Resources for writers

There is a tsunami of writing advice and tools out there in internet land. Some are excellent and well worth the time taken to find them, but I list some of my favorites below to save all of you the effort.

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Podcasts

Writing about dragons & shit - Two authors and a writer discuss all things writing and publishing. The early episodes (pre episode 100) provide a wide variety of advice on the writing process, querying and publishing. Later episodes focus more often on particular books and listener questions.

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The shit no one tells you about writing - a useful podcast with many author and industry expert interviews. Special focus on providing comp titles for listeners, with a wide range of associated services on their website.

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Bookends Literary Agency vlog - information from two agents at Bookends covering (mostly) the arena of querying and submissions, with a few forays into the publishing process.

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Hello Future Me - examinations of the writing process, delving deep into style, structure and common mistakes.

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Jed Herne - an indy published author who offers general writing advice and some coaching services.

Plotting and drafting tools

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Prewrite - a fantastic tool for designing your story. Create character outlines, scene contents and order, plot notes and artwork.

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Character want Vs need - an outstanding of the want vs need dilemma, for whenever you need a refresher.

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Editing tools

Edit Out Loud - Yes, people will looks at you strangely if you play this where they can hear it, but it's an invaluable tool for testing the flow of your writing, particularly dialogue.

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ProWritingAid - a fantastic tool for improving your prose. Style and grammar advice, flagging overused and repeated words or phrases, and feedback on structure, length and readability.

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Beta/critique partners and manuscript assessment

Critique Circle - brilliant platform to share work. Critique a few chapters and have your own critiqued in return.

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Critique Match - another chapter sharing site. I found the mechanics somewhat less intuitive and balanced but it might work for you.

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Fabled Planet - offers a beta reading service. At the time of writing they guarantee at least six readers, with mostly quite useful feedback.

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The Literary Consultancy - provides a range of services including a detailed manuscript assessment from a published author (for a pricey price).

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Query tools

MSWL - a great source for finding agents in your field of writing.

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Querytracker - the invaluable tool for tracking your queries and keeping up with agent changes.

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The Black List - a new service for fiction writers where industry insiders can assess and review your work, rating it for the information of agents and filmmakers.