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Writing Links |
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Here are some of my favourite sites for writers...
This is my brand new forum for freelance writers and
students of my writing courses. Please do visit and join in the discussions.
This is the ideal place to ask and answer questions and have them answered by
your fellow writers. You can also use the discussion boards to seek out writing
partners and collaborators, get feedback on your work, read (and post) about
jobs and opportunities for writers, and much more.
This is my blog site, operated (like the site above) in
association with my publishers WCCL. I post articles here regularly
about all aspects of freelance writing. You are welcome to leave comments on any
of the items.
WritersFM is the world's first Internet radio station
operated by and for writers. They broadcast a mixture of interviews with writers
and jazz/soft rock music. Among those interviewed on the station are Sharpe
author Bernard Cornwell, screenwriting guru Syd Field, British politician turned
author and broadcaster Edwina Currie, and myself! You can listen to the
interviews on the station's normal rotation, or download them separately as
podcasts.
Short Story Radio broadcasts short stories in English to
listeners around the world. Writers are welcome to submit their stories for
consideration to be broadcast on the radio station. No fees are paid to writers,
but stories are read by actors and recorded to a professional standard. The
writers of stories accepted for broadcast also receive a profile in the Our
Writers section of the site.
This is the writing information portal of my publishers,
WCCL. Here you will find details of all of WCCL's products and services for
writers, along with articles about writing, inspirational quotations,
recommended books about writing, and much more.
Novalearn offers fiction writing, resume writing, letter
writing, business writing, and writing software of every type to improve your
writing at affordable prices.
While obviously intended for copy editors, this is a useful
site for writers as well. It is written by Washington Post copy
editor Bill Walsh. Walsh freely admits to being opinionated - as
the self-mocking sub-title 'The Curmudgeon's Style Book'
indicates - but the site contains loads of useful advice and
information from a man who clearly knows his (American) English.
If you need advice on accents, punctuation, capitalization,
grammar or anything else writing-related, there's a good chance
you'll find something here to help you.
This is another great site for aficionados of the English
language. If you want to find out the difference between a phrase
and a clause, or how to avoid a dangling modifier, this is the
place to come. It includes some of the best interactive tests and
quizzes I have seen on the Net, all with instant feedback. There
is also a free 'Ask Grammar' service for any questions you may
have on grammar, punctuation, etc. Strongly recommended.
This great-value guide, by Jim Edwards and copywriting
guru Joe Vitale, takes you through every step of publishing and selling an
e-book on the Internet. It is aimed mainly at people who want to make money by
writing and selling "how-to" type e-books. The manual takes you
through every stage of the process, from coming up with a suitable idea, through
writing and publishing your e-book, to how to make an additional 'passive
income' from it. There are some valuable bonus items too. This is my number one
recommendation if you want to get into e-book writing, though Melanie
Mendelson's guide is very good for the actual writing process.
If you need a proofreader, my colleague Nona Langley is
the best. She is based in Australia, and can work in either UK or US English.
What's more, for a limited period she is offering a 10% discount on her normal
rate for clients coming via my website! Click on the link above for more info.
Please mention that you read about Nona on my website to qualify for your 10%
discount.
This new product from my publishers WCCL aims to help writers overcome the dreaded 'block'. It does this by using a scientific method called 'binaural beats' to lead your brain into a relaxed, creative state. The CD works by playing tones at slightly different frequencies into each ear (so headphones are best for using it). This generates a low-frequency resonance within your brain, leading it towards a high-alpha-wave state. You can read much more about binaural beats on the Web (and the site above), but the Writers Block CD is - as far as I know - the only such product aimed specifically at writers.
In this new, downloadable manual, my colleague Melanie Mendelson explains how you can produce your own money-making ebook in just 24 hours. In a structured, step-by-step way, Melanie takes you from choosing the subject of your e-book, through outlining and writing it, to producing a finished PDF. She recommends obtaining two programs to help you during this process, but the good news is that both of them are free. The only slightly disappointing aspect is that Mealanie's manual has little to say about publishing and selling your e-book - click here for info on a guide that will help you with this.
