The internet is filled with useful resources for writers, from free courses and downloads to insightful blogs. We have compiled some goodies for you. Enjoy!
Writers Helping Writers
They have some of the most helpful resources for writers. Many of us here at the "Coffee Shop" use their books on a regular basis.
Think of this as that place for the pesky details you can't seem to remember. It's a quick reference sheet not a full story bible.
Style Sheet PDF
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Style Sheet Word Docx
This is meant as a quick reference sheet for pesky details, not a full story bible.
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This is a way for everyone to see the same timer. I have used it on several occassions.
This timer silently counts down to 0:00, then alerts you that time is up with a gentle beep sound.
JJ Wallis loves these. Here's what she has to say about this resource.
With my ADHD brain, I struggle to stay on task and not be distracted. To get around this, I use writing sprints and visual timers. I started with a Pomodoro app but then moved to using YouTube video timers. With my desktop setup, I have multiple screens and keep this video full screen on one. If I get a distracting thought, I just look over and see how much time I have left to trick my brain to remain on task until it reaches zero.
Onomatopoeia — using words to describe a sound
Sound is just one of the five senses, and using words to describe those sounds is an art form within itself. This downloadable resource contains a list of words that could be used for a variety of scenarios. From animal sounds to the sounds from electronics, this resource will help everyone to build show into their stories.
I know there are many scrivener templates out there. I (Ann Bell Feinstein) use Save the Cat Writes a Novel to structure my manuscripts. I have given you the same template (minus some story specific information) I use. I hope it helps you.
STC Scrivener Template
I took a scrivnener template and added the save the cat beats and some other templates I found useful. Maybe you will too. You will have to unzip the file and import it into scrivener. To use this template, download the .zip file. Then extrac the file. Create a new project using Scrivener, and instead of choosing an existing template, choose "import templates" from the options menu at the lower left of your window. After you have imported the file, it should show up with your other templates when you create a new project.
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Jami Gold (a paranormal romance writer) has compiled a wonderful collection of beat sheets for writers based on a variety of models, including Save the Cat!, Story Engineering, and the Six Stage Plot. There are checklists for writing engaging scenes and Scrivener templates. She also links to other useful resources for writers.
Outline an entire story on one page to get that crucial big picture view, this is a free 7-day course by Rachael Stephen.
Quick guide to plotting that explains both the why of the structure while giving it a practical way to apply it. This is also easily adapted to any beat list or story structure that you may use.
There are so many models for story structure out there, and this is another one to add to the list. But this one comes with a detailed blog post and a FREE downloadable worksheet.
Plot out your stories with confidence.
Writing a well-structured romance isn’t the same as writing any other genre—something the popular novel and screenwriting guides don’t address. The romance arc is made up of its own story beats, and the external plot and theme need to be braided to the romance arc—not the other way around.
As a writer of Romance, I find plotting using romancing the beat incredibly helpful. Rather than having to pick up the book and page through to the beats, Gwen Hayes offers a free scrivener template and if you sign up for her newsletter you can download a PDF cheat sheet of the beats.
Beth Hill is a freelance editor and the author of The Magic of Fiction: Crafting Words into a Story. This blog post forms a chapter from her book, containing all the information that a fiction writer needs to punctuate dialogue correctly. There is even a downloadable version of the chapter available for purchase ($0.99 USD).
Writers are often on the hunt for names for their various characters, but with this fake name generator, you'll get a name, physical characteristics, a home address, an occupation, and the make and model of the car that your character drives.
It's also good for those who are planning to live a secret life.
Despite the name Fantasy Name Generator you can get many other types of names here. Take a peek.
The SPA Girls are Trudi Jaye, Cheryl Phipps, Wendy Vella and Shar Barratt: four New Zealand authors who between them have had more than 100 books published.
They’ve been self-publishing since 2013, and Wendy Vella alone has sold more than 2 million copies of her historical and contemporary romances.
The SPA Girls Podcast (SPA = Self Publishing Authors) is one of the industry’s leading publishing podcasts globally, with over five years worth of weekly top-rating episodes.
Aimed at the beginning self-publisher, the podcast has received rave reviews from listeners and guests alike! Each week the SPA Girls bring listeners a new episode covering all things self-publishing, writing craft, marketing advice, advertising strategies and expert guest interviews.
There is just so much useful advice, hints and tricks that can be found in the SPA girls podcast back catalogue, I’m unable to list all my favorite episodes. I’ve linked one of their more recent episodes on what to do when you’re stuck in a creative rut which may help during the pressure some writers experience during NaNoWriMo, but it’s well worth your time to look through their back catalogue to see what may resonate with you.
Click the shuffle button to get a randomly generated prompt. Then start writing!
Great for when you’re experience some creatively slumps or blocks, need some prompts for a scene or even an entire story, hit shuffle and see what you get.
Jane Friedman is highly respected within the industry and frequently shares her knowledge and experience with writers. One blog post in particular is updated every year with the latest information about various publication paths, listing the pros and cons. This is one blog post that Judy L Mohr has bookmarked, eagerly awaiting the updates to the information provided in the new year.
Morada Granada ML designed trackers to motivate Wrimos in reaching their word count targets. Check them out.
Free short term rebel planner. It allows you to see where your time needs to be visually. Have fun rebels.