Resources for Writers

With the recent explosion of popularity from such books as Harry Potter and the Twilight series, there is now an increase in the number of young people interested in writing. While a large number of these young or inexperienced writers will discover that writing is a lot more work than they thought it would be, there are many writers who could use some help. For the young writer who perseveres and continues to write, there are many resources available. For those looking for guidance, these resources can provide help with developing your writing style, editing, feedback and advice along with many other things. The following list of resources are going to help any young writer out. Whether showing them that writing is not for them or gently guiding them to where they need to be, all of these resources will be helpful. Every one of these gets a thumbs up from both myself and my 14 year old daughter.

The Writer's Draft

This resource is basically an on line forum for people interested in writing. You must be a member to participate. This forum is one of the best out there for young writers to hang out, meet other writers, get positive feedback and suggestions for improvement and basically have a good time. There are threads and conversations about all different aspects of writing. You will find people there who write just for fun and people who are actively seeking publication and everyone in between. All genres of writing are represented, from nonfiction to fiction to poetry. There are also lists of resources and links to other sites that will be helpful.

HollyLisle.com

This is the official website for the author Holly Lisle. This site includes articles, workshops, newsletters, mini courses and much more geared to aspiring writers. There are more than 100,000 words worth of help for a writer just starting out. The workshops and mini courses are varied and extremely helpful.

Writer's Digest Books

The Writer's Digest book series includes writing reference books by literary agents such as Donald Maass and Ann Rittenberg, and by other authors who look to share their tricks and tips with their writer brethren. Just look for the white and black "W" logo on the spine. You can find these book sin most bookstores, on line and in libraries. Books include Dynamic Characters, Bullies, Bastards & Bitches: How To Write the Bad Guys of Fiction and Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook.

StoryToolz.com

This site has high quality web tools to help out authors. It features a few plot generators for the stuck writer, progress meters, and readability analysis tools. These tools will help new writers with ideas and building skills but will also help more experienced writers with tracking their progress and analyzing their work.

SeventhSanctum.com

This site has tools for writers, gamers and artists for use as inspiration and amusement. It has every single generator you could imagine, from serious to silly to downright stupid. It's a great site for the writer in need of inspiration or the writer who has a bad case of the procrastinator virus. Imagine you need a basic character and cannot think of anything... go here and enter some information and it will generate the basics of a character for you! Good tools for teaching the basics and showing young writers how to build characters.

InkyGirl.com

Run by author, cartoonist, and musician Debbie Ridpath Ohi, this site houses "daily diversions for writers." Debbie interviews authors, agents, occasionally hosts contests, and posts information that writers will find interesting. There are also sections for gifts for writers and Will Write for Chocolate, Debbie's weekly comic strip about a group of freelance authors.

KalebNation.com

Kaleb Nation, also known to many as the "Twilight Guy", uses this site to promote his upcoming book and to discuss writing in general. Kaleb also invites readers to email him and will respond to every single email as long as it fits the email guidelines. His tips and advice on writing are all good reads and his willingness to answer questions from young writers is wonderful.

AAR Online

This is the site that you go to when you need to find an agent to rep your book. You can search for agents by location and genre, as well as other important criteria. This is a reputable site that only lists reputable and professional agents. This is one of the best resource out there for a young writer seeking publication.

Orson Scott Card official site

The official site of the writer Orson Scott Card, this site has several workshops and tips that are useful to any author, published or not.

I am Your Editor

This is Caro Clarke's guide to getting your novel submitted to agents. It also has links to other guides, such as "Dialogue: the Best Action" and "Explaining Too Much: Why Less is More."

The Writer's Mary Sue Test

Plug information about your character into this form and it calculates whether or not you've made your character "too perfect" or too much like yourself.

All of these resources are worth looking into if you are interested in writing and want to learn more. There are links to other resources within each of these sites and books. For any young or inexperienced writer out there, writing will be your best teacher. The more you write, the better you will become. But, it never hurts to get some help and feedback from others who know more. Check out these resources and then go write!