Recommended reads & Online resources
Practical advice for editing and revising your own work. You can link below, or find them all on my page at Bookshop.org, where 10 percent of all proceeds directly go to independent bookstores.
Sol Stein: Stein on Writing, How to Grow a Novel
Master editor Sol Stein’s practical, invaluable books on the craft of the craft offer clear, understandable advice on every element of creating a novel, from one of the best in the business.
Donald Maass: Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook
Maass’s book by the same name is a helpful resource for authors, but the workbook is filled with hands-on, practical exercises to help you hone areas like character motivation, plot, tension, etc.
Michael Hauge: Writing Screenplays That Sell
I recommend this book frequently to authors–its concepts are as applicable to fiction and narrative nonfiction as to screenwriting. Concise, insightful information about storytelling that includes Hauge’s wonderful Six-stage Plot Structure, a great device for stories where you feel “stuck” to help you map your way out.
Every author should know how to properly use his or her tools tools, and prime among those is grammar. This industry-standard reference book is well laid out and presents clear, practical explanations for correct language use in everything from basic grammar rules to what to capitalize, what to italicize, what to hyphenate, and thousands of other minute points that the professional writer needs to know. The exhaustive index allows you to quickly find exactly what you’re looking for.
More of My Favorite Books on Writing:
Blogs
Jane Friedman: For the business side of the business, there are few folks more knowledgeable than Jane. With more than 20 years in the industry, she offers the touted Hot Sheet newsletter about industry news, as well as her own business books for writers; offers top-notch affordable online webinars and courses; and her award-winning blog and her wonderful Sunday Business Sermons offer excellent advice on everything from business strategy to craft to the writer’s life. She’s on the cutting edge of how digital advances are driving the publishing industry, and any author serious about success in publishing would benefit from her experience and knowledge.
Writer’s Digest is the longtime industry standard for articles about everything related to writing in every genre at every level and in nearly any aspect of the craft, business, and life of writers.
Writer Unboxed: Populated by a variety of industry professionals–authors, agents, editors, etc.–and covering a wide array of topics relevant to authors (including editor Ray Rhamey’s delightful “Flog a Pro” series where he analyzes the first page of bestsellers and weighs in on whether he’d read further, and why or why not), this is one of my favorite writing blogs.
We Grow Media: Dan Blank is an author and marketing specialist who works with creative people to help them connect with their audience and share their work. His weekly newsletter blog posts are a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration for creative people, and his book Be the Gateway is a refreshing way of looking at the process of finding and making meaningful connections with your intended audience–not just peddling product. In his inspiring podcasts, he talks with creative people about how they made the leap from talking about their creative goals to achieving them.
Michael Hauge’s Story Mastery: Michael is one of my favorite story experts, a consultant and teacher for everyone from Hollywood filmmakers to authors to corporate speakers. His blog is full of insights and advice on crafting effective, compelling stories that will engage and affect readers.
Writers in the Storm: Great advice from experienced authors and editors (I’m a contributor) on craft, creativity, business, and more, including editor Margie Lawson‘s fascinating, enlightening posts on effective prose with her “psychologically-based editing systems and deep editing techniques.”
The Creative Penn: Voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer’s Digest, this blog is by Joanna Penn, a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction and highly successful indie author who shares advice, experience, and inspiration about every aspect of the craft and business of writing. (Check out her podcast too.)
Helping Writers Become Authors: Author K. M. Weiland’s blog posts and craft books are always insightful, useful, and practical, particularly for structure and character. Check out her podcast as well.
Live, Write, Thrive: This is author, editor, and book coach C. S. Lakin’s site, and she posts weekly about various elements of craft and the writer’s life, as well as offering an array of books on various writing-related topics.
Women Writers, Women’s Books: A trove of great articles and interviews by and with top authors, editors, and agents. Great for craft and the business of the business.
Grammar Girl: Where to go for pithy, easy-to-absorb answers to vexing issues of grammar.
The Oatmeal: Not all of the Oatmeal’s hilarious comics relate to grammar, but the ones that do are a really fun way to remember bugaboos like i.e. versus e.g., or how to use a semicolon. (And if you get sidetracked into Matthew Inman’s other entertaining comics, quizzes, or blogs you won’t be sorry.)
