A call for writing resources

By On · 12 Comments · In Community, Writing

This Friday, I’m going to be doing a writing workshop with small group of high school students. I’d like to assemble a handout of online resources for them, and I’m looking for suggestions! I’ve already got William Shunn’s manuscript formatting guidelines on the list, as well as Duotrope. What other resources would you recommend to young writers of short fiction? I’m particularly looking for good, supportive, welcoming online critique groups (I was thinking Critters, but I haven’t been involved with that group for an exceptionally long time and I’m not sure if I should still recommend it) as well as words of wisdom, basic style advice, etc.

Post your faves in the comments! The young writer you help today may be tomorrow’s best seller!

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  • http://twitter.com/jesswynne Jessica Reisman
    • http://www.demimonde.com M.K. Hobson

      Good one — thanks dear J!

  • S3lkie

    In case no one has pointed it out, there’s always the Turkey City Lexicon — although it’s been recently edited (sigh) and is no longer copyright free for whatever reason.

    • http://www.demimonde.com M.K. Hobson

      Wow, the exact same suggestion in the first two comments … it’s
      going on the list. ;-) Thanks!

  • Ann Leckie

    At, what, $50 a year? OWW could be pricey for kids–but it’s a step above Critters, and maybe a kid with a part time job or very supportive parents could swing it.

    Critters is okay, and far, far better than nothing. Free has its virtues. And it’s not that it’s horrible, it’s that it’s free so everybody and their pet monkey’s stuffed tribble is critting there. But hey, learning to sort good advice from bad is a necessary skill, so.

    At one time SFWA had a bunch of resources for new writers. Now the website is changed and all easier to navigate, ironically, I’m not sure where to find them…

    • http://www.demimonde.com M.K. Hobson

      The cost issue is also a big factor in whether I should recommend
      young writers going to cons & participating in writing workshops … I
      think they could be valuable, but they’re expensive. More to the
      point, however, I’d hate to get sued someday by a parent upset over
      the fact that their kid spent more of the con cavorting with sexy
      young things in Furry costumes than improving his/her writing skills.

      ;-P

  • http://ecmyers.net Eugene Myers

    VanderMeer’s Booklife (the book and the website) is very helpful, and Ralan’s is another good market list. Holly Lisle also has some helpful writing advice and techniques.

    http://booklifenow.com/
    http://ralan.com/
    http://hollylisle.com/

    • http://www.demimonde.com M.K. Hobson

      Ooh, good ones. I’d forgotten about Holly Lisle. Holly Black has some
      too, I think. I bet a lot of YA authors have links for young writers,
      that’s a good avenue for me to explore.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1463733537 Katherine Nyborg

    One of the best blogs for writing any kind of fiction is Alexandra Sokoloff’s. She primarily writes novels and screenplays, but her tips on writing are fabulous for crafting/revising short stories as well.

    http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com

    My second best advice for any writer starting out is … Just keep writing. Write every single day, even if you think it’s complete crap. It’s much MUCH easier to edit something, even crap, than it is a blank page. So just keep writing.

    My first advice is this … You CAN do this. Believe in yourself, and believe in the process. Be gentle with yourself, and let yourself learn.

  • http://twitter.com/kellyoyo Kelly Robson

    For some reason my comments keep disappearing from this post.

    • http://www.demimonde.com M.K. Hobson

      But the comment you posted about comments not posting posted. How’s
      that for meta-weird?

      • http://twitter.com/kellyoyo Kelly Robson

        It must think I’m spamming. I’ll email you the resources.