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Susan’s
Six Sensational Sites for Writers
I’ve listed many excellent sites in my Musings
columns. Some were links to where I’ve found useful information during my research on a topic. Others have contained
details on a contest or publishing opportunity for writers. For this Musings column, I’ll share six sites where I’ve
stolen great ideas from writers during 2007.
I plunder other writers’ sites for ideas. I
might learn about a new publishing company by reading their credits or grab an idea on web page design. Some writers are incredibly
generous with the tips they offer or useful links they list.
Australian author, Jill McDougall, gives children’s
writers the low-down on adding a glimmer of glitter or a dash of dazzle to their text. Jill does this with her trademark humour,
making this site a must-see for writers who like to have fun while they learn. I stole a huge sprinkle of sparkle from Jill’s
site, but bought her eBook, Become a Children’s Writer: Insider Secrets, because it was such great value!
Poet, author, and promotion guru, Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s
site is chock-full of tips. Steal Carolyn’s ideas on using Amazon to promote your own books or her free articles for
your own web home. You can link to buy her Amazon short, The Great First Impression Book Proposal, for 49cents.
Whether or not you agree with the way a publishing
company operates, you can still take advantage of their web presence! US company, AuthorHouse, has a great resources page with
articles such as writing with humour, using effective dialogue, and snagging a reader’s attention with a cow-catcher.
Another publishing company with goodies up for grabs
is Allen and Unwin. Apart from determining their submission guidelines, you can visit their writing centre for tips on getting
published, technique, and advice from published authors. Cleverly, these articles are extracted from books published by Allen
and Unwin. This means you can try before you buy from such books as Kate Grenville’s The Writing Book.
If you write fantasy, you no doubt know prolific author,
Holly Lisle’s site. However, the resources available there are useful for those interested in other genres, too. There
are hundreds of articles, workshops, and useful tips, from pacing to conflict to characterization. I zipped out of there with
Mugging the Muse, Holly’s free Ebook on Writing Fiction for Love and Money.
Yes, I’ve mentioned it once or thrice before.
Poynter Online is a site I keep going back to. I use their search engine to navigate the huge site, inputting Chip Scanlan
or Roy Peter Clark to read my journalistic guru’s words of wisdom. You could try Writing/Editing Tip Sheets to browse
a useful archive or grab Fifty Writing Tools, the Quick List, to use as an editing checklist.
Snaffling ideas from other writers’ sites is
yet another way to make the internet work for you. Of course, I’m not talking about plagiarism, just about taking advantage
of free material to further your writing skills, or piggy-backing off a colleague’s ideas. It mightn’t be as exciting
as when you stole apples from the orchard as a kid, but it’s lawful, and a heck of a lot more useful.
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Quote of
the Month
“You can't cross the sea merely by standing
and staring at the water.” Rabindranath Tagore
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Have you been to these sites?
Audio short stories to go;
$30 to $150 paid on publication,
50 -10 000words
A word game that donates rice
for each correct answer.
Australia’s
ABC National Radio short story contest winners.
Northwest Independent Editors Guild, includes resources for freelance editors
common rates for various types of editorial work
Writing courses with free lessons
to try:
Submission
Guidelines, Limelight Scripts
Online
Publisher of theatre scripts, mostly pantomime
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