This month on Writing with Rae I thought I’d share some of my favorite ONLINE RESOURCES FOR NEW WRITERS. When I first decided to pursue writing a novel, I absorbed tons of information from books to online articles and videos. As many of you know, there is a large BookTube community on YouTube and through this community I was introduced to AuthorTube channels. The first author came from a post someone shared on Facebook from Jenna Moreci. Jenna had just published Eve The Awakening and gave writing advice and tips in an entertaining top ten format of do’s and don’ts. While her channel has evolved over time with the content presented, she still comes back to her lists of favorites, dislikes, tips, and how-to’s. She is straightforward, funny, relatable, and encouraging. It’s been a joy watching her build her platform and become a very successful indie author. I know new writers will find her an inspiration and will learn valuable information for beginning the writing process.
Check out one of her latest videos: 10 Worst Pieces of Writing Advice
By far one of the most helpful resources for any writer whether new or experienced is the podcast Writing Excuses, a “fast-paced, educational podcast for writers, by writers.” One of the podcast’s headlining contributer is the one and only Brandon Sanderson, author of The Mistborn trilogy and The Stormlight Archive. But did you know he teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University? New writers in fantasy and sci-fi have a treasure trove of Sanderson’s 2016 university-level lectures that have been uploaded to YouTube at their disposal. Topics range from world building, character arcs, and magic systems, as well as the agent and business aspects of writing.
I highly recommend new writers check it out. You receive a free class in genre writing with only a click: Brandon Sanderson – 318R – #1 (Course Overview)
My next selection is a blog maintained by authors and publishing professionals called Pub(lishing) Crawl. Here new writers can find advice on topics from author websites to writing a synopsis. There are hundreds of posts from some of the leading professionals in the industry. The website has a handy resource page that can take you straight to the topic of your choice. You can also check out the PubCrawl podcast hosted by S. Jae-Jones and Kelly Van Sant. Pub Crawl is packed with pure gold advice and information—definitely a must for new writers.
I’ve shared an indie author on YouTube, but now I want to share a traditionally published author, Alexa Donne. Alexa shares writing advice on her channel, but from her perspective, addressing topics that include agents, writing hacks, and publishing. While Alexa focuses mainly on YA, any writer can apply some of her tips and tricks and learn from her experience as a traditionally published author. In addition to her YouTube channel, Alex is the co-founder of Author Mentor Match, which pairs “unagented, aspiring writers with mentors to help them with their manuscripts and guide them through the publishing process.” If you have a completed manuscript, check it out! Submissions open in February and will include Adult categories this round.
And check out one of Alexa’s latest videos: How Book Advances and Royalties Work
As a busy homeschool mom and foster mom to a little one, it’s near impossible to attend nonlocal writer conferences. But never fear! I have found the perfect solution: WriteOnCon! WriteOnCon is “a three-day online children’s book conference for writers and illustrators of picture books, middle grade, and young adult.” If you write adult lit, no worries! There’s still plenty of great information you can access right from the comfort of your own home. You have the freedom to access what applies to you. The conference features live lectures and Q&As, blogposts, critique forums, and pitch sessions. There’s even a CP Match program! Be sure to attend February 21-23. Tons of information for cheap.
If you want to see past conferences and get an idea of what to expect, you can use the code NANOPREP for discounted access to to the archives of 300+ events for 30 days.
Thanks for joining me again for this month’s #WritingwithRae. As always, if you found this information helpful be sure to pass it on to other writerly friends. If you would like to learn more about a specific writing topic or technique, drop me a suggestion in the comments for future #WritingwithRae blog posts. Join me on Twitter for #WritingwithRae threads (beginning every third Saturday of the month) and on Instagram for announcements. See you next month!
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