Being September, education is on my mind, reinforcing how important it is to stretch ourselves to become stronger writers.
I know writers who feel they ‘know’ enough because they’ve read the books, done the courses, and written the stories, but this isn’t my view. I can NEVER ‘know’ enough.
Every day, new writers are tossing their ideas into the storytelling pot. They’re building on what’s out there—craft tips, theory, techniques—and adding their spin, which means we all benefit. And they’re not just sharing in blog posts or craft books. They’re doing it through the stories they write—the kind that pull readers in and make the rest of us think, okay, that was brilliant… why didn’t I come up with that?
So in the spirit of always educating ourselves, I thought I’d do a round-up of sites I visit for great articles and offer some other ideas to encourage self-improvement.
Terrific Writing Blogs
Now Novel: Great general writing topics, for all genres.
Anne R. Allen (with Ruth Harris) A deeper look at many aspects of writing and publishing.
Helping Writers Become Authors Katie Weiland is an undisputed writing craft master.
Story Mastery Michael Hauge’s insight is unparalleled–I have learned a ton from him. Read his posts, buy his books, attend his workshops. Can’t recommend him enough.
Live, Write Thrive C.S. Lakin has a ton of knowledge, so visit and take your writing up a notch!
Writer Unboxed Great topics, from a variety of posters mean many voices and options. Excellent site.
Jami Gold Jami knows her way around storytelling. Grab all her beat sheets!
September C. Fawkes September blogs deep writing craft. Visit, and always learn something new.
DIYMFA Another terrific site with some really rich articles on elements of storytelling.
Elizabeth S. Craig Elizabeth not only gives great craft advice–her Twitterific posts are a must-read.
Writers In The Storm This group blog mixes support, writing advice, and publishing tips all rolled into one.
Top Writing Books
Here are some of the books I recommend most often (click for more info–may contain affiliate links):
Writing Conferences and Festivals
Recently, I’ve posted in a few places about conferences, both on how to make the most of the conference experience and also how to grow into the role of “professional author” when it comes to interacting with readers, giving talks and workshops, and selling books. Conferences can be a terrific opportunity to learn.
Online Courses, Webinars & Recordings
Online courses and webinars can be an affordable way to fill gaps in your story knowledge. I have downloaded some of the lesson packets from The Margie Lawson Academy, and a resource I highly recommend is Michael Hauge’s Hero’s 2 Journeys. You get several hours with not just one world-renowned story expert, but two: Michael Hauge and Chris Vogler. They both bring great story structure and character motivation information to the table using the famous Hero’s Journey and 6-Stage Plot Structure methodology. Worth every penny.
C. S. Lakin also teaches online writing craft courses and while I have not taken these, her writing books are excellent, and she’s edited a few of our Writers Helping Writers Thesaurus Guides, so I don’t think you could go wrong checking her out.
Writing Retreats
In case it’s in your wheelhouse, how about a writing retreat? I’ve done a few now and can’t speak highly enough of them.
There’s something powerful about stepping away from your everyday life to focus fully on your writing. A retreat gives you space—mental, emotional, and physical—to dig deep into your story without the usual distractions. And let’s not forget the bliss of being around other writers. You get inspired, encouraged, and often come away with breakthroughs that just don’t happen when you’re writing at home and trying to manage a million different things at once.
Often, local writing groups host these, so look around at your own community, as the prices may be more affordable. Or, create your own. I have a mini one planned in a few weeks, and I can’t wait. (I’m sharing costs with a few local writers, and we’re heading off to the mountains for the weekend. It will be great to get together, talk writing, brainstorm ideas, and learn from each other!)
Invest In Powerful Tools
Software, apps, and subscriptions can really help us shorten the learning curve. ProWritingAid can be a great tool and saves writers in editing costs. I would also recommend joining a writing community like The Critique Circle, which has free and paid plans. Learning from other writers and using the site to give and get feedback will really help you learn a lot. (This is where Becca and I met, BTW.)
Finally, I’ll mention my own site, One Stop for Writers. Becca and I have studied storytelling from all angles and know what makes a powerful book. At One Stop, we’ve designed tools to help you with every element- characters, world building, plot & structure, show,don’t tell, and more.
