Ten Writing Sites That Can Help You or Give You Reason to Procrastinate That Book

If you have read my blog recently you may not realize that I am a serious writer. Seriously.

Oh sure, I joke around. I post pictures of yarn bombs because I knit too. I make fun of bad book covers and crazy hats and my children.

But I am a serious writer - that is when I'm not spending time playing facebook games.

The proof? Look  at my sidebar and see those books that I wrote. Yep, that is me. You can find them on Amazon. Yes you can. And people have not only read them, they reviewed them. People I don't even know.

I know there are other writers out there. Only bloggers read blogs. Some of you may be wildly successful - okay, no successful writer reads my blog. Which is fine. Sigh. I live with that.

Let's try this again. Some of you out there are like me and have some publishing credits but no money to show for it. Some of you are slogging away getting rejected over and over and not getting a break - psst - sometimes it's the same people. Some of you have never been published. And some of you can't even get your family to read your carefully written, edited and polished yearly Christmas newsletter.

It's all right. We are all crazy.

To help you through I am making a list here of helpful writing sites. Go ahead, look around. Some of them have a permanent home on my side bar but I'm posting it here to meet my blogger challenge.

Here we go.

First off you can't neglect Writer's Market. They are the bible of the writer's world, the National Geographic of the science world, and the People of the people world. Not only are they a well respected writing magazine, but they have developed a strong web site. Don't be fooled by their simple front page. There's tons of stuff here. Articles on writing, webinars, the store which offers both paper and digital subscriptions to the magazine and their annual writers market books, writing books, contests, interviews. Be aware though, that once you sign up they will be sending things to your email. Like live kitties because every writer needs a cat. You might want to make a special email folder for it.

Holly Lisle isn't just a writer. She's a writer who writes about writing. Need to know how to query a query? She'll tell you. Need to know how to get published? She's in the know. Have a question about copywrite? She's got you covered. As well she's looked into the scams that beset writers and will let you know what she's come across. And you can buy her novels too. Which is not a scam. She offers so much free advice that she deserves every penny she gets.

Miss Snark no longer blogs but she isn't so snarky that she won't leave her blog up filled with great advice about the publishing world. The last post was in 2007 however her snarkiness lives on and still carries wise advice.

For up to the minute news on writing, Nathan Bransford is the ticket. He looks at the publishing world now and if you look at his sidebars you'll also find useful articles. You can also check out the latest on self-publishing ebooks which have changed the face of the publishing world.

Speaking of self-publishing ebooks, check out Amazon's Independent Publishing. Unlike other publishing companies, Amazon doesn't charge for it. Yep, it's free and it's not a scam. They make their money the way legit publishing companies do. They take a cut. But it's a much smaller cut than other companies. The big draw back is that anyone can publish there, including your thrice removed, illiterate, mentally unstable Aunt Lois from the crazy side of the family. If you publish here, you better be good to rise above the billions of other writers. Not only can you self-publish your ebook, you can also do print on demand.

Want to learn from a world class famous sci-fi writer? Then check out Orson Scott Cards Hatrack River. He has lessons, workshops and his columns. You don't have to write sci-fi to learn something here. Who knows, you too may be a world famous writer with movie producers banging on your door.

For more on publishing check out Pub Rants a blogger who knows all about the publishing world.

Want to write a book in a month? Yes you can! But you have to sign up soon since it starts in November. Check out Nanowrimo, or National Novel Writing Month. Get badges, share with others on the trecherous journey, and get some applause as you give up your life to get that book written and done.

Before you send your baby away make sure you check out Predators and Editors. Look up the companies that you're interested in and see what others have said about them. Loads of information here. Not just the bad guys but the good ones too. Not only do they give warnings of questionable agents and publishers, but they also give lists of good ones, roughly how much payment they give, their contacts, and their requirements. Really really helpful. Why waste your time on scammers when you can find the real thing?

And don't forget about Writer Beware the place to go to learn about scams, what to watch out for, and companies that will do you wrong.

Now if we could only have a site like that for bad boyfriends.