What is your image of a writer?
They often show us the writer hunched over a typewriter or laptop, an amber liquor in a crystal cut class, and typing away in the media. Nothing could be further from the truth for many of us.
What does your average writing day look like? Mine, I have a writing program pulled up that keeps distractions down, a playlist filling my headphones, a mug of English Breakfast and cream tea beside my keyboard. A list of my novel’s characters on the clipboard tacked to the wall for quick reference. I also have a few web resources pulled up to help with certain parts of showing vs. telling.
That is just one version of a writer. You will encounter as many versions as there are authors. With their traditions, rituals, and needed resources. Today we are going to chat about 8 of my favorite writing resources you can benefit from.
What do I mean by writing resources?
Resources: to provide (a person or organization with materials and other assets necessary for effective operation.
Writing resources are materials and other assets that help you with becoming a better writer or make writing a novel, article, poem, ect easier. Many writers and authors have made resources to help others to up their game. Here are a few of my favorites.
What resources could you benefit from?
yWriter
“yWriter is a free word processor that breaks your project into chapters and scenes. It is intended to help you keep track of your work, leaving your mind free to create.”
“yWriter's has projects, classes and functions while we have novels, chapters and scenes, but the idea is still the same: it's much easier to manage a large, complicated project by breaking it into smaller pieces.”
I’ve been using yWriter for a few years now. Some describe it as Scrivener, but free and easier to use. The reports and word count display are wonderful. I talk more about yWriter in this blog post https://shirleycrow078.wixsite.com/authorscrow/post/what-writing-software-to-use-for-your-next-project What Writing Software to use for your Next Project.
You can take a workshop on yWriter
Google Docs
I’ve had a Google email and documents since the early 2000s. I back up all of my work with Google Docs.
EADEVERELL.COM has a great Google Docs for Writers https://www.eadeverell.com/google-docs/
Generators
There are generators for just about everything but I find this one works for me when I need a quick picture of a character RanGen’s Appearance Generator https://www.rangen.co.uk/chars/appgen.php
Notion
With Notion, all your work is in one place. Get started for free. Like a cross between Evernote and Excel.
I use EADEVERELL.COM’s NaNoWriMo template and updated it to work for Camp and my needs.
I also use Writer’s Notebook Template V2 by R. A. Myers
There is also a blog post on Notion here https://shirleycrow078.wixsite.com/authorscrow/post/notion-for-writers
One Stop for Writers
This storehouse of creative information is the inspiration behind One Stop For Writers®. Like a library, One Stop houses a vast collection of reference materials that are intended to help writers improve their craft. Our library is loaded with one-of-a-kind story and character planning resources unlike anything else available.
Our goal is simple: help writers like you find the information and inspiration necessary to elevate your storytelling, saving you time in the process. After all, isn’t your energy best spent doing what you do best—creating enthralling fiction your readers will love?
The Descriptive Thesaurus books
Often called the “gold standard” of writing guides, the Writers Helping Writers thesaurus collection is available in eight languages and has sold over 750,000 copies. These books are used in universities and by editors, agents, writing coaches & authors all over the world. (More on what’s being said about our resources.)
Our books are available at all major online retailers, can be ordered by bookstores, or can be purchased directly from us.
EADEVERELL.COM
A site with worksheets, information, and so much more.
24/7 Writing resources https://www.eadeverell.com/forwriters/
Prowriteaid
Prowriteaid has 20 In-Depth Writing Reports Go Way Beyond Grammar
ProWritingAid has more writing reports than any other editing software. The editing tool highlights elements like repetitiveness, vague wording, sentence length variation, over-dependence on adverbs, passive voice, over-complicated sentence constructions, and so much more.
What resources do you use already? I would love to learn some new resources.
The biggest resource I use. On the Wings for Writers Discord writing group. I’ve talked about finding the right Writing Group for you.
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