23 Websites that Make Your Writing Stronger

by Suzannah

We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. ~Ernest Hemingway

How strong is your writing?

No matter how good you think it is, there’s always room for improvement. In most cases, plenty of room. Luckily, there are some amazing websites out there that’ll help you take your writing to the next level.

Want to strengthen your story, empower your performance, and beef up on the publishing business?

Here are 23 sites (in no particular order) I look to for daily inspiration and advice:

PS If you find this list useful, please share it on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon – I’d really appreciate it!

1) Storyfix The absolute authority on story structure, written by author Larry Brooks (Note: I highly recommend Larry’s ebooks on writing. Read my previous review on Larry’s Story Structure Demystified.

2) Nathan Bransford, Literary Agent A veritable gold mine of resources for authors seeking literary agents.

3) Janet Reid, Literary Agent Advice from a tough-talking professional in the industry.

4) Query Shark A query critique site you don’t want to miss.

5) Men with Pens Fantastic articles on copywriting and freelancing.

6) Ask Allison Writing and publishing Q&A by novelist Allison Winn Scotch.

7) Copyblogger The ultimate in copywriting advice.

8) Guide to Literary Agents Meet both new and experienced agents, and find out what they’re looking for.

9) Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent Informative articles from an agent who represents both Christian and general fiction/non-fiction.

10) Pub Rants Self-proclaimed “very nice literary agent,” Kristin Nelson, rants about writing and publishing.

11) Fuel Your Writing Articles on everything from freelancing to fiction, written by a panel of contributors.

12) Nail Your Novel A professional writer provides you with tools to…well…nail your novel!

13) About a Screenplay Plenty of great insight into scriptwriting, but great for novelists too.

14) Mystery Writing Is Murder Awesome storytelling advice for all genres–not just mystery.

15) Write to Done Personal and professional development for writers.

16) Procrastinating Writers A blog that helps you get started and keep on task.

17) So You Wanna Be Published Three awesome women writers provide help with critiques and pitches, and offer mentoring packages.

18) Alexandra Sokoloff Screenwriting tips and tricks for authors.

19) The Book Deal Editor and publisher Alan Rinzler writes from the voice of experience in the industry.

20) Writer Unboxed Practical articles on writing and publishing from several successful novelists.

21) Kidlit.com Wonderful advice for writers of children’s literature (but applicable to all writers, in many cases.)

22) Writer’s Digest The ultimate writer’s resource website.

23) Publisher’s Weekly My favourite place to read online book reviews.

This certainly isn’t a comprehensive list of all the blogs and websites I follow, but each of these consistently provides quality information.

What sites help you make your writing stronger?

Update: Check out my new list of 23 (More) Websites that Make Your Writing Stronger. It’s all new–no repeats from the list above!

Photo Credit

{ 26 comments }

dirtywhitecandy February 6, 2010 at 10:00 am

Suzannah, I’m honoured! And will definitely be checking out some of the others in your list.

suzannah February 8, 2010 at 6:47 am: You’re welcome! And thank you for having so many awesome articles
.-= Read suzannah´s last article ..23 Websites that Make Your Writing Stronger =-.

Southpaw February 7, 2010 at 1:11 am

Yeah, thanks. There’s a lot of great site for me to check out this weekend!
.-= Read Southpaw´s last article ..Frozen =-.

Lydia Sharp February 8, 2010 at 5:16 am

Thanks for the list! I had quite a few of these already linked but found a couple more to add.
.-= Read Lydia Sharp´s last article ..Guest Post on The Prosperous Writer =-.

Christopher February 8, 2010 at 6:27 am

Lots of great websites here Suzannah: some I already read, one I write for (!), and lots I still need to check out!

Thanks for the post!

PS love that Hemingway quote
.-= Read Christopher´s last article ..‘The Invention of Steam’ – First Month Update =-.

suzannah February 8, 2010 at 6:49 am

@Southpaw
@Lydia
@Christopher

Hope you all find some new sites to follow. And Christopher–I love that quote too. It’s just so darn humbling and inspiring at the same time
.-= Read suzannah´s last article ..23 Websites that Make Your Writing Stronger =-.

Anis February 9, 2010 at 3:52 am

Thanks for the list. There are some that I didn’t know of…. will go through them all.
.-= Read Anis´s last article ..The Correct Word – Farther or Further =-.

Lisa Gibson February 9, 2010 at 4:32 am

Super helpful list! Thanks for this great post.
.-= Read Lisa Gibson´s last article ..Awesome Read in Al Capone Does My Shirts =-.

Jered Slusher February 9, 2010 at 2:49 pm

Hey! 23 is my lucky number.

Roz Moriss’s Nail Your Novel is an excellent resource for any aspiring novelist. I’m glad to see you included it on your list.
.-= Read Jered Slusher´s last article ..Standing With Confidence: Checking Posture =-.

suzannah February 9, 2010 at 3:24 pm

Thanks! @Anis @LIsa @Jered
.-= Read suzannah´s last article ..23 Websites that Make Your Writing Stronger =-.

Larry February 10, 2010 at 12:30 am

To be included among these other great sites on your list, and to have been honored by you in this way, is the first real highlight of the new year for me. Thanks for that affirmation, I’ll continue to work hard to earn your continued support. You should know, though, that your site also very much deserves a spot on any “best of” writing sites list. Thanks for all you offer to writers everywhere.

Larry
http://www.storyfix.com
.-= Read Larry´s last article ..We Interrupt This Series (Avatar) For An Important Announcement =-.

suzannah February 14, 2010 at 7:02 pm: Hi Larry,

Your comment was stuck in my spam filter for some reason, which is why I only found it now. Sorry about that!

Thank you for your kind words, and for your continued support. Storyfix is a wonderful resource for writers, so I wanted to make sure anyone who hasn’t already found your site does so soon in their writing journey.

Cheers!

Shane Arthur February 10, 2010 at 12:48 am

Yes, storyfix belongs in the #1 spot.
And thanks for the others, too. I’ve heard of several already, but bookmarked nonetheless.
Regards,
Shane

jennifer blanchard February 10, 2010 at 5:19 am

Wow! Thanks for including me on your list! I’m honored that you look to my blog for information. I, too, look to YOUR blog for good information about writing!

jen
.-= Read jennifer blanchard´s last article ..Post-It Notes Can Help You Write Every Day =-.

suzannah February 10, 2010 at 6:22 am

@Shane: I concur!

@Jennifer: No problem, and thank you as well
.-= Read suzannah´s last article ..23 Websites that Make Your Writing Stronger =-.

Marie St. Juste February 10, 2010 at 11:50 am

For consistent quality information, Bob Mayer’s website is another one that is always packed with information, and with up-to-the-minute info on what’s happening in publishing currently! His website is: http://www.bobmayer.org

Prem Rao February 15, 2010 at 1:05 pm

Suzannah, thanks for an awesome list of resources. I am sure many will benefit from your effort to put all this in one place.
.-= Read Prem Rao´s last article ..Guide To Literary Agents =-.

Antonio February 20, 2010 at 12:27 am

Hi Suzannah,

Many thanks for this great list. Even though I blog essentially technical stuff in English, I also blog in 2 other sites in Portuguese – but the tips and information applies the same. I’ll be checking out some and following you on twitter.
Thanks again.
Antonio
http://twitter.com/antonio_cc
.-= Read Antonio´s last article ..ABAP FI Developer =-.

suzannah February 20, 2010 at 8:31 am: Thanks, Antonio! Glad you found this list helpful. They’re all wonderful sites, and I’m sure some of them will help you in your technical writing.

Heather Rae April 1, 2010 at 3:25 am