Every creative needs an infinite number of tools to help hone their craft and publicise their projects. We normally have zero budgets, so sometimes we are forced to do things on our own. Here are some tools I use to develop my projects. I’ve mentioned some of them in previous posts but this is the first time I’ve mashed them into one article:

Canva
This is the home for amateur graphic designing. Most of my book/novel covers and event posters are designed using canva. It has all the templates you need for social media posts. You can even create reels if you so wish. Just pick a graphic that matches your creative idea, add some of your spunk and you are good to go. There are both free and paid templates. It all depends on what your pocket prefers.

Opportunity Desk
Like the name suggests, it is the ultimate portal for opportunities. This includes jobs, funding, competitions, fellowships and everything related to them. I find it extremely useful because it seems geared towards creatives and innovators. All you need to do is subscribe to your email address for free and you will get weekly alerts on opportunities on your work desk. (See what I did there!)

ANF
Free Webinar please? If you are a homebody who would still enjoy creative learning on your ‘off’ days like I do then ANF (Africa No Filter) is the place for you. The organization’s goal is to challenge and change harmful narratives about Africa. It invites accomplished African creatives for all their webinars. As a much needed bonus, they also have funding opportunities. You can subscribe for it here.

Authors Publish
Perhaps you want to publish a novel and have no idea where to start, this is the first place you should look. Just like most of the above, a simple email subscription will get you weekly updates on publishing houses that are interested in getting your work. The founder of the platform even takes time to curate the frauds from the legit publishers. Come on now, what more would you need?

Bang2Write
B2W (in short) is mainly a platform for film and novel writing tips. It has been ranked among the top 100 writing blogs/websites in the world. The owner, Lucy V Hay, doesn’t hold back on expressing her views in the blog. She is a novelist, script editor and blogger who is the head reader at the biggest professional screenwriting festival in the world, London Screenwriting Festival. I have been following her for a long time because her articles unapologetically tear through the murk. In fact, I had my debut novel and a blog post featured on her platform. B2W also holds occasional logline competitions. I was shortlisted among the top 5 in the inaugural competition.

I have a few more tools I use but the above are the ones I always return to.

NB: I have voluntarily shared these online tools and been given no form of payment to do so. Some have free and paid options. Choose what suits you.

If you have any more online platforms that you use, please comment below.



WRITE ON!