Writers' Workshop

In the spirit of Random Act of Publicity Week for books, authors, and writers, I decided that it would be appropriate for me to discuss some great writing resources. The following list is a group of books/blogs/websites that I have found helpful in improving writing.

-A Teen's Guide to Getting Published: Publishing for Profit, Recognition, and Academic Success by Jessica Dunn & Danielle Dunn. No, this isn't quite about writing but it is about publishing, something that many writers hope will happen to their work. Not only does this book discuss publishing but it also provides advice for editing and receiving feedback. I'd recommend this book as a first to read about writing.

-Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly by Gail Carson Levine. I read this book while doing a school research paper about novel writing and it is probably one of the most helpful things that I have read. Levine breaks down different aspects of writing by informational sections like voice, show and tell, and establishing a good beginning. At the end of each section, she provides a related writing prompt or two. One of my favorite prompts of hers is to "[w]rite down twelve new story ideas right now. Don't expect them all to be good. What you want are twelve ideas, good, bad, or blue with pink stripes. If twelve don't arrive immediately, write junk or notes till you're done." I definitely think is a must read for writers of any age even though it is directed at a teenager audience.

-Another prime example of a book aimed to a young audience and writers is Josephine Nobisso's Show; Don't Tell! Secrets of Writing. I went to a workshop of Nobisso's at the spring NE-SCBWI conference and bought the book after her presentation. This book is another must for nailing good descriptions: it gives playful and precise instruction to improve description. She stresses using specific nouns and verbs to describe things instead of unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. This is a fun read with fantastic illustrations as well.

-Breathing Life into Your Characters: How to Give your Characters Emotional & Psychological Depth by Rachel Ballon, PH.D. This book provides a psychological insight into writing characters. Ballon explains that the best way to understand characters is by understanding their psychology and your own; in doing this, characters become more believable. She explains the necessity of character motivation, back story, and differences from yourself and the characters.

-Gail Carson Levine's blog: http://gailcarsonlevine.blogspot.com/. This is a terrific resource for writing. Levine usually does a weekly post regarding writing, provides prompts, and is open to reader comments.

-Cara C's Food 4 Thought blog http://food4thought-cc.blogspot.com/. This blog is a lot of fun to read. She discusses such delectable food that mouth waters when I read about it. Great writing style and content.
Just for fun...
I also enjoy these art websites/web comics.
-Dani Jones has a great web series, My Sister the Freak. http://www.mysisterthefreak.com/

-Will H. does some humorous animation and web comics on his website. This is another fun thing to read, watch, and follow. http://www.crazycrudd.webs.com/