Over the past few months, I’ve taken a writing course from my new online friend Jeff Goins. It’s the most significant thing I’ve done this year (perhaps ever) to grow as a writer. And with as many things I’ve done, that’s saying a lot. I was part of the inaugural class and now Jeff is […]
Tag: resources
November is National Novel Writing Month, “NaNoWriMo” for short. The idea is to write with abandon throughout the month, completing the first draft of a novel by November 30. Writers who embark on this annual quest, do so within a community of other sojourners who encourage and support one another to keep moving forward. (In […]
Each weekday I’m treated to a new vocabulary word that arrives via email. It is called “A Word A Day” and is provided by author, speaker, and linguaphile (word lover) Anu Garg. Starting 1994, the subscriber list is now over a million strong. Although the words shared have little chance of being added to my […]
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Who Do You Write Like?
Check out the I write like website (iwl.me). The premise is simple. You paste some you work into a text box and click “analyze.” The site will then tell you what famous author you write like. It is most interesting, but I’m not sure if it is much more. In testing a half a dozen […]
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Do You Write Like A Dude?
Have you ever read an article and wondered about the author’s gender? I have; then I check the byline only to be stymied with an indeterminate first name, such as “Terry” or a “Lynn” or merely their first and second initials. Towards that end, I recently stumbled upon an interesting website, The Gender Guesser. The […]
Writing is a solitary effort, a task pursued in private. Yet the result is public. Bridging that gap, between originator and audience, sits the critique group. A properly functioning assemblage will help members distinguish between their junk and their jewels, serving to keep the drivel under wraps while propelling the exceptional to greater heights. While […]
Another helpful resource for writers is magazines, specifically magazines about writing. What you can expect from a writer’s magazine includes tips on writing, writing contests, writing exercises, writing samples and critiques, and interviews with authors, agents, and publishers. While not every article will be of interest to everyone, every issue will have at least one […]
Writing conferences are a great place for writers, whether accomplished in their craft or just starting out. At a writing conference, there are many outcomes that can be reasonably expected. In no particular order, they are: Encouragement: Conferences can lift up the discouraged or struggling writer. This is coupled with providing a healthy dose of […]
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Resources for Writers
Although writing is largely a solitary endeavor, it is not wise to go it alone. It is critical to not work in a vacuum and to tap into many of the resources available to writers. In the past I shared the importance of reading as a tool to help form and better inform your craft […]