Well, I’ve decided to go the way of the mighty news portal websites and blogs by starting a “weekend links” segment. I’m not promising anything; really, I’m not even promising that I’ll continue this shameful excuse of using other peoples’ content to fill out my own. But, rest assured that these links are pieces of content that I’ve found somewhat helpful, inspiring, or downright life-changing (I’ll you decide which are which!).
These are all links to blogs and websites that I frequent, either in person or through my awesome Mac RSS reader (aptly named “Reeder”) and the apps from the great people at ReadItLater. I have culled these from the most obscure of places as well as the most popular websites alike, and each of these links has served a purpose for me–either helping to solve a problem, get something written in a gooder better way, or to just give me a little inspiration along the way.
I hope you enjoy these links as much as I have; be sure to visit each site and subscribe to their lists, as well as mine! Also, if you aren’t yet aware, I started up the mailing list again, so be sure to grab that sweet chunk of free stuff.Without further ado:
The Most Inspirational Content Ever for Writers
Section 1: Writing Stuff Down
Okay, I know I split my infinitive up there, but I don’t care. That’s the editing section, and it comes later. In this section are a few links that helped me out during my initial writing phases of my first novel, The Golden Crystal. By the way, if you want to read a FREE preview of it, I’d love for you to check it out!
- Balancing Plot and Character - A great post; an even better set of examples that take this often “idealistic” subject from something fluffy and nonspecific to a very actionable, useful level.
- Plot Holes: What They Are, and How to Avoid Them – Um, if you write fiction, drop everything NOW and read this post. It’s pretty much all you’ll need to know about avoiding the pitfalls common to fiction-plotters.
- Theme Thoughts – Also by AutoCrit.com, this post covers that touchy-feely subject we all avoided like the plague in high school: theme. Yeah, remember that? Heart of Darkness and Moby Dick? Ok, I don’t either, but apparently they had theme, so your stories should too.
- The Most Neglected Writing Tip - A list of great writing posts wouldn’t be complete without something by the great (and now esteemed!) writer, Jeff Goins. He’s got a book deal, an awesome blog, and a huge newsletter–what more could us internet folk want from life?
- Using the Green-Eyed Monster – NovelDog.com is also a cool “all-you-need-in-one-place” sort of writing site, and this post is one that stood out to me.
Section 2: That Part We All Forget About, Or “Editing”
- Story Flow – I put this here because I didn’t understand that it might have helped before the editing process began. If you’re at this point, this post will help. If you’re not at this point, read it anyway–you’ll be there soon!
- Editing Made Easy - Lee does a great job persuading us that editing is, in fact, easy. If I ever get the chance to meet him, I haven’t decided if I’ll buy him a drink or throw one in his face. In all seriousness, though, this is a killer post!
- Editing Fiction – Another of Lee’s posts, this one’s a great primer into the details and methods of editing your fiction manuscript. I used his methods, along with Techniques of the Selling Writer, a FANTASTIC book for fiction writing, to edit my first novel.
Section 3: Promoting Your Book
For me, book promotion and marketing has been one of the best parts of writing a novel. I can’t think of how many hours I’ve spent (wasted, really) learning about book promotion and checking out yet another place I can submit my book’s trailer. The following articles are some of the best:
- Author Promotions: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – AutoCrit.com, if you can’t tell, is one of my favorite places to get a quick shot of writing espresso. This post on promotion for authors hits the nail on the head.
- How to Increase Your Name Recognition – Julie gives us some great tips–very actionable–to increase our promotional pull as authors. Check it out.
- The Best Promotional Bang for Your Buck – J.A. Konrath has one of the best self-publishing blogs out there, and if you’re not already reading it, you should. This post is just one of many that helped me get started.
- Creating An Internet Identity: For Authors - You already know that if you don’t have your own author site, you’re probably behind. This post uncovers some of the other ways you might be falling behind.
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