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Looking Over The Writer's Shoulder: "The storyteller becomes bound by his own decisions; he must follow one chosen route from beginning to end." A new article by Paul Grainger looks at the writing process from the perspective of the writer and the reader.
Things to do to Avoid Writing: Katie Gould takes a wry look at the things authors find to do to avoid writing.
Our 'Writer in Residence' Paul Saevig considers how to tackle writing advice: 'Choosing Your Training as a Writer': or 'How To Evaluate Teachings on Writing For Your Own Best Interest', looks at the problems the plethora of guidance can create.
California Literary Review: Insightful, irreverent book reviews, thought provoking essays, and interviews with talented authors.
How To Write A Book: Information on how to write a book including book writing tips, how to write a fiction book, writing childrens books, writing fantasy books, writing a book proposal, book writing software, format for writing a book, and books on writing.
Self Publishing: Information on self publishing including self publishing books, self publishing presses, self publishing printing, self publishing software, self publishing services, self publishing children's book, self publishing comparison, self publishing sites, and childrens self publishing.
GodSeed: Promoter of the Sci_Fi and Fantasy Author. Our members post their books to our library and bookstore. Enter short story contests. Member book reviews.
Dynamic Fiction: was developed to establish an online presence for amateur writing. Our goal is to provide a central internet location for users to read and comment on fictional stories, book reviews, essays, poems and more. Dynamic Fiction's content is rooted in the idea that group effort yields higher quality material, so we encourage you to give us feedback and and we wish to entertain each and every user by doing so.
Man In The Moon: a website for poetry written by children. Here you can read lots and lots of brilliant poems, read all about children's poet Michael Rosen and play some games. You can also pick up some tips for writing your own poetry, learn a few toe-curling jokes and e-mail us your poems.
hagsharlotsheroines: Hagsharlotsheroines is a vibrant new story telling site, filled with tales of raging demons, pioneering physicians, infamous pickpockets, fickle goddesses, heroic fighter pilots, inspirational artists, chariot riding warriors, pretenders to the throne, witches, writers, murderers, revolutionaries, spies. and all women; members of the so called "weaker" sex. We welcome submissions from our members and provide a valuable writer's tool kit for aspiring writers. Access to the site requires registration - but membership is free. We also send out a monthly newsletter to members containing our Story of the Month.
Appalachian Authors' Guild: The AAG is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to provide avenues of support and networking to Appalachian authors by assisting our members in marketing and selling their products.
Six Mistakes for Authors to Avoid when Creating a Website
6 Mistakes to Avoid When Creating Websites by Judith Ceja
Untitled Document Creating your own web site is a great way for authors to promote their work. It sounds easy enough. However, many authors make some simple mistakes that create more headaches than traffic to their site. There are definitely some things you should avoid if you want your web site to be successful. Following these few simple rules can save you a lot of future headaches.
Rule #1: Don't Build Your Own Web Site
While you might be an expert writer that doesn't mean you have the skills to build a web site, even if it is all about you! Don't spend hundreds of dollars on web designer software thinking this is a do-it-yourself project. Unless you know how to utilize search engine optimization or have the skills to integrate a blog, let someone else build the site.
Rule #2: Don't Hire Your Best Friend
You need a web site built and your best friend offers to build it for you. He even guarantees to keep it updated. It sounds too good to be true. Well, it is. If your friend is good at designing web sites, soon he will be busy designing other sites and the updates you need may take longer to get processed. Since you are not a paying customer, you won't be his priority. Pay a professional to get the job done.
Rule #3: Concentrate On Content Over Design
Don't make the mistake of thinking a pretty web site is all you need. While it's true that you want to grab the reader's attention and get them looking around your site, they won't stick around if you don't have valuable content. Remember, your goal is to have the reader keep coming back for more.
Rule #4: Concentrate On What the Reader Wants
Readers will come to your web site looking for information about you: a list of your books, current speaking engagements or book signings, and previews of books to come. They will also want a peek into your personal life, as well as how to contact you. Give them what they want.
Rule #5: Keep Your Web Site Current
You will lose readers if your web site becomes outdated. Everyone wants the most current information available and if they can't get it from you, they will go elsewhere. Ensure that you can easily update your own web site regardless of who builds it.
Rule #6: Limit Your Advertising
Nothing annoys a reader more than wading through a sea of advertisements. Ensure that your site contains more content than advertising. Remember, your readers are interested in what you have to say, not pop up ads.
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rejectioncollection.com: The writer's online source for misery, commiseration and inspiration? Postings are anonymous, laughs and catharsis are free.
Creative Novel Writing: Roselle Angwin runs a year-round programme, which ranges from retreats on the Isle of Iona to a nine-month novel writing course (based on her book CREATIVE NOVEL WRITING, [Robert Hale, 1999, 2002]) which was featured in The Guardian - and many more. Roselle is an author and poet, and Director of the Fire in the Head creative writing programme.
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RITRO.com:Volunteer based e-zine with new content daily. They publish and accept submissions in poetry and articles in many departments. There are also message boards, online diaries, and voting polls. Checking submission guidelines is a must before sending in any work.
www.freelance-tips.com: Free newsletter offering tips on marketing, niche marketing, negotiating a contract, getting referrals, pricing your work, building your portfolio and more...
www.writersarena.com: is an international website for aspiring writers. Offering information, advice and showcasing.
The Handy Little Book for Writers by Lynne Hackles is packed with hints and tips for all writers of all genres at all levels. There is something in it to inspire everyone. It's all packed into a 44-page A6 booklet with a distinctive purple cover. The book was published in September by NAWG Publications. It costs a mere £2.99 (with 50p towards cost of post and packing - cheques payable to NAWG). You can order the book from The Handy Little Book for Writers, 40 Burstall Hill, Bridlington, East Yorkshire YO16 7GA.
IWanthatBook: Online Bookshop for difficult to find reference books. IWanthatBook aims to be the place for academics and students alike to order the books they want - simply, securely and cost-effectively.
Freelancers In The UK
The UK's most comprehensive list of freelance writers and copywriting information!
Resourceaid: Resource site for everything to do with the arts. Full of newsletters, articles, links and other resources - ALL FREE - in one easy to navigate site to save time and money.
Today's Woman: A community for men and women over 18, where writers, poets & columnists meet and exchange ideas, contest, rate and review and help each other succeed in the writing industry.
thefictionwritersjourney.com: articles on writing, prompts, exercises from novelist and writing coach, Emily Hanlon. Writing.Com: An online community for writers of all ages, interests and skill levels. Anyone may create a free portfolio and exchange feedback with other writers. We were amongst Writer's Digest's 101 "Best Websites For Writers, 2005" and have thousands of writers within our community.
Today's Writer: a community for men and women over 18, where writers, poets & columnists meet and exchange ideas, contest, rate and review and help each other succeed in the writing industry.
The Argotist Online: is devoted to poetry and poetics. It publishes non-mainstream poetry, and features essays and interviews sympathetic to it. Currently it has interviews with Charles Bernstein, Marjorie Perloff, Ron Silliman, Rupert Loydell; and poems by Sheila E Murphy, Annabelle Clippinger, and Hank Lazer among others.