NEW - See my in-depth
review of the 24-Hour E-Book Writing System on my blog!
This brand new CD course from WCCL sets out a method anyone can use to produce a complete movie screenplay in a month. It is written by three successful screenwriters, two in the US and one in the UK. As well as the course material, the CD includes over 850 sample screenplays to study and learn from. Highly recommended!
This popular software is designed to help anyone write better. It works in any text-based application - not just word processors, but also email programs, web-based forms, and so on. As well as checking your spelling, grammar and punctuation, WhiteSmoke suggests ways of "enriching" your text, by changing or adding words. For a limited period, the software is on offer for a 25% discount - click on the banner below for more details and enter the coupon code 2525 to claim your discount.
This busy Canada-based site is aimed primarily at poets, but
other types of writing are covered as well. In addition to writing advice, there
is plenty of self-help and self-development advice and information. The content
includes articles, workshops, a free writers' community (for men as well as
women), publication how-to's and discussions, free e-books and a weekly
newsletter. Well worth checking out, whatever your gender or writing interests!
The UK's most comprehensive list of freelance writers and
copywriting information. If you need a freelance writer, you can search for one
here by area, name or skill. If you are a UK-based writer yourself, you can be
added to their online directory for a small fee. A growing range of writing jobs
is also advertised on the site. No payment is required to view these or to apply
for them.
WriteLink is a writers' resource and online community
operated by UK-based
freelance writer Sue Kendrick. As well as articles on writing, it
features links to a wide range of markets, competitions,
publishers, agents, writers' circles and reference sites, all with an
international perspective.
This bimonthly online magazine is packed with information and
articles for poets and writers. See in particular the section
titled JOB BANK, which includes writing jobs, competition info,
calls for manuscripts, and more. A good place to find a publisher
for some of those unplaced poems and short stories in your bottom
drawer!
This is the Web page of my local writers' group, the Lichfield
& District Writers. It will obviously be of most interest if
you live in or near Lichfield, but there are also details of our
annual short story competition, which is open to everyone.
The Eclectic Writer is a well constructed site with a strong
bias towards fiction writing. It includes a selection of
articles, e.g.' How to Write a Sensual Romance' and 'The Perfect
Query Letter'. There is also a comprehensive list of links to
sites of interest to writers, divided into categories.
This free fortnightly newsletter is a treasure trove of advice
and information for writers of all persuasions. It has a
fiction-writing bias, but is far wider in scope than just
novel-writing. The full text of current and past issues is
available on this site, and you can also have copies e-mailed to
you by filling in a reply form. Recommended.
Journalism UK is a resource intended primarily for UK-based
journalists working on text-based publications. It is a
collection of links to sites of interest arranged in twelve
categories: UK news, local news, magazines, e-zines, sources,
jobs, recreation, TV and films, new books, organisations, world,
sport, science, and 'this week'.
The Apothecary's Drawer is the home page of my friend and
fellow writer, Ray Girvan. The site contains a treasury of links
to a wide range of Web sites on subjects from science and
mathematics to music and mythology. Those with an interest in
writing erotic fiction should visit the Kilgore Trout page
(accessible via the Censorship & Other Issues section), which
contains a fascinating article on writing erotic fiction by Ray
himself, and links to a range of Web sites on this subject.
The trAce Web site connects writers and readers across the
world. Their discussion boards provide the means for discussing
writing issues and workshopping your own writing. There are also
regular live Chat sessions.
TV Writer.com is hosted by US professional TV writer Larry
Brody. This is the place to come for the lowdown on writing for
Star Trek or scripting animated series such as Spider Man and The
Silver Surfer. Various interesting things can be downloaded,
including Brody's first draft script for a Spider Man cartoon,
and a template for writing for American TV shows.
This UK-based web site and magazine is devoted to the development and exposure of new writing. Anyone can publish their work on the site, and the best is selected for publication in a printed magazine (for which payment is made). Copyright is kept by the author.