Inside Scoop: Dish From a Literary Agent Intern… 5 Sites to Help You Write!

Sometimes we need to get by with a little help from our friends; and sometimes our friends are bloggers, online publications, websites or just the internet in general. There is always something on the internet that can help you with whatever it is you need. Want to repurpose an old sock? *BAM* Google just found you 259,000 possible ways to do that. The purpose of my post this month (sorry to the fun-loving sock lovers) is to share some blogs and sites that may be helpful to writers. Here are 5 websites I found to be all around good, useful sites.

1. Stacked – This blog caters to writers who are more interested in what is going on in the literary world. They not only review books themselves, but they also round up other reviews and overviews. You can send them your manuscript for review (no ebooks), which they will choose to post at their discretion. For a writer looking for feedback it never hurts to give it a shot.
2. Authonomy – This site is run by HarperCollins and I think it’s a really great way to bring writers and readers together in a forum that is rewarding for all. It allows writers to upload a manuscript for others to read and get feedback on. It also gives you the chance to be featured on their homepage, based on how many views your manuscript might get. You can also get the chance to be published by HarperCollins if your manuscript does really well on the boards. The feedback and community that is built within the site allows for growth and connections for an aspiring writer.
3.  The Write Life  – This site is a jack-of-all-trades. Not only do they write helpful articles on how to improve your writing, but they also can connect you with freelance writing positions, self-publishing and publishing opportunities, where to find critique partners for your work, and so much more.
4. Wattpad – On this site, readers and writers come together in a community to share their work. Like Authonomy, if your story does well on the boards, there’s a chance it will be featured on the site. It seems to connect writers to readers more than anything else though. If you are looking for a place to just share your work and aren’t looking for major critiques and feedback, this site seems good. It looks especially good for people who want to get their creativity out there in an open forum. It can also probably help in building a following as an author.
5. Worthy of Publishing – This site is a little more straightforward than the other sites. It’s not filled with some of the other amenities the sites listed above have. You just post to the site for feedback, get rated, and possibly get picked up by a publisher. That’s all. It is a forum for people who are looking for feedback or for those who feel they are “worthy” to get published.

I know it can be difficult and defeating sometimes but I think getting more connected, continually reaching out to different forums and communities, and allowing yourself to be open to critique can help you on your journey. Send me some of your favorite writing sites in the comments below!

Kimberly Richardson is currently interning for Linda Epstein at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, while pursuing her Masters degree in Pace University’s Publishing Program. She also interns at the National Association of Professional Women. You can follow Kimberly on Twitter @kimberly_ann688.

Showing vs. Telling in Fiction: Some Tools

I did a workshop this past weekend at a writers conference on showing versus telling in fiction. I prepped for it and made a powerpoint and a handout and practiced what I was going to say and had hands-on writing exercises and everything. People who took the workshop said they got something out of it, but I can’t help feeling like I didn’t quite hit the nail on the head with this. Oh well. Here are some tips, stolen from my handout:

 

Verbs are your friends: For example, you could write “Hermione walked to the library.” Or, you could try, 

Hermione snuck to the library.

Hermione trudged to the library.

Hermione marched to the library.

Sometimes using a strong verb can create a more powerful image than using an adverb. For example, you could write, “Ron wrote his name messily on the chalkboard.” Or, you could try,

Ron scrawled his name on the chalkboard.  or  Ron scribbled his name on the chalkboard.

Don’t forget the details, details, details! For example, look at this beautiful paragraph:

Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Olivander cried, “Oh, bravo!”

 You can show character through dialogue.  For example, if you know Draco is an elitist; Draco is arrogant; Draco is self-important, then you might, like J.K. Rowling, write a sentence like this:

“You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.”

This isn’t magic or rocket science. It’s stronger, more vivid writing.  You are trying to create a visceral connection between your reader and your work, not just an intellectual one. So go for the guts, not just the head.

Advice for Writers

Last summer, at the Writing Yoga® Retreat that I host with my colleague Stefanie Lipsey, I learned something that some might say, “No, duh!” to, but that I’d kind of forgotten. It was during one of our afternoon yoga sessions, and Stefanie was leading the yoga. She reminded us to focus on what was happening on our own yoga mat. That is to say, it didn’t matter if the person next to me could balance on one foot while wrapping their other foot behind their head, all while humming a satisfying OM to the universe, while I might be struggling to figure out which way to turn my head, where to place my hand, and how my foot happened to get where it is. Yoga isn’t a contest. It’s not a competitive sport. When I focused on what was happening on my own mat, not only was it a much more pleasant experience, but I was able to achieve the tasks I set for myself there.

Similarly, writing isn’t a competitive sport. “What?,” you might ask, “How can that be?!” Because your writing isn’t going to keep improving if you don’t keep your focus on your own work. Measuring yourself against other writers won’t make your writing any better or worse. Putting others down or putting yourself down in comparison to others also won’t change how you write. What will change how you write is writing and reading.

So, if you’re not a write every day kind of writer, that’s ok. If you’re a plotter or a *pantser, that’s ok. If you only write during the summer, that’s ok. If you can’t read in your genre while you’re in the midst of a manuscript, that’s ok. If you need to eat mini marshmallows while you write, that’s ok. However it works for you is ok. Keep your concentration on what’s happening on your own “yoga mat.” In that way, you’ll know what you need to focus on next and it might be a more pleasant experience.

*a “pantser” is someone who writes by the seat of their pants, as opposed to outlining a whole plot beforehand.

What’s one bit of advice you’d like to give other writers? What’s one bit of writing advice that made a difference for you?