My 10 Favorite Writing Websites

I’m thrilled to welcome Soul Mate author Kim Hotzon to the Power of 10 series. Today, Kim shares her favorite writing websites and her novel, Hands Full of Ashes.

Here’s Kim!

computerusehotzon I love lists. They’re handy, neat and informative. So, I’m thrilled to be joining author Joanne Guidoccio on her blog ‘The Power of Ten’.

Many ideas floated round my head, and I wondered, What could I contribute that would offer fresh content and interest readers? In the end, I thought I’d share my ten favorite websites that I’ve used in my writing career. Some of these sites cater to blogging, others to grammar and writing resources while some offer insight into marketing and publishing.

*Disclosure: I do not have any affiliation with these sites and I’m not being paid to promote individual sites. This list is merely a compilation of sites I’ve personally found useful.

1. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl

Site name: Quick and dirty tips. Aka Grammar girl.

What it includes: This is a wonderful site created by Mignon Fogarty, a woman whose roles have included senior editor, magazine writer and technical writer, among others.

Why I love it: Her blog posts offer comprehensive grammar rules, memory tricks to recall those rules, and word choice guidelines. I love the questions posted by fellow writers as well.

2. http://www.rachellegardner.com/how-to-write-a-book-proposal/

Site name: Rachelle Gardner.

What it includes: Like many professionals in the writing/publishing industry, Rachelle has worn many hats, including agent, writing/publishing coach, speaker and book editor. She pens blogs about writing and publishing.

Why I love it: Rachelle offers several succinct, helpful blogs covering everything from crafting compelling book titles to writing a good query letter.

3. http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/new-agency-alerts

Site Name: Writer’s Digest.

What it includes: Several online editors contribute blogs and poetry on this site. Brian A. Klems writes a blog titled The Writer’s Dig. He covers all areas of writing, editing and publishing on his site. Chuck Sambuchino offers regular lists of agents seeking submissions. He also shares dates for writing conferences and lists upcoming writing competitions.

Why I love it: Besides the agent lists, another great thing about this site are the free downloads which include helpful articles on how to promote your work and protect it. Another great feature? The weekly writing prompts that can help jumpstart your creative juices if you find yourself in a writing rut.

4. http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2011/01/07/how-to-create-a-book-trailer/

Site name: The Creative Penn

What it includes: A site of resources for writers including book writing, publishing and marketing, by bestselling author Joanna Penn.

Why I love it: Though the site is filled with prompts to buy her books (she needs to make a living too!) there is a ton of free stuff that is relevant and current. I used one of Joanna Penn’s blogs on book trailers as a tool to create my own book trailer.

5. http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/

Site name: The free dictionary.

What it includes: A free dictionary and thesaurus online.

Why I love it: In addition to the online dictionary, there is also a feature for idioms and acronyms, though the thesaurus remains my favorite feature.

6. http://www.yourwriterplatform.com/category/blog/

Site name: Your Writer Platform

What it includes: Video podcasts and blog posts that offer information on book marketing! Know your target audience, create a marketing plan and have a successful book launch. The site’s owner, Kimberly Grabas offers detailed video podcasts about how to do this and what to avoid.

Why I love it: It’s nice to have a site that offers clear help on marketing your book. There is a lot of information on this site and it may take a few minutes to scroll through and find what you need but it’s there. I particularly liked the blog post about how to organize social media tools and plug ins for my website.

7. http://www.dailywritingtips.com/about/

Site name: Daily Writing Tips

What it includes: Whether it’s tips you’re after for creative or business writing, this site has you covered. A comprehensive list of blog articles about writing and grammar by a team of writers and editors. As the site name indicates, this website is updated daily!

Why I love it: I like that it’s constantly updated with fresh content; also I found the manuscript formatting tips quite useful.

8. http://www.scribophile.com/blog/keeping-the-purple-out-of-your-prose/

Site name: Scribophile

What it includes: An online writing community you can sign up and join to get critiques and reviews of your writing.

Why I love it: The blog posts are informative. One of my favorites was ‘Keeping The Purple Out Of Your Prose’ – a call to arms for eliminating flowery language and tightening your writing.

9. https://janefriedman.com/novel-synopsis/

Site name: Jane Friedman

What it includes: Jane Friedman is a well-known international speaker with many years in the publishing industry. Her site offers interviews, and resources for writers.

Why I love it: Helpful articles covering every aspect of writing and publishing. Need to find an agent? What about constructing a query letter? Should you keep writing? All of these topics and more can be found on her site. Jane also has guest bloggers post on her site. Recently, I found an article discussing best practices for Facebook author pages to be timely.

10. http://absolutewrite.com/about/

Site name: Absolute Write

What it includes: An online forum where writers can ask and answer questions on every imaginable topic related to their writing journeys. Some discussions get testy, but the Absolute Write Water Cooler is an informational juggernaut of names, places, events and sites that either come highly recommended or not!

Why I love it: It is a cornucopia of writing and publishing news. I find it enlightening first of all, eyebrow raising second of all. I also like that I don’t have to register or sign up (unless I want to submit my own comment). There are plenty of conversational threads to scroll through on any topic I might have a question about. You’ll find warnings about publishers or do’s and don’ts for querying in addition to general advice from writers both published and unpublished.

I’d love to hear from other writers as to their favorite sites! Whether it’s online forums, resource or publishing sites, share what you use and what you know!

Blurb

Olivia promises to fulfill her dying husband’s wish – to scatter his ashes around the world. Wading through grief and depression, she journeys to a remote orphanage in Uganda. Living amongst the children in their threadbare surroundings, she vows to fight for the children’s lives as she begins to fight for her own. While Olivia develops a passion for humanitarian work, the lonely director of the orphanage develops a simmering passion for her.

Just as time begins to heal the wounds of her heart, Olivia learns the truth of her husband’s unimaginable betrayal. She flees to the tiny country of Rwanda where her soul is reawakened with a startling new love. Olivia realizes that love always comes with a price when she is faced with a decision she thought she would never have to make.

Surrounded by the rugged beauty of Africa, Olivia is determined to find true love while learning how to survive in a region left torn apart by civil war.

Bio

kimhotzon Born in beautiful British Columbia, Kim developed a passion for writing at an early age. Her interest in people led her all over the globe, including a two year stay in Japan and a humanitarian trip to Rwanda.

She loves to write romance stories with a twist, usually involving a dangerous and dramatic backdrop. Her first novel, Hands Full of Ashes, was inspired by her trip to Africa.

Kim spent many years teaching young adults with learning disabilities at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and she currently resides in the sunny Okanagan with her husband and two children. When not writing, she can be found plying the local ski hills, or getting lost in her kayak in the surrounding lakes.

Where to find Kim…