Resources for Writers!
On Writing Craft:
• First, the most obvious: if there's any writer out there not already listening to Writing Excuses, do. 15-minute episodes available for free, on all aspects of writing craft, story structure, and author life, by 4 excellent authors. 11 seasons and counting. I started at Season 6, listened through to Season 11, then went back and listened to seasons 1-5 (and have been re-listening to all ever since. There's always more details to hear.)
Click here: Writing Excuses Season 6
• Second, a Master's Class on writing: Brandon Sanderson's ENGL 321 class (now English 318R) at BYU, posted yearly on YouTube. 2013 is my particular favorite, filmed by WriteAboutDragons; 2014, 2015, and 2016 are available for free as well. Stellar chance to sit in a classroom and listen to a bestselling author, and not just for aspiring fantasy writers.
Click here: Brandon Sanderson's ENGL 321 2013 Lectures
• Third, the single most helpful writing advice I've ever read: Jim Butcher's livejournal posts on story craft. I have these printed off and taped to my wall. I may someday etch them in gold. Click here:
There's more if you scroll down his livejournal homepage. Karen Woodward also has Jim Butcher's posts well-organized here, with more of his writing advice from interviews, etc. (this is where I originally found them)
• Jim Butcher is also an excellent speaker, and he gives a short (and funny and incredibly helpful) summation of story skeleton, conflict, character, etc. at this FaerieCon Lecture, in 2 parts: Story Structure at FaerieCon East
• Fourth: Bestselling YA author Marissa Meyer's fantastic posts on outlining and revision, archived at her blog under: Writing Tips. Particularly the post on second-draft revisions, here: From Idea to Finished Step 5: The Second Draft
• Fifth: Bestselling YA author Maggie Stiefvater's brilliant post on all things writing, archived at her blog under: How I Write.. Especially a series of posts showing editorial changes from first draft to second draft of The Scorpio Races: 'From Rough To Final: A Dissection of Revision.'
• And, perma-bound.com, for looking up word counts of published novels. Search novel title, select novel, then click 'reading information.'
Inspiration:
• First, the single most inspiring blog post I've ever read (without which I may never have found the courage to abandon a finished degree and potential office jobs and salaries, in favor of unstable seasonal work in order to write uninterrupted all winter long). Laini Taylor: Creating Your Life
• And second, lest anyone else be plagued by a perfectionist, self-criticizing brain: bestselling author Laini Taylor again, with encouragement on writing in spite of perfectionism: 'My Brain is a Jerk'
• 'Not For Robots,' Laini Taylor's earlier blog from before she wrote Daughter of Smoke and Bone, is an excellent- excellent- collection of essays on writing, brainstorming technique, perseverance, and her success story. Inspiring and honest.
• Bestselling YA author Kristin Cashore's blog posts on writing and uncertainty and anxiety and trying to write anyway, particularly this one: 'A Question About Writing and Fear'
• More from Kristin Cashore: this extraordinary post on the lengthy and exhausting writing and revision of Bitterblue - her third book, after 2 bestsellers. Whenever I feel frustrated that writing is impossible and the first drafts too long and it's never going to be finished, I read this. She's a published author; this still happened to her. Sometimes it just takes ages. And, at the end, the book was awesome. 'Writing Bitterblue: Pictures of a Book Being Made."
