Can you help me? I want to create a new automation specifically for writers, maybe even a tool that anyone can use.
But I need your help deciding what to build!
Why Build an Automation for Writers?
At Joe’s Automaton Army, we’re all about creating automations that make your daily life simpler, and as a writer myself I’m very aware about how much repetitive work writers do that could probably be easier from research, plotting, drafting, and editing, publishing, to marketing.
But instead of guessing what might help you the most, I’d love to hear directly from you! What’s one tool or automation that could really change the game for your writing process?
For example:
- Maybe something that helps pull research together automatically?
- Or a tool that could help plot out your stories?
- Or how about a beta reader system to find and manage beta readers?
- What about an automation that manages your submissions to publishers and tracks responses?
- Or a marketing automation?
This is your chance to dream up something that could genuinely help not just you, but countless other writers who face the same challenges.
Then, over the next couple of weeks I’ll design the tool, build it, and show you the process. Then we can all put it to use together to see how it works!
How to Share Your Writer Automation Ideas
Have an idea? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks for helping us make something great. I can’t wait to see what we come up with together!
I would love help with marketing – always. I also love the idea of being able to see my MS from a top level view. Something I could use to move scenes around or jot in notes where I need to expand a scene or add a completely new one.
Those are fun ideas! Thanks Sarah!
Joe, all of these ideas are great. If I had to choose, I’d go with one that plots out story ideas, both globally as well as in scenes. The hardest thing about getting stuck writing is your IDEA is good, but you’re missing a key conflict point or character development of either the protagonist or antagonist and without it, the story goes flat. It would keep authors from running down rabbit trails that don’t move the story forward as well (my biggest problem as a writer). I also like Sarah’s idea of being able to see from a top-level view so scenes can be moved around or I can add ideas and then come back to them. The other tools are just as important, but if you can’t get the story written well, the rest doesn’t matter much. I think what you’re doing here is terrific!
Thanks Laura. That’s interesting! So more focused on the structure of the book. I like that idea. Thanks!
Some way of converting structure to nodes would be nice. Getting the patterns of a book, an act, a section, a scene, a moment, into a node based workflow would allow for story adjustments or enhancements on the fly.
Cool idea. Can you talk a little more about what you mean by nodes? I haven’t heard much about nodes in the context of story structure.
I think it would be great if Joe’s Automaton Army could help non-native English writers check their grammar, word use, and flow, and know how to write better in English (ex. Expression or how to convince readers). Therefore, this might help non-native writers enjoying writing English novels improve their skills better.
(Could Joe’s Automaton Army allow writers loving drawing like me to put our drawings in the drafts, manuscripts, or else? I believe that some writers as well as me like to draw their characters, maps, and scenes in novels and put them into our writing work.)
Thanks for the idea Thanh! Have you used Grammarly or another too like that? Wondering if that would help.
For adding drawings to your manuscripts, I think Vellum or Atticus would be a great fit for that. Here’s our book writing software guide which might help: https://thewritepractice.com/best-book-writing-software
Thanks for commenting!