Writing Resources

Over the few years that I've been writing seriously, I have discovered many resources that have inspired me to write and taught me a lot about my craft. I'm going to share a few of these today. 

Write To Done , Writerology , and She's Novel

These websites are full of super helpful articles about writing, from crafting characters with mental illnesses to articles on pre-writing. These websites have it all. If you're looking for a place to learn I would highly recommend all three of these sites!

The Second Sentence

This is one of the first blogs I stumbled upon while I was looking for articles on writing. It's the blog of Elisabeth Foley. She's a self-published author who writes historical fiction. She has a lot of great information to share about how self-publishing works and other writing related topics. I have really enjoyed reading her blog over the past year. 

Spilling Ink, by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter

A few years back I found this book at the library. I decided to give it a try and instantly fell in love with it. The moment I finished it, I ordered a copy from Amazon and now I read through it at least once a year. I always learn something new from it and it really encourages me to write. This book is basically a how-to-write-a-novel book for kids and it is so cute! The writing styles of these two women perfectly balance each other out and there is so much great information within its pages. It's a goldmine. There are sections on characters, plots, messy first drafts and the writing process. It's a wonderfully written, fun-loving book. I highly recommend it to writer's of all ages.

The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall

 

This book is the reason I wanted to become a writer. Never does a year go by when I don't read through the series. I can't remember a time when I didn't know who Jeffrey Tifton was, or Yaz and Carla. I've grown up with Jane, Skye, Rosalind and Batty and with every book I've grown to love them more. This book is a sweet story about a family's summer vacation and the friends they make there. But how did this book inspire me to become a writer? On the back flap of the book it says:

By the time I was ten or eleven, I'd run out of books to read. Each week I'd go to the library hoping that one of my favorite authors had written something new. Or even better, maybe I'd find a new author who wrote just the kind of books I loved the best. But most weeks I'd have to take home books I'd already read eight, nine or ten times. I promised myself then that I'd become a writer someday, to give readers like me a few more books to disciver and enjoy. 

That story, along with a natural love of books and writing them, began my journey as a writer from stapling together pieces of paper and writing picture books, to writing (or trying) a full novel. 

That's the end of this post! I have decided to change my schedule to Mondays and Thursdays. Those days work much better with my schedule. If you have any books or websites that were helpful to you when you started writing then please comment below. Thank you!