I always find it interesting to hear about what writerly resources people find most helpful or enjoyable, so I thought I would throw together a list of some of my favorites. I’m saving it as a page so that it will be available through the top menu for all time — so you don’t have to go look at them all right now! 😉 — but I thought I would post it on the blog-proper as well. I’ll probably add to it over time, but it’s a start.
So here are some links to some neat writing resources and writing-related things, that I’ve found helpful or fun over the years. I hope you’ll find them useful too! (The sites are not mine though and not all the stuff on the sites I link to do I necessarily endorse, so proceed with caution as always… Just sayin’.)
If you have any favorite writing sites or books or resources, feel free to leave a comment! I’d love to hear them. 🙂
Enjoy!
Resources
Wordcount spreadsheets – free spreadsheets for keeping track of daily/monthly wordcounts (especially useful for NaNo-like goals).
Wordcount widgets – links to some free writing meters for blogs and sites, to keep track of your wordcount.
yWriter – free writing software created by a writer.
Pixlr – free online photo editor. I really enjoy using it for making covers and such!
Fun
Month of the Novel episodes – fun little videos about a writer trying to write a novel in a month, and the humorous adventures of herself and her characters. Although it’s especially relevant to people who have done NaNoWriMo, it’s hilarious for anybody who has ever written. I died laughing sooo many times watching these! They’re just too much fun! ❤
NaNoWriMo etc.
NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month: write a 50,000 word novel in November. I do it each year and it’s a marvelous opportunity to get a lot of writing done and connect with other writers who are also writing.
NaNoWriMo forums – There’s also a lot of info to be had in the NaNo forums, which are around all year (though they get wiped each year for a fresh start before each November session).
Camp NaNoWriMo – Can’t commit to writing 50k in a month, or can’t write during November? Camp NaNo is done twice a year for the summer (usually April and July) and has adjustable word-count goals, so it’s a good fit for the more sane writers who just want to get some words in over the summer.
Writing Advice
Author Orson Scott Card has some interesting articles on writing on his website.
Author Gail Carson Levine has some great writing-advice on her lovely blog, which I thoroughly enjoy.
Go Teen Writers has a wealth of writing-advice I’ve only begun to dip into, but I know many people who have found it very useful.
Writing Books I actually got something useful out of
(which is more than I can say of many how-to writing books I’ve read…)
Eats, Shoots and Leaves – by Lynne Truss
If you have problems with understanding punctuation/grammar, this is the book for you. And if you’re a perfectionist and punctuation addict like I am, you’re sure to love it as well! It’s extremely helpful and easy to understand while being humorous at the same time. I like to laugh, and I like to learn, and I like being a punctuation perfectionist, so this book was a bit favorite for me.
How To Write Science Fiction & Fantasy – by Orson Scott Card
Not everything in this book was helpful to me, but there were a couple ideas that I gleaned from it, and some interesting thoughts on the structure of books, including thoughts on what type of story your book might be. It’s not just for sci-fi/fantasy writers; I don’t write sci-fi, and the type of fantasy I write normally doesn’t have much fantastical in it, but I still found some worth from this book.
Anybody Can Write – by Roberta Jean Bryant
This was a refreshing look at writing, and had some good exercises that helped me through a couple things I was stuck on. I must also say that it’s one of the few non-fiction books I’ve read that I couldn’t put down. It’s not a thick book, but I couldn’t put it down for some reason and found when I was most of the way through that I had accidentally read a ton when I’d only meant to start it. It’s mainly good for the couple new ideas it has.
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What sites/book/links do you find helpful for your writing?
Deborah O'Carroll (Road of a Writer) 
Ooh! It will be fun to check these out! Thanks for the recommendations!
Hmm … writing resources. There are a lot of them I’ve looked at over the years, so I will have to get back to you on that. When I was first getting serious about writing fiction, I found most any how-to-write-novels books very helpful. Probably the best was The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes. And then I read the book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers when I was editing Family Reunion, and that was sooo helpful, especially since I naively thought I didn’t have much else to learn.
There might be some websites, so that’s what I’ll get back to you on. : )
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Neat, I may have to check those out. 🙂
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These are great! I need to read some of those books. I’m basically on a constant lookout for things to help me improve my writing, so the more things I can find, the better! I love it when fellow writers share their resources!
I wanted to let you know I awarded you over on my blog! ^___^ You can check out the tag here: http://musingsofanelf.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-olaf-award.html It’s definitely nothing you have to do! I just wanted to pass it on.
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Aww, thanks for tagging me! 🙂
Now I’m curious about your favorite writing resources. 😀 You should do a post. 😉 (Not soon, though! You need to be writing. *nod nod* *shoos you back to your desk*)
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