Podcasts
There are so many wonderful podcasts out there for authors, and more all the time; it’s impossible to present an exhaustive list, but here are some I especially enjoy.
WD podcasts: This is the podcast channel for the venerable Writer’s Digest magazine, hosted by content editor Michael Woodson (with occasional appearances by editor-in-chief Amy Jones). The show features in-depth interviews with working authors about their craft, process, career, and the writing life.
The Indy Author Podcast: Host Matty Dalrymple is terrific at attracting top-notch guests from all corners of the publishing industry, and conducting in-depth interviews that offer solid, practical advice on writing craft and business.
The Rebel Author: Prose-obsessed author and editor Sacha Black offers “interviews, industry news, tips, tricks and tools to help you take your creative business to the next level.”
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing: Not only does host Bianca Marais conduct wide-ranging and unique interviews with top authors and industry professionals, but cohosts Carly Watters and Cecilia Lyra offer in-depth feedback and constructive critique of actual query letters and first pages authors submit to the show in the regular “Books with Hooks” feature–a hands-on way to learn from two experienced literary agents skills to set you apart from the slush pile.
Ink in Your Veins (formerly How Do You Write): Author Rachael Herron interviews working writers about their processes, and offers “tips to get in the chair, tricks to stay there, and inspiration to get your own words flowing.” Rachael has great resources on her website too.
The Story Blender: Master storyteller Steven James interviews other master storytellers on the secrets to great storytelling. Previous guests include Sue Grafton, Orson Scott Card, Meg Gardiner, Jeffery Deaver, and Robert Dugoni, along with comedians, actors, Emmy Award-winning screenwriters, and more.
The #AmWriting podcast with hosts KJ Dell’Antonia, Jess Lahey, and Sarina Bowen–and now Jennie Nash–offers craft, productivity, and creativity advice and insight through wide-ranging interviews with writers across a spectrum of genres and fields, as well as fun “myth busting” episodes and discussions of topics proposed by listeners.
The Downtown Writers’ Jam: I’m obsessed with former Wired editor Brad King’s laid-back, conversational, deep and broad hour-long discussions with writers: “We don’t talk about themes or the writing process. Instead, we have the kind of discussions writers have when are readers aren’t around. We talk about the events that shaped us growing up, current affairs, and why we write about what we do.” Some of my favorite interviews on the web.
88 Cups of Tea: This popular podcast is hosted by the charming Yin Chang, who brings her effervescence and warmth to enlightening, in-depth interviews with authors, editors, and other industry professionals. “We explore and unpack conversations that touch on topics like overcoming rejections and challenges, querying tips and crafting advice, lifestyle habits that support the heart and the soul, what it means to be human while navigating a creative path, and more. We pride ourselves in nurturing a supportive environment that aims to encourage, inspire, and entertain.” They succeed.
DIY MFA: Author, speaker, and self-professed word nerd Gabriela Pereira’s exhaustive array of writing tools and exercises help authors dig down to the core of their craft and build from there; her excellent podcast features top authors and industry pros talking about the craft and business of writing.
Write Minded: This podcast, created by She Writes founder Brooke Warner and NaNoWriMo founder Grant Faulkner, offers wonderful inspiration and advice through interviews with authors and industry professionals out of a “shared spirit of community, collaboration, and a deeply held belief that everyone is a writer, and everyone’s story matters.”
Reading and Writing: Host Jeff Rutherford offers insightful glimpses into both writers’ books as well as their writing processes in his interviews with the industry’s top authors and professionals.
Creative Writing: A Master Class offers free podcasts of more than 40 authors–like Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, John Updike, Gore Vidal, and many more–talking about the craft of writing.
Researching agents, publishers,
self-publishing services, etc.
When considering hiring any professional to help you create, publish, or market your manuscript, make sure you check out the services you’re considering. For a free guide with tips for what to look for in an editor, where to look, what to ask, etc., just sign up for my newsletter here. Don’t worry–I’ll never sell your info, and I won’t inundate your in-box, just share occasional offers and information.
