Links of Interest to Writers

Information on writing I've found helpful!

• TED Talks:  Success, Failure and the Drive to Keep Creating by Elizabeth Gilbert @GilbertLiz
• Yes, even Elizabeth Gilbert received rejection slips. In this video she shares how she could carry on despite the success of Eat, Pray, Love.

• The BookBaby Blog:  Writing by Hand, or Typing:  When Are You The Most Creative? by Chris Robley @ChrisRobley
• Interesting question. I've found that my writing is different when I write by hand versus writing on the computer. I don't know that's it more creative, but I've found it helpful to switch off, especially when I'm stuck or confused about my writing.

• Write for Kids: Top Editor Emma Dryden on Working with Editors and Acting Professionally  @drydenbks @write4kids
• I heard Emma Dryden speak at an SCBWI Oregon Retreat. This video has great information about working with an independent editor.

• Beyond Paper Editing: 25 Word Lists for Writers by Corina Koch MacLeod @CKmacleodwriter
• Writers love lists! In this blog post, we find links to lists of Needless Words, Craft Words, Genre Words, Words from Other Languages, Misused & Mispelled Words.

• Aine Greaney, Writer:  6 Lame Writer Excuses (and 6 Reality Checks) @AineGreaney
• After reading this, you won't have an excuse not to write today!

Links of Interest to Writers

Here are seven blog posts about writing I found informative.

• The Sharp Angle:  Defining the Potential for Conflict in Your Premise by Lydia Sharp 

• Publisher's Weekly:  A Conversation with Tomie dePaola

• Daily Writing Tips:  10 Pairs of Words and Their Useful Distinctions by Mark Nichol

• Gail Carson Levine:  Memorable MC (Main Character)

Here are some fun ways to keep track of your word counts:

• Sarah's Journal:  Stuff I've Learned:  Writing Log by Sarah Beth Durst

• Laini Taylor's Blog:  Word Count Calendar (of Cuteness)

• Justine Larbalestier:  Small Word Count Goals (& a way to use Scrivener to keep track)

Links of Interest to Writers

Writing today? Read one of these to get you motivated!

• Tina Gayle:  Do Authors Need a Website? 

• Yorick Reintjens:  117 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language

• Write it Sideways:  When Fear is a Good Thing for Your Writing by Christi Craig 

• Mythic Scribes:  The Benefits of Outlining:  A Layered Approach by Steven M. Long

• The Write Practice:  Why You Should Use Symbolism in Your Writing by James Hall

• Writability:  Pacing Tip:  Contrast in Plot by Ava Jae

• Lauren Sapala:  Think You Know Social Media for Writers? Here's What You're Missing

Links of Interest to Writers

Here's some writerly wisdom!

• Donna L Martin's On the Write Track:  Creating Anthropomorphic Characters by Judy Cox

• Quick & Dirty Tips:  Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Children's Book by Mary Hertz Scarbrough

• The Daring Novelist:  Alpha Dog Week - Characters Exerting Control

• Books & Such Literary Agency:  Book Length by Wendy Lawton

• Viva Scriva:  World Building Meets the Real World by Ruth Tenzer Feldman

• Rebecca Schiller:  Discovering Your Character's Motivation

• Reading & Writing Are Fattening:  The Pitfalls of Writing Books in a Series by Marla A. Madison

Links of Interest to Writers

Here are 7 inspirational and informative articles and websites that will help you with your writing.

• Babbles from Scott Eagan:  Everything Needs A Purpose in Your Story

• Writer's Digest/Brian Klems: The Pros & Cons of Self Publishing (& Traditional Publishing) 

• A.Word.A.Day:  A word every day! Sign up for their daily email and increase your vocabulary.

• A Writer's Journey:  Micro Distractions While Writing by Nat Russo  - "Small distractions that pull you away from writing for short periods of time may improve your productivity."

• A Writer's Wings:  Some Things to Keep in Mind When Self Editing by Cynthia Dawn Griffin

• All Write - Fiction Advice:  Suspending Disbelief for Readers - Part 1 by AJ Humpage

• An Awfully Big Blog Adventure:  Good Advice I Can't Seem to Follow... by Tracy Alexander

Funny Typos

Funny Typos

Unfortunately, not all the examples on this site are typos. Most are probably brought about by ignorance of English grammar. This is a great site for making you feel superior!

A note from the site: “Thanks for visiting Funny Typos. Get your weekly fill of hilarious uses of English, Bad Grammar and Engrish that would make your grammar school English teacher cringe.”

The Cliché Slayer

The Cliché Slayer

Freckles and I have been having fun with clichés over at The Adventures of Freckles and Deb. The Cliché Slayer website has a huge mission: “To slay unnecessary and meaningless clichés everywhere.” Each post looks at a different cliché – gives an example, explains what it really means, and offers a reason (or reasons) why you should slay it.

Dictionary.Com

Dictionary. Com

In addition to a dictionary with audio pronunciation, example sentences, and synonyms, you will also find:

• Thesaurus

• Encyclopedia

• Free Word of the Day via email.

• Daily Crossword

• Crossword Solver

• Translater that will translate your text into 50 languages

 • Word Games

 • Word Origins

 • Word Explorer Podcasts

• An Anagram Cracker

Wordle

Wordle

I LOVE WORDLE! You can take any piece of text – short story, book chapter, letter, email, etc. – and create a word cloud by copying and pasting the text into a box and submitting it. Your word cloud appears quickly showing all of the words in your piece, sized according to the number of times they appear. There are hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of variations of clouds that you can make. Here are four variations of the first chapter of the latest revision of my middle grade novel: