Weekend Dirty Dozen WRITERS HELPING WRITERS | Home of The Bookshelf MuseWRITERS HELPING WRITERS | Home of The Bookshelf Muse 52 Great Blogs for Self-Publishers – A Clickable List Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a post originally titled 36 Great Blogs for Self-Publishers. I’ll be taking the next a couple of days off. I wish you and those close to you a fulfilling holiday, and I’ll see you on Friday. I guess the first really “social” media was blogs. Blogs have become one the largest sources of news, information and opinion in the media landscape. For the latest news, trends and analysis In self-publishing, support for writers, insight into the publishing process, and the transition to digital books, these are the blogs I read. No, I’ve curated this list myself. Because you may want to click away from the list to visit these blogs, here’s a link you can bookmark when you want to come back: 52 Great Blogs for Self-Publishers Here’s a short URL: Have a great time! Note: The blogs do not appear in any particular order. This is a clickable list. Well, that’s the 52 blogs, as promised. So go forth and read, read, read. Be Sociable, Share!
The Write Practice Believe in Your Story In March, I took a fascinating class with Gwen Hernandez on working with the software program, Scrivener . Scrivener, available from Literature and Latte, is widely touted as a totally wonderful program for writing, and while I had owned it for a while, I knew I needed guidance in fully taking advantage of its many features. The class was great. Hernandez laid out daily information in chunks that were just right to absorb and work with. The homework was easy and helpful. I end the month with a growing level of comfort with using Scrivener—in fact, this post is written in Scrivener. WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get Scrivener is not a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get — pronounced Wizziwig) word processor. But let’s discuss the WYSIWYG question. Creating in WYSIWYG. The Compose Window of Scrivener isolates the writing in its own screen and helps you focus. Creating in Non-WYSIWYG. The relationship between layout and design and content isn’t straightforward. Status. Flexible?
MOODY WRITING The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do. Writing is a muscle. Smaller than a hamstring and slightly bigger than a bicep, and it needs to be exercised to get stronger. Think of your words as reps, your paragraphs as sets, your pages as daily workouts. Think of your laptop as a machine like the one at the gym where you open and close your inner thighs in front of everyone, exposing both your insecurities and your genitals. Procrastination is an alluring siren taunting you to google the country where Balki from Perfect Strangers was from, and to arrange sticky notes on your dog in the shape of hilarious dog shorts. The blank white page. Mark Twain once said, “Show, don’t tell.” Finding a really good muse these days isn’t easy, so plan on going through quite a few before landing on a winner. There are two things more difficult than writing. It’s so easy to hide in your little bubble, typing your little words with your little fingers on your little laptop from the comfort of your tiny chair in your miniature little house.
50 of the Best Websites for Writers There are tons of reference sites on the web that can help you find a job or write a poem, essay or story. Here is a list of the best 50 websites for writers. Reference Websites Merriam-Webster Online - Merriam Webster is the perfect place to look up words and find information. General Writing Websites Writer's Digest - Probably one of the best all-around websites for writers, Writer's Digest offers information on writing better and getting published. Fiction Writing Websites About.com - About.com publishes a Guide to Fiction Writing with general information about fiction writing and a number of community forums for both current and aspiring writers. Nonfiction Writing Websites Bella Online - This site offers a large collection of resources for nonfiction writers. Websites for Freelance Writers and Authors Media Bistro - This site is a good place to find freelance jobs online.
The Kill Zone Writer’s Toolbox | Darla Writes Here are online and print writing resources that I use regularly. I’ll be adding to the lists as I come upon other useful tools, so be sure to check this page often. Reference Dictionary.com Word of the Day. I have a hard copy of the dictionary and thesaurus, and I even have a family copy of Britannica (1963). A book every writer should own The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. Start a best books for writers collection If you’re looking to start or add to your collection, then read through my Best Books for Writers list, compiled from dozens of writers’ blogs that I visited. Resources for finding great books and stories Bartleby: Publishes the classics of literature, nonfiction, and reference free of charge. Project Gutenberg: A rich source of books that are in the public domain. The Greatest Books: This site has “the greatest books” of all time, compiled from varied and reputable lists. Questia Online Library: 5,000 public domain books (plus other tools for a fee). Goodreads. Images
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