Writer Beware: Do yourself a favor and just start with Victoria Strauss’s excellent blog (affiliated with the SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) that helps authors avoid the many cons and scams that are unfortunately endemic in this business. Writer Beware is a helpful resource that serves as a guide to publishers and publishing professionals—with warnings for those with verifiable track records of unethical behavior. You can read her excellent overview of scams and schemes here, and find an extensive list of specific ones here.
Absolute Write Water Cooler This forum lets you see feedback and evaluations from people who have had experiences with a wide variety of industry professionals. Lots of existing threads here on hundreds of companies and people, so make sure you do a search before you start a new one.
Publisher’s Marketplace Some good info to be found here about member agents, editors, publishers, etc.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has wonderful advice and guidance about selecting agents to query.
I’m an endless fan of the Authors Guild, a professional organization that works to advocate for and safeguard the rights of authors. Member benefits are vast, including services, resources, classes for authors, and much more, but whether you’re a member or not, you can access their excellent example/explanation of a sample standard publishing contract here.
Now you know who to query; the next question is how.
There is loads of advice about this online, much of it by agents and publishers and experienced authors. Here are a few to get you started:
I offer a two-part guide to writing query letters here and here.
The broadly knowledgeable (and unfailingly generous) Jane Friedman has put together for authors collating her best advice on querying most every type of manuscript.
The Nelson Literary Agency In a column on the right on this page of Kristin Nelson’s blog, you will see sections for query letters, with some examples and great guidelines.
Nathan Bransford, formerly an agent and now an author, also offers great advice.
Agent Query offers a list of agents, along with what they represent, how they prefer to be contacted, and other info about them, and features some tools for tracking your queries. There is also a good article on this site about getting started in the process.
Query Tracker is a similar site.
Here’s a page that features successful query letters–the ones that got their authors their agents.
If you want hands-on, one-on-one query help, I recommend author MM Finck’s service the Query Quill. As an interviewer for the Agents’ Corner segment for Women Writers, Women’s Books magazine and community, frequent moderator of agent panels at writers’ conferences, and award-winning author of the article “Successful Querying: It’s Not All About the Letter,” Finck has the experience to help authors know how to catch an agent’s eye.
I love this handy tool from Killigator and this pitch generator from YA Writers’ Toolbox for creating log lines for your query letters and pitches.
Great advice for authors:
Jennifer Weiner’s “For Writers” page of her website is filled with warm, realistic, encouraging and helpful insights for authors at every stage of their career. Her Substack is also enlightening (and always entertaining) about the art and craft of writing.
Jim Butcher, Digging your way out of middle-of-the-book sag.
Opening lines at The Atlantic.
Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coates’s list of 22 “rules” for storytelling is a classic now–but I reread it often for a concise refresh on what makes good story.
I love author Jacqueline Woodson’s heartfelt, heart-filled advice for writers.
Maryville University compiled this list of writing basics that’s surprisingly helpful, from good advice on how to approach the craft to helpful tools available for authors.
Writers Helping Writers also offers helpful downloadable questionnaires, checklists, and other tools.
Jane Friedman offers a listing of professionals she trusts in everything from editing to web design to marketing and more.
Writers’ Organizations
Depending on your genre and interests, there are a number of well-respected writers’ organizations and alliances that can help you connect with other authors and offer helpful resources like webinars and classes, query and pitch resources and connections, peer critiques, and much more. Here are a few I especially like:
- The Authors Guild
- Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi)
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
- Sisters in Crime (SinC)
- Mystery Writers of America (MWA)
- The Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA)
Don’t forget about chapters of these groups–or other independent writers-group chapters—that may be based in your area. Many of these offer in-person meetings, workshops, and crit groups, as well as conferences.
And speaking of conferences, these can be some of the most useful and enjoyable opportunities to connect with other authors, learn from many of the best in the business, and have the chance to meet and speak with the industry’s top professionals. There are many national and regional conferences—make sure you research what they offer, their reputation, the presenters they feature, etc., to make sure the investment is one that will help you in your writing and publishing career.