Best Writing Advice Blogs
Fiction University (Janice Hardy)
Jami Gold’s Blog (she is the queen of Beat Sheets & offers free plot sheets to download)
Helping Writers Become Authors (K.M. Weiland)
Writer Unboxed (Agent Donald Maass is one of their columnists)
James Scott Bell’s writing advice
Mythcreants (all their examples are tailor made for geeks & nerds and draw from popular TV series and movies)
Secrets of Story (Matt Bird) (brilliant analysis of movies & TV shows, applicable to novels as well)
Best Writing Podcasts
Alone In the Room With Invisible People by Rebecca Galardo & Holly Lisle
Writing Excuses with Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler & Dan Wells (and others)
A Supportive and Friendly Writing Community We Highly Recommend (& are members of)
Learn to Write Flash Fiction Stories
We have taken several of Holly’s paid classes but she offers this one 100% free. It teaches you to write 500-1000 word long Flash Fiction short stories. Why learn short stories, you might wonder…
- FF teaches you to write tight and lean scenes, a skill that ports over to your regular writing
- FF is a great way to create content for your blog and newsletter, and to flash out character backstories.
- You can quickly try experimental, new writing styles, and test story ideas.
- FF is fast to revise. You get more practice in that vital area of writing.
Try the Flash Fiction class out. You will learn a lot.
Writing life in general. What is it like to be an author, How to have a long term writing career.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron (the term morning pages was coined up by Julie)
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Writer Psychology (the Psychology of Creativity, How to stay motivated, How to beat fear and the Resistance, How to quiet the Inner Editor. How to keep writing.)
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Do the Work by Steven Pressfield
Chapter After Chapter by Heather Sellers
The Artist’s Way Workbook by Julie Cameron
The Right to Write by Julie Cameron
Dear Writer, Are You Doing It Wrong by Becca Syme
The Write Attitude by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
The Pursuit of Perfection and How it Harms Writers by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Dear Writer, Are You In Burnout? by Becca Syme
Conquering Writer’s Block & Summoning Inspiration by K.M. Weiland
The Lifelong Writing Habit: The Secret to Writing Every Day by Chris Fox
Writer productivity. How to write faster and with less waste
Dear Writer, You Need to Quit by Becca Symes (and by quitting she means stop doing processes that don’t work for you, and that don’t feed into your personal strong areas)
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
How to Write Pulp Fiction by James Scott Bell
Productivity for Authors: Find Time to Write, Organize Your Author Life and Decide What Really Matters by Joanna Penn
5,000 Word Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter by Chris Fox (The secret: Dictation)
WRITING CRAFT BOOKS
General Writing Books That Cover a Bit of Everything (and Are Awesome)
The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface by Donald Maass
Writing the Breakout Novel: Insider Advice For Taking Your Novel to the Next Level by Donald Maass
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass
The Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great by Donald Maass (so many useful questions, I return to this book over and over again -Reetta)
How to Come Up With Ideas, How to Evaluate Them. High Concept ideas etc.
Your Idea Machine by William C Martell
Plotting, Story Structure, Beats, Story types, Conflict, Stakes, Twists
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
Save the Cat! Strikes Back by Blake Snyder
My Story Can Beat Up Your Story: Ten Ways to Toughen Up Your Screenplay From Opening Hook to Knockout Punch by Jeffrey Schrechter
Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises For Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers From Start to Finish by James Scott Bell
Elements of Fiction Writing – Conflict and Suspence by James Scott Bell
Write Your Novel From the Middle: A New Approach For Plotters, Pantsers and Everyone by James Scott Bell
The Last Fifty Pages: The Art and Craft of Unforgettable Endings by James Scott Bell
Plotman to the Rescue: A Troubleshooting Guide to Fixing Your Toughest Plot Problems by James Scott Bell
Outlining Your Novel by K.M. Weiland (there is also a workbook)
Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland (there is also a workbook)
Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure by Janice Hardy (there is also a workbook)
Secrets of Story by Matt Bird
Plot Gardening: Write Faster, Write Smarter by Chris Fox
The Writer’s Journey. Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
Pantsing (writing without outlines)
Writing Into the Dark by Dean Wesley Smith
How to Write Characters
Creating Strong Protagonists by William C Martell
Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland
The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma by Becca Puglisi & Angela Ackerman
Voice
VOICE: The Secret Power of Great Writing by James Scott Bell
Writing Voice: The Complete Guide to Creating a Presence on the Page and Engaging Readers by Writer’s Digest Editors
Scenes & Hooks
Hook’Em in Ten! by William C Martell
Scene Secrets by William C Martell
How to Write Better Dialogue & Description
How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript by James Scott Bell
Understanding Show, Don’t Tell (And Really Getting It) by Janice Hardy
Visual Storytelling by William C Martell
Deep Point of View by Marcy Kennedy
Method Acting for Writers: Learn Deep Point of View Using Emotional Layers by Lisa Hall-Wilson
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression by Becca Puglisi & Angela Ackerman
Revising Your Novel
Revision and Self-Editing For Publication: Techniques For Transforming Your First Draft Into a Novel That Sells by James Scott Bell
Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft by Janice Hardy
Traditional Publishing, Querying & Agents
Closing the Deal… On Your Terms: Agents, Contracts and Other Considerations by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Self-Publishing (congrats, you’re running a business)
Business For Authors: How to Be an Author Enterpreneur by Joanna Penn
Think Like a Publisher by Dean Wesley Smith
Collaborations: When the Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of the Parts by Craig Martelle
Book Marketing & Your Author Platform & Author Brand, Audience Analysis (the strategy)
Discoverability: A WMG Writer’s Guide by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Your First 1000 Copies: The Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Your Book by Tim Grahl
Strangers to Superfans: A Marketing Guide to the Reader Journey by David Gaughran
Write to Market: Deliver a Book That Sells by Chris Fox (great guide to audience research)
Six Figure Author: Using Data to Sell Books by Chris Fox
Lets Get Digital: How to Self-Publish and Why You Should by David Gaughran
Book Packaging (book covers, cover blurbs, pricing)
Book Launching
Book Launch Bookprint: The Step-by-Step Guide to a Bestselling Launch by Tim Grahl
Launch to Market: Easy Marketing to Authors by Chris Fox
Release Strategies: Plan Your Self-Publishing Schedule for Maximum Benefit by Craig Martelle
Author Newsletters
Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert by Tammi L. Labreque
Blogging & Social Media for Authors
Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer by Kristen Lamb
Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a Digital World by Kristen Lamb
Marketing Tactics like Advertising
Ads for Authors Who Hate Math by Chris Fox
BookBub Ads Expert: A Marketing Guide to Author Discoverability by David Gaughran