Timely Resources Every Writer Needs!

Writing is as much art as it is finding the right resources to get the job accomplished. I know many writers who struggle with just that–resources.

When I started my journey of writing, I had no clue what I was doing. In fact, I felt like a fraud and worse, I felt alone. Without a clue where to look, I nearly gave up, threw in the towel, and said, ‘I quit.’

That’s when I joined the Minnesota Christian Writer’s Guild at the prodding of my good friend, Lois Walfrid Johnson. What I found, a gathering of like-minded individuals who had one goal, write with pride. The other thing I found, resources. Each month, someone would get up and share a writing resource or guide to help authors do what they do best, write.

I want to give you three resource types that will help you take your writing to the next level and help you land that editor to publish your next book.

1. Learning Resources:

Every writer needs access to software, ideas, and hacks to help them write more efficiently. If you want to seriously take your writing to a professional level, learning the craft of writing will take you far, but actually sitting down to write will take you further.

There are several learning resources I’ve found helpful.

Jerry B. Jenkins Website. Jerry has a wonderful blog that walks you through the ins and outs of being a writer. Not only that, he offers several free and paid courses to help you develop your craft.
Steve Laube Agency Website. Not only does the site give you access to one of the most prominent author agencies in the Christian circle, it is packed with helpful information on how to write and how to submit and write proposals for editors and agencies.
Jason Sisam’s Website. I may be biased about my own website, but I have hundreds of helpful blog posts and over 150 hours of podcast episodes for you to enjoy.
Reedsy.com. This website is a goldmine for finding editors, designers, and packed with helpful information to keep you learning the craft of being a writer.

Editing Resources:

Everyone needs to edit their work. I don’t care if you’re writing the next great American novel or tomorrow’s blog post–you need to edit.

Editing is non-negotiable. If you look at many of the self-published books on Amazon, they’re rife with bad punctuation and misspelled words. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer or Indi-author, take the time to edit and revise your work before submitting it to publishers or self-publishing.

Grammarly.com. This one website is my go-to site for quick editing. I have their browser plugin installed, so as I write, it finds and helps me correct my mistakes.
Reedsy.com. I’ll mention this one again. They have many editors you can work with to edit your work. If you are worried about your story, hire one of their developmental editors to walk with you hand in hand. Just need to polish your work before submitting to a publisher, they have copy editors ready to be hired. Check them out!

Writer Resources:

One thing I love about writing is the never-ending list of ideas and ways to write. If you read the above blogs, you’ll find more than enough to keep you busy finding a style of writing that works best for you.

Whether you’re working with paper and a pencil to using software like Scrivener, there’s something for everyone. Here’s my list.

Scrivener Software. This hands down is my number one go-to app for writing. I would not have written an 81,000-word novel in 45 days if not for Scrivener. You can easily outline, move chapters around, find your spot quickly, and write undisturbed.
Evernote. This software is my digital brain. I use it to store receipts, ideas, blog posts I find interesting, and much, much more.
How to Write your Book the Right Way!. I created a four-part series, walking you through my exact formula on writing a book quickly and efficiently. If you’ve been struggling, now’s your chance to write the book of your dreams.