Buffer is a brilliant tool for managing and scheduling your social media posts – it can be used for Facebook, Twitter, google+. linkedIn and more.
Structure and Plot
Screenwriting Tips for Authors is the blog of screenwriter and novelist Alexandra Sokoloff, and she comprehensively breaks down the three-act structure for writers.
Storytech Literary Consulting is a site by the author of The Writer’s Journey. This is a book for writers based on Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and the site offers a number of resources related to structure.
Scapple is a mindmapping software from the same company that developed Scrivener.
Storymind is a site that sells software related to story creation, but their blog is free and includes excellent articles about narrative, structure and more.
Free Writing Class from Steven Barnes is based on the screenplay course Barnes has taught for years, but as he points out in his introduction, writing is writing, and this is an excellent way for a writer in any medium to learn structure.
Characterisation
FYCD is a blog that focuses on all aspects of character development and answers questions as well.
Baby Name Center will help you get the crucial right name for your character. You can search for names by origin, meaning, number of syllables and more.
Character Therapist takes a psychological approach to readers’ questions about character development.
Motive Generator offers prompts to give your characters purpose.
Researching Agents and Writing Queries and Synopses
Query Shark offers contributors the opportunity to have their novel queries critiqued and read critiques of others’ queries.
Evil Editor breaks down synopses and explains pitfalls writers should avoid.
Chuck Sambuchino’s Guide to Literary Agents is a blog that mostly covers agents and what they are looking for but sometimes touches on other aspects of writing and the publishing business as well.
Agent Query is a free searchable database of literary agents that not only allows you to search by genre but includes information such as agent interests and whether they are currently accepting new clients. The site also includes a social networking aspect.
Janet Reid, Literary Agent writes another excellent blog. Crime fiction is her specialty, but many of her posts concern all types of fiction.
Publishing and Business
Publishers Weekly is the bible of the publishing world with a lot of free material on its site and free e-newsletters.
Writer Beware compiles information about scam agents and publishers across genres for writers in any country.
The Future of Ink It was founded by Denise Wakeman and Ellen Britt with the hopes of becoming THE authority site for entrepreneurs looking for info on digital publishing.
Books and Such is an agency that helps authors build careers. The blog on their website is written by literary agents and is full of great content for aspiring and seasoned authors alike.
Editor and Agent Blogs
Nathan Bransford is an author and former literary agents who has one of the best sites on the web about writing and publishing.
Rachelle Gardner is a literary agent who maintains a terrific site with advice on writing and publishing.
Bent on Books includes posts from all agents at the Jenny Bent Agency.
Pub Rants is agent Kristen Nelson’s blog with excellent advise on the business side of publishing.
Editors
Nuna offer editing services for every genre – they also offer a sample edit, so you can choose the right editor for you.
The Hemingway App – a free online resource where you can place a piece of writing online and the Hemingway App will highlight areas that need editing – it even gives suggestions.
Smashwords is another ebook publisher/distributor. They distribute ebooks to online retailers other than Amazon, such as Barnes and Noble and libraries.
BookBaby is an ebook publisher that can also help with other aspects of publishing (editing etc)
Book Marketing
Book Marketing Tools a brilliant site for book marketing, including a blog and Tips and tricks along with tools and checklists
The Author Hangout is a Google hangout by Book Marketing Tools where they have authors and experts come and talk about writing, publishing and Marketing
Courage to Create details one man’s struggle to finish his first novel.
Dani Shapiro is an author who muses on her blog about the challenges and epiphanies of the writing life.
Great Writers Inspire is primarily designed as a resource for students and teachers, but may also be of interest to novelists wishing to ground themselves in some of the great works of literature.
Theodora Goss is a fantasy writer who blogs about her inspirations and how to balance writing with the other demands of life.
It Starts With uses psychology to inspire and motivate writers.
Positive Writer focuses on self-doubt and confidence-building for writers.
Inspired by Life and Fiction brings together ten novelists who write about the things that stir their imaginations.
The Writers Alley features writers from around the world offering inspiration with a Christian slant.
The Procrastiwriter gives advice on how to avoid procrastination and fit writing into a busy life.
