Logging Off, Editing with Ernest

I'm taking the weekend off to celebrate the holiday and be with my family and not be on the internet as much as possible. Selfish of me, I know, but I can get that way sometimes. Comments moderation will likely be slow and/or backed up as a result. So that your stop here was not entirely wasted, let me share some info on an online editing tool:

You can get immediate editing help for anything you write online via the desktop version of HemingwayApp, which allows you to type in (or cut-n-paste) text and then have the app edit it (first you have to highlight and delete the instructions, btw.) Here's a screenshot to explain more details:



And the text version of the same:

Hemingway App makes your writing bold and clear.

Hemingway highlights long, complex sentences and common errors; if you see a yellow highlight, shorten the sentence or split it. If you see a red highlight, your sentence is so dense and complicated that your readers will get lost trying to follow its meandering, splitting logic — try editing this sentence to remove the red.

Adverbs are helpfully shown in blue. Get rid of them and pick verbs with force instead.

You can utilize a shorter word in place of a purple one. Mouse over it for hints.

Phrases in green have been marked to show passive voice.

Paste in something you're working on and edit away. Or, click the Write button to compose something new.

I tested it with a random passage from one of my novels, and here is a screenshot of the results. It flagged me on the only two adverbs I used -- I don't loathe adverbs like some writers, so having them in the text okay with me -- and gave me a green light on everything else. I should write worse.

You can use this online tool to edit fiction, blog posts, e-mails, or basically anything you write, and it may see something you don't, so check it out when you have a chance.

Place Name Gen Ten

Ten Things to Help Name Your Fictional Location

Chaotic Shiny's Place Name Generator -- this unusual place namer gives you random names based on geographic features. Excellent if you need a particular landmark name.

Namesmade.com's Fantasy Place Name Generator -- gives you up to 100 place names, including dark and weird ones. Best for fantasy stories.

PicaStudio.com's Random Place Name Generator -- has a nice option that allows you to tick whichever names you like to keep on the page before you generate a new list. Good for fantasy stories.

Pseudo-Elizabethan Place Name Generator -- generates batches of 100 names with a distinct Dickensonian/UK-flavor. Probably best for historic or fantasy stories.

The Random Town Name Generator -- scroll down past the explanation of how it works to generate a "unique, scientifically-derided, custom-made name for the country, kingdom, area, town, city, village or place you are trying to name."

The Regency Place Name Generator -- this generator produces quality place names geared for Regency-era stories, but could work in other time periods as well.

Samuel Stoddard's Fantasy Name Generator -- the place name generator with the most customizing options; allows you to generate a wide selection of serious, fun or specialized names.

Serendipity's Place Name Generator -- Manon says this one is good for cities, countries, continents or other large areas, and I agree. Reality-based, so check your results as it may generate the name of an actual location.

Seventh Sanctum's Realm Name Generator -- this place name generator allows you to customize by size of area being named. Good for fantasy stories.

Squid.org's Random Name Generator -- has a long list of customizing options you can sort through to see which suits your story.