Writer Resources

So you want to be a writer. Well, as solitary as the act of writing is, you're going to need some help. But, where to find it? The internet is a huge place, and some of it is conflicting information, so what's an aspiring writer to do?

Yeah, he NEEDS some help there.

Well, I'm going to share with you all today, a few places and things on the internet that I've found particularly helpful. After all, the more places that can lead you to where you can find help, the easier it'll be to find them. 

AbsoluteWrite.com

AbsoluteWrite is a website for authors, but the real help is in the forums on this page. We're talking a forum full of published authors, people that have worked in the publishing industry, and experts from many different fields. So there's lots of advice to be found here. Ask about things you're researching for your next story. See if anyone knows anything about that publisher you were considering. Even post small bits of your writing for feedback! Really though, the best thing here is how supportive the people on this forum generally are. If there's anything that'll help you on your way to being a published author, it's being cheered on by people that have already done it. 

So, you now have a piece written up, beta-read, edited, and ready to send out into the world. For God's sake, don't submit your work in Comic Sans font. 

There is a standard format for your work to follow before you submit it somewhere. It is recommended that people follow it, or you could find your work rejected without even being read. 

William Shunn's Manuscript Guide. 

This is the best guide that I've found around the internet to what the standard format is. 

Of course, now that you're all set to submit, you need to know where to go, what markets are open, and what they're looking for. 

Writer's Digest.com 

They have a lot of articles and although you have to pay to access it, they have the Writer's Market, which lists places you can submit to. 

Submission Grinder

The Submission Grinder is better, I think, for finding markets to submit to. It's completely free, for a start. It also allows you to track your submissions, where you sent them to, and how long it's taken for them to get back to you. It also tracks statistics for a lot of markets, so you can see what their average response times are. You can also search for markets by story length, style, genre, and even pay rates. 

Well, those are the most useful sites that I've come across. If you know of others, feel free to drop them in the comments and I hope you find these as useful as I have. Good luck in your writing! 

~ Shaun