What’s more, FreshBooks also enables you to track how much time you’re spending on each client and project. This makes the app great not only for managing your finances, but also your time.

Price: Plans start at $15 per month | More Information

Conclusion

When it comes to productivity apps, you’re practically inundated with options. A lot of modern workplaces rely on these apps to coordinate their workflow, so you’re probably already familiar with some of them.

In this post, we introduced a lot of options, and they all can help improve your productivity in different ways. If you’re looking for a quick recommendation, Slack is almost always a hit among teams. Combine it with apps such as Trello and Asana, and your office’s productivity should skyrocket.

Do you have any questions about which productivity apps would work best for you? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!

Article thumbnail image by Macrovector / shutterstock.com

The post 25 Best Productivity Apps for Busy Professionals in 2019 appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

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