Our Favourite Books on Writing
WARNING: Reading books about writing, and websites about writing, and collections of famous writers' letters about writing is not, in fact, writing. Beware the subtle temptations of spending too long doing this stuff and not actually getting the words on the page.
How to Write a Million by Dibell, Scott Card and Turco. An intensely practical guide to plotting, character creation and dialogue; (the plot and character sections are personal favourites of Gaie's to the extent that she is about to buy a third copy, having read two copies to disintegration...)
On Writing by Stephen King. Whether or not you're a fan, King is one of the most prolific and popular writers of his generation. On Writing is not only a fascinating memoir, but full of useful information from a master of the craft of getting, and keeping, an audience hooked.
Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott. If you're looking for some encouragement, this is the place to get it. Full of tips for getting past the fear and on with the writing.
Story by Robert McKee. Even though this book is written for screenplay writers, it is full of invaluable advice on plot structure, realisitic dialogue and making every written word count, making it essential for novel writers too.
Lights, Camera, Fiction by Alfie Thomson. Fun and useful guide that teaches you about novel writing by referring to films. Packed with the kind of 'should have been obvious' advice that makes you mentally slap your forehead, and when you watch the films, you're actually doing research instead of just kidding yourself. What could be cooler?
The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. Explains plot structure and characters using Joseph Campbell's theory of the universal myth and recurring archetypes. Easy to read, and the perfect tool for helping you figure out what's missing from your plot, or what should happen next.
Teach Yourself Writing a Novel by Nigel Watts. Part of the "Teach Yourself" series, and a complete and concise view of techniques and concepts in novel writing.
Helpful Links
Million Monkeys Find other writers to write and socialise with. Join the London-based group or start your own and keep in touch on Facebook.
Book in a Week Need to get a flying start on a project? This site is the place to visit (one of Writer's Digest top 101). Don't worry, you don't have to commit to writing a whole book in a week. BIC HOK TAM, everybody.
Advice and Chat
Absolute Write Huge site for writers, with lots of friendly and useful forums, and home of Gaie's monthly column. Help, support and advice for beginners to pros.
Miss Snark The brilliant (and now sadly discontinued) blog of the eponymous Miss Snark: crammed with take-no-prisoners advice on making it in the marketplace.
Preditors and Editors A guide to publishers and writing services.
CoolStuff4Writers Newsletter, articles, interviews and lots of links to other writerly resources on the interweb.
Newbie-Writers Help and resources for beginners, and writing prompts (aka story seeds).
Writing World Sister site to Newbie-Writers, for the more experienced. Tons of information, and genre-specific tips and articles.
Write Street Newsletter, forums and even a writers' online radio station!
Women on Writing Don't be put off by the name, chaps. This lively site has useful articles, competitions, writing tips and more.
What do editors want? This interview brings you some answers from the world of sci-fi and fantasy.
Story celebrates short stories. Fans of the form can find news, competitions and advice here.
Marketing and Promoting Your Work
Ralan and Duotrope two excellent short fiction marketing resources.
Authonomy (sic) has been created by Harper Collins. Post the first 10,000 words of your unpublished or self-published novel and get it rated by the reading public. Or become a "Talent Spotter" yourself. Harper Collins say "We’ve set up authonomy in the hope of finding new authors for our various publishing lists, so we’ll certainly be looking for promising books – as will other publishing houses and agents."
Flash writers can post a link to their work at Flash Fiction Monitor. This site has news of competitons, and links to flash sites so you can see what other writers are doing with the form.
On-line Critiques and Workshops
Zoetrope is a free on-line critique site, taking any kind of fiction imaginable. You will need to register, and to do some critiquing of others' stories before you can submit your own.
Critters is another on-line critique group, specialising in science fiction, fantasy and horror.
Writing Prompts
The Inspiration Point at ABCTales posts weekly writing suggestions. This huge site also runs competitions and writing events.
The Murverse website posts an idea a day for you to use.
Writing and Publishing News, Gossip, Etc.
Ansible is a site for sci-fi fans, with news, convention listings, reviews and more.
Litopia has daily writing-related podcasts.
Want to find out what your favourite SF/F writer is up to? Try this list of writers who blog.