Evening, everyone. Tonight’s post is going to be a collection of resources that I use for writing. Hopefully you’ll find something that will help you with your writing. Click the read more to see the full list.
There are a ton of great resources available, but here are just a few I’ve found useful.
These two articles by Jim Butcher on scenes and sequels are great if you’re wondering how to pace your story. Butcher goes into detail about how to craft scenes, and then how to use sequels to tie them together. I read them through fairly regularly as a refresher. Butchers blog is also great for instructions on how to write.
I’d also recommend Chuck Wendig’s blog and his books on writing. Wendig is a prolific author of a lot of great books, and he offers a ton of amazing advice in an engaging and entertaining way. I have a couple of his books, and they’re all fun and informative.
This audio book in the Great Courses series about English grammar is probably one of the more nerdy things I’ve ever listened to, but it’s such a good, thorough investigation of grammar, I kind of fell in love with it. If you’re also looking for other grammar sources, you can’t go wrong with Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. If you’re looking for a primer on grammar, I’d recommend The English Grammar Workbook for Dummies. It’s more basic, but it’s still good as a review.
I’d also recommend finding ways to either warm up or stretch your imagination. Books like 642 Things to Write About are great ways to get your mind ready to write, and there are a wide variety available online. There are also websites out there with prompts that you can use, if you don’t want to pay for a book. Google is your friend here.
I also like to make use of dictionary.com and thesaurus.com when I’m writing, especially if I’m struggling with word choice. It’s always good to keep a thesaurus and dictionary nearby, and having them in an easily searchable online format is great.
I’d also recommend finding writing groups and getting involved in those. There are a ton of groups on Facebook that you can join. I’m in one that’s specific to independent publishers, and another for National Novel Writing Month. Both are active communities with supportive members, and they’re filled with talented and helpful writers.
If you’re looking for a way to get started writing, I would recommend giving National Novel Writing Month a try. NaNoWriMo has a lot of events throughout the year, not just in November, that can give you an opportunity to learn how to find a schedule for writing and stay consistent with it. Even if you don’t write something great, getting into the habit of writing daily is a great way to improve your writing. I’ve said it before, and I’ll likely say it again, but the only way to get better at creative pursuits is to do it regularly.
I will see you all on Sunday for my weekly update. In the meantime, I hope you found this post helpful and will make use of some of these resources. If there are any that you use that you don’t see listed here, please add a comment and share with the rest of the readership. See you all soon!
