for writers
“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
― E.L. Doctorow, Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews, 2nd Series
Below are some of my favorite resources on writing process and craft. I keep my writing books in view, for courage. Need a nudge? Try some prompts offered in some of these terrific books. You can research them on Amazon. But order them from Scuppernong Books, Greensboro's awesome indy!
The best way to learn how writers work while discovering your next favorite read is to go to author events at your local library or bookstore (see above re Scuppernong Books here in Greensboro). Show your support by showing up!
Another way to connect with fellow readers and writers is to take a class, preferably a workshop that allows you to give and receive useful feedback on in-progress work. If that interests you, check out my 8-week workshop this fall.
WRITING RESOURCES
Periodicals & reference
Literary Hub is a daily website on all things writing founded by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter.
North Carolina Writers’ Network newsletter and membership, conferences, writer's resources, conference and contest info, events and more.
Poets & Writers magazine and website provides contact information, publication credits, and biographical information for more than 9,300 authors; databases of literary magazines and journals, small and independent presses, literary agents, MFA programs, writing contests, and literary places; a national literary events calendar; and select content from Poets & Writers Magazine.
AWP’s The Writer’s Chronicle , a leading source of articles, news, and information for writers, editors, students, and teachers of writing.
On writing—general
Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott
If You Want to Write, Brenda Ueland
Reading Like A Writer, Francine Prose
How To Write A Sentence, Stanley Fish
The Creative Writer's Survival Guide, John McNally
The Elements of Style, Strunk & White
Writing—fiction
On Writing Short Stories, edited by Tom Bailey
PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, PEN America, Anchor Books
Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, Pushcart Press
New Stories from the South, an annual compilation of short stories published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill between 1986 and 2010 and billed as the year's best stories written by Southern writers or about the Southern United States.
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers, John Gardner
A Short Story Theory, Robert Olen Butler (article)