Posts
Last year I posted some of the 101 Best Websites for Writers, chosen by the Writers Digest Magazine. Several people thought this was a good idea since they didn't take the magazine. So I'm doing it again, and hope some of these sites prove to be useful and of value to you.
Easy Street Prompts:
easystreetprompts.blogspot.com
This blog offers both photo and video prompts to get your muse working overtime.
The Story Starter:
thestorystarter.com
This is a database that can generate over 3 billion opening lines. See what kind of story your imagination can create with a few of these openers.
Anne R. Allen's Blog...With Ruth Harris:
annerallen.blogspot.com
This is a great blog for all kinds of writing advice and information. I took a workshop with Anne a couple of years ago, and she is fantastic. I highly recommend this blog in particular.
Grammar Bytes!:
chompchomp.com
Sometimes we all get confused about certain bits of grammar, and this is a site where you can learn and have fun at the same time. There is a lot of advice and even exercises for you to do. "It's writing instruction with Spunk!"
InkyGirl.com:
inkygirl.com
A good site for those of us who write for children and young adults. Author Debbie Ridpath Ohi is humorous, inspirational, and has lots of writing tips, author interviews, and more.
Jane Friedman:
janefriedman.com
Her posts are tagged "Writing, reading, and publishing in the digital age." Her website and social media network are great examples of "platform building" for those who are interested.
The Kill Zone:
killzoneauthors.blogspot.com
These are 11 mystery and thriller authors who reach out to fellow writers of suspense, but their writing tips and advice often cross into other genres.
Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers:
plotwhisperer.blogspot.com
Do you ever get tied up in your plot, and can't visualize just how to get from here to there? Does your plot ever start taking off on its own, and wind up in the outer sphere somewhere? Writing Instructor Martha Alderson is just the person to help you solve some of your biggest plot problems.
The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment:
theqqqe.blogspot.com
Writing a query? Frustrated? Wondering what in the world do agents and publishers really want in a query? This is just the spot for you! It's a hilarious blog aimed at helping writers avoid the same mistakes that author Matthew McNish has made on his publication journey ( still in progress). He posts and critiques real queries, and asks his blog followers to chime in with what they think.
Preditors and Editors:
pred-ed.com
I post this one all the time, because I think it is invaluable. As writers, no matter whether we are experienced, already published, newly published, or new writers, we can all be taken in by the many scams in the publishing industry. This is THE site to go to for information to avoid the many fraudulent or questionable publishing organizations and businesses.
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If you are in the ongoing quest for an agent, here are two of the best places to go for agent information:
Agent Query:
agentquery.com
Anyone looking for an agent had better know about this website! It is a free database of more than 900 literary agents and what they are currently seeking. However, if you are serious about getting an agent, it will be even MORE beneficial to you to pay the $40 per year membership. If you are a paid member, you can get a world of knowledge about agents that the free database won't give you: charts concerning the % of queries they get, reject, ask for partials, for full manuscripts, and how many they accept; you get printouts of all the agents seeking your genre, with a lot of information that doesn't come free; and even more. I highly recommend this site, AND the membership fee if you are really going for an agent.
Pub Rants:
pubrants.blogspot.com
This blog is run by Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agents, and offers her expert advice ranging from the basics such as submission protocol, to the more complicated process of figuring out contract negotiations.
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That's it for now. Next week I'll post some more of these great websites.
Until next time,
That's a wrap.
