As an indie writer, I do my own editing (with some help from friends and family). Despite spending hours scouring for typos and errors, they show up in my published materials. I’ve considered editing software in the past, but the choices, cost, and lack of good reviews turned me away. Last month I gave it another go and tested twelve different applications. Here are my conclusions.

Tip Five in my Writing Stories Tips (which starts here) is all about editing. What, when, where, when why do we edit? It’s all here. Read this and you’ll be in the know on all things editing.

Why do you want to create stories and what do you expect to get from it? Steps 1-3 are the most important and, most likely, you don’t need more than reading and writing at this point. But if you feel like you need something more, then it is time to talk about Fight Club and Santa Claus.

The third tip in my series on writing stories addresses the volumes of advice available to the budding author. In a nutshell, ignore it all and focus on reading and writing. If you don’t continue to read my blog and, instead, go write a short story then you have won the game and I applaud you. Send me your story, I’d love to read it.

This is the second post in my series on how to write stories and contains the most critical components of the entire process. I believe two key elements account for 70% of what it takes to write a good story. They are also the easiest and most fun aspect of the entire writing process. If you don’t agree with me, you would probably be happier as an editor, publisher, or agent.

If you want to write stories but don’t know where to start, here is a suggestion. This did the trick for me. It’s not complicated and if you are anything like me, you’ll enjoy it. I’ll follow-up this post with a new one each week geared to help you keep moving forward.