Writing Resources which make sense

So, I have quite a few books on writing, one or two of which I've even read all the way through. 
 
Yesterday, I finally finished 'Bird By Bird' by Anne Lamott and found it very funny, helpful and not at all patronising which, I've heard, some writing books are. 

I love the way she writes - she's amusing, brutally honest and explains her writing 'tips' with personal anecdotes. I think this method of teaching helps you understand the 'why' of a piece of advice and how it works towards making you a better writer. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work given the humour and style of this book.

But the first book I ever read about writing was Stephen King's 'On Writing' which, again, was more like a vague autobiography interspersed with advice. The two main points I took away from this book were:

 

• Don't give up. Mr King received many, many, many rejections but persevered. I'm not saying that you'll become as famous and prolific as he is but don't quit at the first hurdle. Three rejections does not mean you can't write for crap. It just means those agents didn't like it or it's not quite polished again. Keep going - write something else, rewrite whatever you sent out, get it professionally critiqued if you have the money. I know I've said this before but, if you are in the UK and write romance of any kind, the RNA New Writers' Scheme is fantastic - very thorough and encouraging and not expensive. 
•  Write every day. All writers say this so it must be important! Even just fifteen minutes a day to get your writing 'muscle' working is okay. 

That's not all he has to say though so if you're looking for inspiration and motivation, this is the book to get hold of. 

Next on the list is going to be 'Gotham Writers' Workshop: Writing Fiction' which, as the name cunningly suggests, is more like a creative writing class to be taken in your own time. I did start it once upon a time but life took over (baby and emigrating!) so it's back to the beginning I go. 

Of course, there's a mountain of websites and blogs online too. The ones I visit the most are:

• Help! I Need a Publisher (I can highly recommend her books 'How to Write a Great Synopsis' and 'Dear Agent' if you are ready for submissions)
•  Strictly Writing
•  Plot Whisperer
• Nathan Bransford
• London Bakes 
• Relentless Laundry 

Oh wait, those last two aren't anything to do with the craft of writing but they are delicious and hilarious respectively. Give them a read, if only to find a new recipe for weekend baking and be warned off having kids have a bloody good laugh (and maybe get another new recipe for the weekend too - bonus). 

I also follow quite a few authors because I like their books and they write in the same genre as me. Authors are often spectacularly generous with advice and tips.  They will also direct you to other blogs and websites which might be useful in your quest to finish your novel, get an agent or, if you decide to go this route, self publish.

And there are lots of Twitter accounts that tweet about the writing industry - Advice to Writers and Publishing Talk to name a couple - publishers like Harper Collins and Choc Lit and, of course, a huge amount of authors. This is where you can get some really great links to interesting articles, blog posts and give aways (favourite!)


What websites and Twitter accounts do you read or follow that you think are helpful to writers of all levels? Are there any writing books that you recommend to fellow aspiring writers? Or ones that you found completely useless?




Of course, it could be said that all this faffing about on the Internet and Twitter valuable time spent researching could be detrimental to the first rule of writing - Write! 

If you're in submission mode and receiving rejections...

This should make you feel better...

See? Even famous authors had to go through the ego-shrinking horror of submitting their babies only to be cruelly rejected.

Of course, I still haven't managed to get as far as receiving the dreaded rejection letters. Having spent much of my Lady M-free week reading various author blogs and interviews hasn't exactly boosted my confidence. It would seem that first novels are a bit like a starter marriage. They get you off the 'spinster shelf' and you learn a lot but they're not for keeps (or getting agents). Better get cracking on that second novel then...

A really valuable lesson to learn from the link above is 'never give up.' Keep writing, keep learning and, one day, you may just be admiring your name adorning a shiny, beautiful cover, sitting next to Stephen King or, in my case, possibly Jeffrey Archer. He probably didn't suffer from receiving rejection letters but he did go to prison so that's possibly as emotionally painful.

Speaking of never giving up - I thought I had given up on NaNoWriMo this year, as I decided to get my priorities right and finish editing Rock-a-Lillie. BUT, it appears that I am just a NaNoWriMo rebel and not a NaNoWriMo quitter. Hooray! Having abandoned the NaNo novel at about 27,000 words, I rewrote the first few chapters of RaL and added in a couple so if I add that to the NaNo word count, that makes about  43,500 words. If I then add in November blog posts, that ups the count to 45,500ish words. And if I then throw in a rough word count for to-do lists (I write really long to-do lists), shopping lists, emails (I am fully aware that this is full on cheating now but that's just how I roll), I reckon we're talking 46,500 words. Sort of.

So, only 3,500 words to go! I can totally do that. Easy peasy. On the first of December I shall declare myself a NaNoWriMo 2011 rebel winner!