Our tools not only help you with your current project, they also help you grow your skills the more you use them. And if you need it, we have a Storyteller’s Roadmap that will take you step by step through planning, writing, and revising, so you always know what comes next. If you’d like to know more, try the 2-week Free Trial.
Finally, Don’t Forget to Write!
And of course, the best thing you can do is to always make time for writing. All the craft books, workshops, and brilliant story discussions in the world won’t help if you’re not putting words on the page. Growth comes from doing—testing out techniques, making mistakes, finding what works for you, and slowly leveling up with each scene you shape. So write, write, write!
Writing consistently doesn’t just build skill—it builds confidence. The more you show up for your story, the more your creative instincts sharpen. You start to recognize what rings true in your voice, what your characters are trying to say, and how to shape moments that actually land with readers. Progress might feel slow sometimes, but every word is proof you’re becoming the writer you want to be!
Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.
James River Writers, Richmond, Virginia.
Has Writers Conference every October. With agents, editors, writers.
And many writerly opportunities each month to mingle, learn, and write with others.
Great resources, thanks. I often attended the Surrey International Writer’s Conference and always came away with some valuable information and contacts. It was always the motivation I needed to continue. I agree with you, as a writer, you never stop learning!
The Odyssey Workshop (http://www.sff.net/odyssey/workshop.html) offers in-depth online winter classes, and a six-week residential workshop in the summer. I’ve attended both, and can honestly say the residential workshop was the best thing I could have ever done for my writing. It’s intense, but if it’s something you have the time for, really life changing. I encourage everyone to check out the website. If you can’t do six-weeks residential, try an online course. Really excellent.
Have a wonderful time on the writing cruise, Angela. Thanks for mentioning Now Novel alongside such great company.
B
I go through dozens of writing blogs a day to collect the best links to post every Wednesday. The one blog I alway include is Janice Hardy’s “Fiction University.”
http://blog.janicehardy.com
Yes, Janice’s blog is also very good. In all honestly, this list could have been about 4 times as long! There are so many great blogs out there. 🙂
I couldn’t agree more that there’s always something to learn!
When I signed up for creative writing at school, I was speaking to a girl about it who said, “oh, I looked at that but decided against it because I’m already a good writer.” It made me cringe to hear it.
Thanks for taking the time to compile so many useful resources in one post!
Astrid Kaniele
http://www.astridkaniele.com/
I think one big part of being a success-bound writer is getting to the point where you know enough about writing to realize just how much you don’t know…and instead of giving up or saying good enough, you embrace the process of learning. Taking another step, tackling another aspect of writing…this is what we do to grow. 🙂
I imagine there’s not a job or career that you never stop learning. Even waiting tables, you can learn more about your guests, regular customers or otherwise. I love learning and research—and turning what I learn into stories!! 😉
Me too–I am a lifelong learner. I think most writers are, but I have run across a few who believe they are “good enough,” which is fine if they are happy where they are at, but my personal goal is to make each book better than the last. 🙂
Ooooh, congrats on the writing cruise, Angela! That should be so much fun! (I almost said a “boatload of fun,” but decided I didn’t want to be pun-ny. *blushes*)
And that’s a fantastic list of writing resources. I follow several of the sites, and Mythcreants in particular is a must-read for speculative fiction writers. As for craft books, one of my favorites is Cheryl St. John’s Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict. And though my opinion might be slightly biased, I love the DIY MFA Book, too. It’s a great encapsulation of all of Gabriela’s concepts for creating your own “MFA program” and making the most out of your personalized learning experiences.
Finally, I’ve been to Writer’s Digest Conference twice and can vouch for how invaluable it is for learning more about the publishing industry and the business side of being a writer / author.
Thanks for weighing on, Sara! I think the conference one is really important. You spend a lot of money to go, and so you really need to know what you can expect before choosing. Some conferences are more for different levels of writers than others (beginners, or those who are already published, etc.), or they focus on a specific aspect of the industry more so that writing improvement. Writing craft is not always a given–sometimes it is more publishing focused, or marketing focused, etc.
the DIYMFA book is on my list! 🙂