Writing Resources

This page will detail both writing methods, processes, and online resources I’ve found helpful for writing–some of which may surprise you.

 

The Writing Process

I’ve written several blogs about writing, most notably this one on how to build a writing regimen.  There is also a series on world-building. Feel free to ask me questions!

 

Music

I highly recommend adding music to  your writing routine. If you have an Amazon Prime account, you already have access to tons of free music, including production studio albums and soundtracks, both of which are great for emphasis and imagery. Audiomachine and Really Slow Motion are some my favorite studios. There’s also a lot of music available on YouTube, Pandora, and other such streaming sites.

Do pick image songs for characters, scenes, etc., to help you focus on your intent. Use multiple ones or create a playlist if necessary.

 

Sites and the Internet

Character dolls and dress-up:

Writing exercises: There are lots of great websites out there, and a quick Google search will give you the pick of hundreds. WordPress has a daily word prompt as well, which should show up in your reader.

If you want to post your work, you can try https://www.booksie.com/ or fanfiction.net, as well as many others.

A crash course in quantity over quality writing can be found at nanowrimo.org

This page lists 15 great sites for stock art.

Writing podcast, sites, and blogs

Writing Excuses is a group podcast by published writers (including Brandon Sanderson [Wheel of Time]),

A list of 20 well-listened to writing podcasts is at The Write Life.

 

The Research Desk

Finding Information

Not just finding and storing information can be a great help to you, but how you do it. Always use reputable sites for topics of fact. Despite past views about Wikipedia, it is now a good source of general and in-depth information (you can check out the list of sources at the bottom of each page). For topics like “Do people still worship Athena, and if so, how?” it’s also helpful to look at subculture pages and the like.

If you can’t find what your looking for, enlist the help of someone knowledgeable, and make friends with your local librarians. They are not only trained in cataloging and managing collections, but are also highly trained researchers.

Storing Information

There are many ways to store information, especially if you are doing world building. You can build your own wiki to your own specs (be warned: free ones are  usually also open to public editing), or use a personal wiki program (it functions similar to Wikipedia but it only runs on your own computer) such as WikidPad. Do your research to determine what might work best for you. If it’s a binder of printed information, then do that. But find a way that works easily for you–you don’t want to spend half an hour looking up that custom you want to use for that wedding scene mid-write!