Writing Resources – November 2

Our latest list includes some of the best resources and articles we’ve read online this week for:

• Writing
• Publishing advice and contest considerations
• Tips for finishing your writing projects

So load up your reader and get ready to get your Learn on! Enjoy.

Writing

• The Benjamin Franklin method: How to (actually) learn to write – A cool article in which author Charles Chu breaks down the methods and madness Benjamin Franklin used to learn to write well. Tip #2 “Convert to Poetry (And Back Again)” is vintage Franklin, and a fascinating exercise worth a try.

Publishing & Contests

• How authors can find their ideal reading audience – After reading the incredible Author In Progress, and in it, Porter Anderson’s Essay – Driven to Digital Distraction: Why You Need to Deal with the Publishing Business, I’ve been reinvigorated to learn more about the publishing world. Jane Friedman’s great essay is rich with resources and practical advice. As I’m learning, it’s also not something you need to wait to read until you’ve finished your novel’s final draft. The message is clear: Start NOW.
• Contest: Glimmer Train’s Sept/October Short Story Award for New Writers (Deadline: November 10)
• Contest: Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards (Deadline: November 7)

Productivity, Inspiration & Follow Through

• NaNoWriMo group word sprints – Author Sarah Linders – over on the fun and active #nanowrimo channel at WriterHangout – introduced me to group word sprints this morning. NaNoWriMo offers sprint timers, but the group element, and the follow up interaction on Slack afterward, was a fun, quick way to fit in a few hundred words during a work break. I finished 482 words in 15 minutes, and had a blast dissecting the process afterward. Even if you’re not participating in Nano this year, group word sprints offer friendly competition and a smidgen of accountability to your daily word count goals. Thanks, Sarah!

Happy #WriterWednesday, Fellow Wordsmiths!