Writing Resources

Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Baker, Unsplash.com

Here’s some resources I’ve found helpful in my endeavor to become more skilled in writing:

Blogs

“Between the Lines”, the blog of the Books and Such Literary Agency

the Steve Laube Literary Agency blog

A shout-out to the agents and writers at these blogs: their posts maintain the difficult balance between being  realistic and being encouraging about the craft of writing and the business of publishing. They manage to do it day after day. Both blogs feature people who have years of experience behind them, whether it be as writers, editors, agents, or a combination. With all that experience, they have plenty to write about. Whether you are a “newbie”, like myself, or a seasoned pro at writing, you’ll find something worthwhile to read at either of these blogs.

Magazines

The Writer

Writer’s Digest

Both these magazines have been writing about writing for a long time. As with “Between the Lines” and Steve Laube’s blogs, the magazines convey information and news about publishing without sounding dry and tedious.

Entrepreneur

I include this magazine because the business people featured display perseverance, diligence, creativity and the willingness to take risks–the same attributes writers need too.

Books

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Writer to Writer by Cecil Murphey

The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier by Bonnie Trenga

Painless Writing by Jeffrey Strausser  (actually a textbook for middle-school/high-school students, but helpful for anyone wanting to improve his writing. Although a textbook, it teaches without inducing boredom.)

A Complete Guide to Writing For Publication, Susan Titus Osborn, General Editor (some material may be slightly outdated, especially the chapter on using Internet resources, but overall, there’s useful information and wisdom to be gleaned from it.)

Note: As you can see, this is just a tiny bit of the huge amount of resources out there for anyone interested in writing, but this is what I am familiar with right now. You don’t have to invest a lot of money.  I think I paid 35 cents for The Elements of Style at a local library’s used book sale. Many online courses are available at low cost, and many local libraries offer free Internet access.

©P. Booher