Tools to Help You Blog on the Go

If you do a lot of traveling or are constantly away from the office, it’s important to be able to write and publish posts from anywhere as well as to record your post ideas in a way that they don’t become lost or forgotten.  Jay Artale (@BirdsOAFpress), a digital nomad and full-time writer and blogger, has cracked the code on this skill and, today, shares her favorite tools for bloggers on the go.

It’s challenging for a writer to be away from the computer when inspiration strikes. I always have a notebook and my iPhone with me when I’m out-and-about, and I used such tools as the Apple Notes App, Voice recorder App, or Evernote App to capture ideas with the intention of moving them over to a Scrivener file when I returned home.

But all too often these ideas formed while on the go become creative orphans lost in the cloud. My attempt to capture my ideas turned into a waste of effort and a missed opportunity to write a blog post.

During a podcast episode with another indie author, we chatted about writing tools, styles, and challenges, and I was introduced to the Scrivener iOS App. This tool gives you the opportunity of writing on-the-go. If you’re an Apple product user this will revolutionize your writing life.

Scrivener for Writers

Scrivener has become my go-to tool for caputuring ideas and blogging on the go. Scrivener software is designed especially for writers, authors, bloggers—well really anyone who uses words to capture their ideas. You can download a free trial version of Scrivener to find out if it’s the right software for you. This trial gives you 30 days of use, so if you only use it three days per week, your trial will last for 10 weeks.

I already had the Scrivener software on my laptop to blog my books, but after my podcast discussion, I purchased the Scrivener iOS App, so I could use my iPhone to write on-the-go.

Dropbox for Cloud Storage

With the Scrivener iOS App, I can type or add speech-to-text notes directly into my iPhone, and they’re synced to another tool—my Dropbox account. This allows me to can access them on my laptop.

Dropbox is a cloud storage service that gives you 2GB of free storage across three devices, and that’s plenty of space for all of your Scrivener projects. You also have the option of purchasing more space and unlimited devices when you finally outgrow the free plan.

I have Scrivener software loaded onto my MacBook Air and my MacBook Pro, and the Scrivener App loaded onto my iPhone, and these are the three devices I sync on Dropbox.

Synced Content Across Devices

When I installed Dropbox on my computers, a folder called Dropbox was created. Any file I add to this folder is added to my Dropbox cloud account and kept in sync on both computers and my iPhone.

When I’m out and about without a computer, I always have my iPhone with me, and I use the Scrivener App to capture content I don’t want to forget. I was surprised to learn that the speech-to-text recognition functionality I use on my iPhone to record Scrivener content actually uses the Dragon software. For the most part, it’s very accurate and faster than typing on my iPhone’s little keypad.

At last, a process that keeps my Scrivener content in one centralized location that allows me to work on my book projects when I’m away from my computer.

Scrivener Synching Best Practices

Here are a few things you need to know about synching between devices and backing up your Scrivener files:

• You need to be connected to the internet for Scrivener backup process to work, but it’s quick (much quicker than iCloud).
• Close files on one device before you start working on them on another device so that the latest versions are available in your Dropbox cloud account.
• Sync your files on your mobile device (iPhone or iPad) before you leave home, so you can use Wi-Fi to update your files rather than using your data plan while you’re out and about. Just open your Scrivener app, and it’ll prompt you to synch now.

If you’ve been on the fence about using Scrivener as one of your writing tools, it’s a worthwhile investment in your writing career that lets you write on-the-go. Add Dropbox, and you’ll be all set.

What tools or apps do use to streamlines your blogging and writing? Share in the comments below. And, if you found this post useful, please share it!

About the Author

Jay Artale abandoned her corporate career to become a digital nomad and full-time writer. She’s an avid blogger and a nonfiction author helping travel writers and travel bloggers achieve their self-publishing goals. Join her at Birds of a Feather Press where she shares tips, advice, and inspiration to writers with an independent spirit.

Image courtesy o StockSnap / Pixabay