Sources: For instance, if you’re writing a fact-based article, you’ll need access to the stats to back it up. These can be curated by interviewing sources, contacting experts, or researching statistics via the Internet. Sounds obvious right? But beyond your connections and the Internet, you’ll need field expert confirmation. Whether you need direct quotes for your piece or to confirm details for your novel, sources are there to verify the accuracy of what you’re writing. So, cultivate them now and treat them kindly.
Hardware: Again, seemingly obvious, but there’s more here than a laptop and cell phone. Start with the hardware. The tools today are far beyond Hemingway’s imagination. You can write with an e-stylus on a tablet, talk into a wizard mic and have your words instantly transcribed on the page, teach your craft to students who speak another language, or live chat with your co-author across the globe. The options are endless for thinking outside the box and getting your office up to writer’s code.
Software: From plotting software, pitching programs, to e-book formatting files, there are numerous software programs popping up each day to make the writer’s life easier. What was once done manually is completed within minutes, and warehoused for easy and lifelong access.
Guides: This is not limited to the innumerable books out there that are must haves for your writer’s bookshelf. From Goals, Motivation, & Conflict by Debra Dixon to the Copyeditor’s Guide to Substance and Style, all the wonderful tomes available on building a platform and plot. But additionally, there’s a heck of a lot online to help you create a stellar product.
Reader and Books Uplift Community Member Anna suggests the Money-Saving Guide For Authors and Writers ~ Thanks, Anna!
Tutorials: When you stop learning you stop living, right? And you don’t stop once you’ve hit it big. I know for a fact, that many best-selling authors continue to work on their craft every day. Learning from publishers, agents, writers, authors, and literary and grammar experts are just a few ways that writers and authors should hone their craft. Online trainings, conferences, instructional subscriptions, and Ted Talks are among the more popular tutorial platforms. Just a helpful reminder: if you subscribe, use them! Many people sign up and forget they have these robust tutorials at their fingertips.
Associations: I can go on and on about the benefits of associations, but this is a recent discovery for me. I’ve been a member of several big ones…The Mystery Writers of America, The Author’s Guild, Romance Writers of America, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, but not until the last five years have I got my money’s worth. That’s on me. When I started attending conferences—online and in person—and signed up for mentoring and classes, my writing improved exponentially.
What other Write Resources do you use to hone your craft? Share here…
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