How I Write: Week Ten – Writing Resources

If you haven’t been able to tell from the past ten weeks, I love my list of resources. For the last year, I’ve been reading many craft books and collecting links that I could turn to as I refine my writing skills. Some of them have been incredibly helpful in building certain weakness while other have simply helped me to build my confidence and inspire me to overcome my fears. Here are the books and websites I recommend (some of which have been mentioned in earlier posts).
On Writing – Stephen King gives his thoughts on the writing life.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – Anne Lamott has an incredible voice and gives some of the best advice on being a writer.
Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within – Although this books is written with poets in mind, it’s truly pertinent for all writers.
Page after Page – Filled with exercises and writing tidbits to keep you writing, this book is a quick inspiration read.
This Year You Write Your Novel – Walter Moseley gives his thoughts on getting your novel written within one year.
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within – Writing is more than what we do, it’s a way of life. Natalie Goldberg will get you past those fears and into spiral-bound notebooks filled with words.
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles – According to Stephen Pressfield, resistance is the cause of writer’s block. His book defines it and then arms you with the tools to beat it.
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for those Who Want to Write Them – All writers must be readers and Francine Prose’s book instructs writers how to look at every component of a book from sentences to paragraphs to chapters.
Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot that Grips Readers from Start to Finish -  A craft book that is interesting to read, filled with exercises and explanations on how to structure your book to be what readers are looking for.
Links
Romance Divas – My online hangout. Romance Divas hosts author-led workshops on their free forum. It’s a great place to learn and connect with other authors.
Paperback Writer – I’ve linked to Lynn Viehl’s site in other posts. She is an incredible resource. Take time to look through  the archives for her thoughts on plotting, revising, etc.
Holly Lisle – Holly shares tons of information on her site and in her weekly newsletter. She also teaches two courses on revising and writing.
Nathan Bransford’s Blog – An agent that takes time to talk about topics from all things publishing related to developing your voice and plotting a novel.
Stephen Pressfield Online -  Like his book, The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield blogs about resistance and procrastination. Seeing a published and accomplished author’s struggles sheds light on the true business of creating.
Click on the How I Wrote Logo above to find a listing of the other writers participating in this blog series.