Filled with creative passion? Determined to make this year the year that you finally finish writing that novel you’ve been working on? We’re here to help. Can we write your novel for you? We would if only we could. Alas, that part is down to you; however, we can provide you with useful tools and resources that will help improve your writing process, and even the quality of the words you put to paper.
Just as a good handyman should have a box for his tools, so too should a good writer have at the ready those tools and resources that help him write. As such, we’ve compiled a list below of writing resources.
All power to your pens, comrades!
First things first – the site that plans your writing schedule
Is there such a thing as the perfect daily routine for writing? There’s certainly no one size fits all formula – you have to find the routine that suits you. But one thing all writers must do is (and this may sound obvious) to find the time to actually write. We work in myriad versions of uncomfortable hours and lead different lifestyles – but Pacemaker.press is a tool that helps you plan your writing schedule, and can make sure you stick to it. Check it out!
Keep track of your daily word counts
While this article charts the daily word counts of famous authors, keep track of your own daily writing output using wordcounter – a website that not only counts words; but also features different tools that help users meet certain requirements for paragraphs, typing and reading speed, keyword density, and more. In other good news, the website does not collect fees from its users.
Get your vocabulary sorted: get your dictionary
David Foster Wallace claimed that all students of writing should carry a dictionary with them at all times. Save yourself an ounce of weight with OneLook.com, which helps you find, define, and translate words all at one site.
The site that analyses your writing for readability, syllables, word length and more
Introducing wordcounttools.com – the go-to-place to gain an analytical breakdown of your writing. Valuable insights to be found!
Writing tips from a creative writing lecturer
Julia Bell is one of the UK’s foremost authorities on creative writing. Here, she shares with us the top ten pieces of advice she gives her students at the start of each year. Whether you enjoy writing simply for the pleasure it gives you, or if you are looking to develop and improve, these top tips will set you on your way!
Get talking: subscribe to your friendly local subreddit
They don’t call Reddit the front page of the internet for nothing. But while its front page of cat GIFs and interesting and obscure facts is all very well, the real value of the site comes from the users who make its communities (‘subreddits’) great places to share thoughts, ideas, and your own work.
Try some of the best ones specifically curated for and by writers:
General writing skills: Writer’s digest
Writer’s Digest offers information on writing better and getting published. The site also includes community forums, blogs and huge lists of resources for writers.
Avoid the grammar Nazis! A crash course in English punctuation and grammar
A quick and useful crash course in English punctuation.
Grammar Girl
Mignon Fogarty’s quick and dirty tips for better writing. Grammar Girl provides short, friendly tips to improve your writing. Covering the grammar rules and word choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers, Grammar Girl makes complex grammar questions simple with memory tricks to help you recall and apply those troublesome grammar rules.
Vital reading for all writers: The Elements of Style
A freely available online version of the book “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk, Jr., the classic reference book. (Of course, you should also buy the hard copy, too!)
Get your reading hats on: free sites to download literature
While we of course advocate supporting your local independent book store – and independent publishing houses – and would urge you to purchase copies of your books where you can afford to, here you can find a collection of 55 websites where you can download tens of thousands of books, plays and texts for free. Oh, and these sites are also all completely legal, of course!
Further reading: A subscription to Brain Pickings
An inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more. If you’re seeking inspiration, you’ll find it here.
A list of all the writing competitions that you can submit your work to in the year ahead!
Now that you are armed with the resources you need to take your writing to the next level, consider getting your stories out there. Submit your work to these writing competitions taking place in the coming months.
An in-depth guide to publishing your own e-book
Fancy testing the waters of the publishing world yourself? Here’s a complete guide to creating an e-book, covering every single step from conception through to release and marketing. Self-publishing isn’t for everyone; but it is for some! If you are considering it, make sure you read this guide as a starting point.
And now for the big one: a site that contains the information of thousands of literary agents
You’ve got the schedule down. You’ve done the analytics of your writing. You’ve learned how to rewrite. You’ve done the extra curricular reading. Now, with your finished novel – get an agent!
Finally – advice on how to get one of these literary agents for yourself
Having the contact details of literary agents is all very well; but how do you actually go about getting one? Help reduce the risk of getting those morale-crushing rejection letters by following the sage advice of an author who has been there and done that, Charlotte Salter.
nothing in the rulebook 
Reblogged this on myoldfriendhood.
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I’ll tell you a best practice when wanting to be a writer. It’s that SSDI (Social Security Disability Income). I get $688 a month and all I do is write. I get my sub $500 a month apartment and then my folks buy my internet work station and I just write. A 9 to 5 schedule would inhibit my writing process.
An open schedule is a writer’s best tool. You can bank on it.
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