Advice to Writers inspires via a quote of the day from famous writers.
Encyclopedia Mythica is an online encyclopedia of myth, folklore and religion that can be a wonderful resource for story ideas in all genres.
Writers Plot Idea Generator also has exercise prompts, character profile generators, plot twist generators, first lines and more.
750 Words is a site inspired by the book The Artist’s Way that gives writers the opportunity to do the morning pages exercise privately and online with a progress tracker.
Workshops and Forums
Critters Workshop began as a free workshop for science fiction, fantasy and horror writers, but now it covers all genres.
Absolute Write forums cover novels as well as other forms of writing, and are an invaluable source of information from other professionals and aspiring writers about the publishing business, the craft of writing and more.
Writer’s Digest is one of the best and oldest resources for writers.
Absolute Write Blog is related to the forum of the same name and offers a similar scope of information in the form of longer-form posts.
NaNoWriMo challenges writers to complete a 50,000 word first draft in a month during November.
Booklife Now is a general guide to both the craft of writing and the publishing industry across genres.
Terrible Minds is the popular blog of writer Chuck Wendig who shares his observations on publishing and writing technique.
Advanced Fiction Writing Blog is where Randy Ingermanson, inventor of the snowflake method of writing, blogs about technique and the business of writing.
Litreactor offers online classes, essays on craft and more.
Novel Rocket is a site that teaches visitors how to write a novel through guest posts and author interviews.
Writers in the Storm features professional writers across a variety of genres blogging about their craft and specialties.
First Novels Club is a blog with a particular focus on children’s and YA writing, but it looks at other types of fiction as well.
She Writes offers women writers a social network, community blog and more.
Kristen Lamb’s Blog covers everything from dialogue to social media for writers and more.
Backspace has many resources including a subscription-only forum for writers.
Reference for Writers looks at all aspects and genres of writing as well as having an enormous variety of resources for researching everything from dragons to EMS workers to American life in the 1990s and more.
Jody Hedlund examines many aspects of writing successful fiction.
Novel Publicity & Co. includes a lot of information about promoting your novel but also covers many how-to writing topics.
Moody Writing examines scene, character, structure and more.
Writers FM is a radio station for writers with interviews, music and more.
Storytellers Unplugged features a roster of 30 writers, booksellers, publishing professionals and others – one for each day of the month – blogging on the art, the craft and the business.
What About Writing is a blog with articles, challenges and more as well as an ask box and a Writer of the Month competition.
Writing.ie bills itself as the home of Irish writing online but actually has an enormous number of writers for writers and readers in every genre and country.
Writing While the Rice Boils is a terrific blog that includes resources, interviews, reviews, writing advice and more.
Author is the online magazine of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association in the United States, but it has articles and other information of interest to writers worldwide.
inkPageant curates blog posts on writing, and writers can submit their own posts for the site as well as searching by subject matter.
Standoutbooks Blog Standout books is a fantastic site for writing and publishing tips as well as marketing.
Jeff Goins shares insights about writing, publishing, marketing and anything else he thinks of on his blog.
Write to Done is about learning to write better. They cover everything from copywriting to creative writing and everything both in between and beyond.
Helping Writers become Authors shares quality posts that teach authors how to write great novels. I also encourage you to download her free eBook on character development
Grammar and Language
Grammar Girl explains language and usage in an entertaining manner at her blog.
SFWA is the site for the Science Fiction Writers of America, but even for writers outside of the United States, the site itself has a number of excellent resources for novelists interested in working in this genre.
The Horror Writer’s Association aims to have a more international scope than SWFA and also has resources available at its site for non-members.
History Refreshed by Susan Higginbotham is a blog by a historical novelist that focuses on late medieval and Tudor history and the craft and genre of historical fiction.
Queen Anne Boleyn is a blog for historical novelists of all periods and places that includes writing groups, reenactment groups and more.
Reading the Past is a blog about the historical fiction genre and includes reviews, publishing news and more.
Sharon Kay Penman is one of the top novelists of historical fiction, and she interviews other writers of historical fiction as well as discussing the genre on her blog.
Stephie Smith lists an enormous number of historical resources for writers.
