I'm a home school mom and have always believed that you should always keep learning and growing. Right now I am constantly learning new things about the process of writing and publishing. Having good resources at your fingertips is essential. These are some valuable links I use for writing (in no particular order).
Daily Writing Tips http://www.dailywritingtips.com/ This site has articles about all kinds of writing topics. It also has news about contests and book reviews. It is a treasure trove of information.
The Seekers/Seekerville Blog http://seekerville.blogspot.com/ This blog is chock full of wonderful advice and interviews from some of the hottest authors in Christian fiction today. They also give updates on contests, book signings, and often give away books.
Thesaurus http://thesaurus.reference.com/ I use this constantly. It is so much easier to search online for that perfect word than to pull out my book and search. You can click on the top of the page and change from the thesaurus to a dictionary or encyclopedia as well.
Audio Bible http://www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html This site allows you to search through many different versions of the Bible by either verse, topic or key word. It is a wonderful tool for both Bible study and writing purposes.
Kaye Dacus' Writing Series http://kayedacus.com/writing-series-index/ Kaye has compiled a wonderful series of lessons on everything from point of view, showing vs. telling, subplots and everything in between. It is well worth checking out and spending time there.
STET! http://backspacewriters.blogspot.com/2009/06/everything-you-need-to-know-about.html An article about writing the dreaded query letter. Since this is such an important task for a writer, hints and advice are always helpful.
STET! http://backspacewriters.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-to-get-your-name-in-news.html This article is about marketing and how to take advantage of opportunities to market yourself and your book.
American Christian Fiction Writers http://www.acfw.com/index.shtml They host classes, have support loops, conferences… it is a wealth of support and information, especially if you become a member. The price is well worth the benefits.
Romance Writers of America http://www.rwanational.org/cs/home They also host classes and contests. Their membership prices are higher, but you can enter many of the contests and classes without being a member, it just costs slightly more.
Suspense With a Twist: Top 10 Mistakes New Fiction Writers Make http://suzanne-hartmann.blogspot.com/2008/04/top-10-mistakes-new-fiction-writers.html Suzanne Hartmann shares an excellent list of ten essentials every writer needs to hone their craft. I only wish I had discovered this list sooner. It gives wonderful descriptions and examples of each item; making it clear what needs to be done to fix the problem.
1000 Verbs to Write By http://deannacarlyle.com/articles/verb.html Deanna Carlyle has come up with a wonderful shortcut to writing stronger verbs. This list gives you the weak or passive verb at the top and new choices underneath. She allows sharing the list, as long as you give her credit. It's a wonderful quick reference.
Articles by Deanna Carlyle http://deannacarlyle.com/articles/main.html These articles cover some topics I hadn't seen before, like knowing about foreign rights and who has the power, you or your publisher? Subplots and characterization are also covered in interesting ways. Drop by and see what she has to say.
I have made a Character Bio Worksheet in Microsoft Word that tracks up to six characters at a time. It is not a very fancy sheet (I like to keep things simple to use) but it will allow you to easily keep track of names, descriptions, jobs, important dates, hobbies, love interests, enemies, etc. The fields can expand downward to take up more lines if needed. I just copy the blank table, insert a page break and paste a new one. As long as you keep one blank, you can keep pasting more as needed. If you would like a copy, just click here.
Daily Writing Tips http://www.dailywritingtips.com/ This site has articles about all kinds of writing topics. It also has news about contests and book reviews. It is a treasure trove of information.
The Seekers/Seekerville Blog http://seekerville.blogspot.com/ This blog is chock full of wonderful advice and interviews from some of the hottest authors in Christian fiction today. They also give updates on contests, book signings, and often give away books.
Thesaurus http://thesaurus.reference.com/ I use this constantly. It is so much easier to search online for that perfect word than to pull out my book and search. You can click on the top of the page and change from the thesaurus to a dictionary or encyclopedia as well.
Audio Bible http://www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html This site allows you to search through many different versions of the Bible by either verse, topic or key word. It is a wonderful tool for both Bible study and writing purposes.
Kaye Dacus' Writing Series http://kayedacus.com/writing-series-index/ Kaye has compiled a wonderful series of lessons on everything from point of view, showing vs. telling, subplots and everything in between. It is well worth checking out and spending time there.
STET! http://backspacewriters.blogspot.com/2009/06/everything-you-need-to-know-about.html An article about writing the dreaded query letter. Since this is such an important task for a writer, hints and advice are always helpful.
STET! http://backspacewriters.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-to-get-your-name-in-news.html This article is about marketing and how to take advantage of opportunities to market yourself and your book.
American Christian Fiction Writers http://www.acfw.com/index.shtml They host classes, have support loops, conferences… it is a wealth of support and information, especially if you become a member. The price is well worth the benefits.
Romance Writers of America http://www.rwanational.org/cs/home They also host classes and contests. Their membership prices are higher, but you can enter many of the contests and classes without being a member, it just costs slightly more.
Suspense With a Twist: Top 10 Mistakes New Fiction Writers Make http://suzanne-hartmann.blogspot.com/2008/04/top-10-mistakes-new-fiction-writers.html Suzanne Hartmann shares an excellent list of ten essentials every writer needs to hone their craft. I only wish I had discovered this list sooner. It gives wonderful descriptions and examples of each item; making it clear what needs to be done to fix the problem.
1000 Verbs to Write By http://deannacarlyle.com/articles/verb.html Deanna Carlyle has come up with a wonderful shortcut to writing stronger verbs. This list gives you the weak or passive verb at the top and new choices underneath. She allows sharing the list, as long as you give her credit. It's a wonderful quick reference.
Articles by Deanna Carlyle http://deannacarlyle.com/articles/main.html These articles cover some topics I hadn't seen before, like knowing about foreign rights and who has the power, you or your publisher? Subplots and characterization are also covered in interesting ways. Drop by and see what she has to say.
I have made a Character Bio Worksheet in Microsoft Word that tracks up to six characters at a time. It is not a very fancy sheet (I like to keep things simple to use) but it will allow you to easily keep track of names, descriptions, jobs, important dates, hobbies, love interests, enemies, etc. The fields can expand downward to take up more lines if needed. I just copy the blank table, insert a page break and paste a new one. As long as you keep one blank, you can keep pasting more as needed. If you would like a copy, just click here.
Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.
~Rose Franken~
~Rose Franken~
Inspirational
Writing, Reviews & Reading
Lee Smith