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A friend of mine asked what resources are out there for new writers. Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? After all, writing advice flows from the mouths of great, good, mediocre and horrible writers alike. A literal plethora – even when using the word correctly, which most people don’t – of writing advice is at our fingertips. All we need to do is search, ask and read. I googled a few terms. Look what I found.
- How to write a novel – 180,000,000 results
- Writing advice – 470,000,000 results
- Fiction writing advice – 198,000,000 results
- Write better – 2,500,000,000 results
Over two billion results on write better. Two billion! Finding writing advice is easy. The problem lies with finding good and helpful writing advice. How many of these articles are anything more than simple lists like “Eleventeen Ways to Write Better.” I looked at one of the top results, and it gave fifteen practical tips in less than 1500 words. That’s about 100 words per tip, and these aren’t small tips. They are the big ones. Be concise. Revise. Use powerful sentences. It’s easy to tell us to do these things without showing how. Larry Brooks, author of Story Engineering, likens this type of advice to Nolan Ryan pitching a shutout and expecting other pitchers to do the same because he said so.
Telling us what better writing looks like without showing us how to achieve offers little help, and often hurts. In other words, a person with knowledge and skill may or may not be a good teacher. Coaching is a skill on its own, and not everyone has it. If we accept that statement as true, and consider how many average or even poor writers offer free advice, we can see why 470,000,000 search results on writing advice is not necessarily a good thing.
All right, enough of the lecture. We’re here to find good writing advice for new writers. We want useful tutorials, blogs and books. Well, this new and mediocre writer is here to provide free advice. Hey, what can I say. I’m a writer, I just have to give advice.
Writers groups. This one is tough. Writers groups can be great, and mine has been amazing. I believe every writer should find a good writers group that supports and challenges her. Unfortunately, writers groups usually include people, and where people are, human nature resides. Proceed with caution. Don’t settle for a group of people who just love everything you write, or spend their time telling you who to read. Find a group where the members show you how to write better. Meetup.com is where I found my group.
Blogs. This is another tough one. Many of the two billion articles on writing are blog posts. Most are not very useful. Reading blogs can be a huge waste of time – trust me, I know this from experience. Start out with a few well-known trusted blogs, and add a few lesser-known ones as you progress.
Kristen Lamb – Kristen is an editor and writer with a passion for coaching new authors. Her posts usually cover a single topic in-depth. In fact, reading her blog is like reading a how-to-write book that never ends.
Chuck Wendig – Brash, profane, vulgar and occasionally angry. Those are Chucks better qualities. Actually, that’s not true. Chuck gets it like no other author. He understands the inner workings of writing and being a writer.
Nathan Bransford – Nathan writes young adult fiction, and is really understands the industry.
Books. There are tons of books, but I would start with Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. This book really breaks down the art of storytelling into its essential elements. He calls them the six core competencies of storytelling. Nothing I’ve read or heard has come close to teaching how to tell a story like Story Engineering.
I’ve spent a lot of time reading how-to-write books, articles and blogs. Most of the useful advice came from my writers group and the resources listed on this page. I hope this helps someone starting out. If so, let me know in the comments. Also, if anyone finds a good article on how to find a writers group, please share.
