100 sites for fiction writers: #100 - Author Ty Johnston

This concludes an ongoing series looking at websites that can be of help to fiction writers with their craft and career.

Author Ty Johnston

Yes, I'm ending this series by recommending my own blog. Why would I do this? Is it not a bit shady to do so? I think not. After all, my site does have plenty to offer fiction writers.

If nothing else, you can always take another look at this series, 100 Sites for Fiction Writers. If you would to know about books that have influenced me as an author, you can check out my 100 Days of Fantasy series (here's a tip: not all the books are of the fantasy genre, but have influenced me as a fantasy writer).

I blog often, usually several times a week, at least, and sometimes every day. Almost everything I blog about has something to do with fiction writing, from the personal to the professional. Here and there I offer advice or tips, but sometimes I just voice my opinion. My site is not in depth about the craft or business of writing, so please don't expect tons of articles on how to better yourself as a writer, though I do touch on such here and there.

From time to time, other writers appear as Guest Bloggers, and I've been known to go on the occasional Blog Tour. This way my readers get a chance to discover other writers, and those new to me get to discover ... me!

I also do Interviews of others working in publishing, and from time to time I am interview myself.

Admittedly, my blog is a bit hit and miss. I don't have a long-term set agenda, but often will have a series or a short-term agenda. You can also find out about my past and current writing projects, my novels and short stories, and about my upcoming works.

I hope you enjoy! And I hope you've enjoyed this series about websites for fiction writers.

100 sites for fiction writers: #99 - Storyfix.com

This is an ongoing series looking at websites that can be of help to fiction writers with their craft and career.

Storyfix.com

Sometimes one can feel totally lost as a fiction writer. Beginners often seem to have a million questions and concerns, and even old pros occasionally find themselves stumped with a plot, characterization, or just in the search for the right way to write something. During such stressful times, it can be a boon to find a professional willing to lend a hand.

Such a professional is author, speaker writing workshop leader Larry Brooks, the head honcho at Storyfix.com. If you don't mind shelling out a little money, you can pick up some of his Books about writing or you can attend one of the many writing workshops he heads up or attends, including the Oregon Writer's Colony.

But what if you're broke and can't afford any of that? I'm glad you asked, because writers are notoriously cheap (but that could be because most of us are also not-so-notoriously broke). If that should be the case, do not fret, because at Storyfix.com, there is still a good amount of free information.

It helps to follow the main page of Storyfix.com, because author Brooks treats it like a blog of sorts, with regular articles concerning writing as a business and as a craft. For example, you can check out his article "3 Edgy Little Tips to Make Your Story More Compelling," or his article "Five More Mistakes that Will Expose You as a Rookie."

Throughout this site there are plenty such articles, all helpful in their own way to improve your writing and to help you build a career as a writer.

I guest post over at Alchemy of Scrawl

I have a guest post over at the Alchemy of Scrawl blog by Coral Russell. I yak a bit for beginning fiction writers, making a few suggestions. This post was originally supposed to run as part of my November 2011 blog tour, but things slip past sometimes. Still, here it is, and I hope you enjoy.

100 sites for fiction writers: #98 - Online Etymology Dictionary

This is an ongoing series looking at websites that can be of help to fiction writers with their craft and career.

Online Etymology Dictionary

If you are reading this, my guess is you are a fiction writer, someone who wants to write fiction, or someone at least with some interest in fiction writing. Let's just say, then, that somehow or other you have interests in writing. Which means you also have an interest in words since, after all, we all write using words, regardless of the language.

An interest in words can take many different forms. Some of us are interested in how words are used. Others have an interest in how words are shaped, how they are formed. Still others have interests in the particular history of words. Me, I'm kind of interested in all of the above, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Because of my interest in words, I've found the Online Etymology Dictionary quite interesting. As a writer, I've found this site quite useful on occasion.

If you don't know what "etymology" is, don't worry. It's a long word, and not necessarily a common one among everyday speakers of the English language. Basically, etymology is the study of the origin or words.

As this series of articles is about writing, you might be asking yourself, "Well, an etymology dictionary sounds interesting, but how can it help me as a writer?"

Let's say you're writing a historical piece, a short story or novel that takes place hundreds of years ago. You want to use a particular word, but it sounds kind of modern and you are not sure whether this particular word was even around during the time period of which you are writing. How do you find out? You turn to the Online Etymology Dictionary, of course.

This website can be a boon for historical writers, or for those who write in fantasy, a genre often based in historical or pseudo-historical worlds and times. Even thriller writers could stand a little study in etymology, especially if they are writing stories taking place during the gangsters' heyday of the 1930s, or any other time period.

The Online Etymology Dictionary is also easy to use. Go to the site and you'll see a search window right in the middle of the screen. Type in your word, hit "OK," and suddenly you've got an extensive list concerning the history and usage or your particular word. There are even listed historical records of when a word was first used.

If you're like me, you can spend hours upon hours at such a site. It can be fun and helpful, especially to writers.

Books read in 2012: No. 2 - Dreams in Shadow

edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray

Started: January 3
Finished: January 8

Notes: This is the first collection of short stories and excerpts from Monumental Works Group, an online collective of writers of which I am a member. Within these pages can be found an excerpt from my novel City of Rogues, as well as my short story "Beneath a Persian Sun." Scott Fitzgerald Gray, a fellow Monumental Works Group member, might (or might not) balk at my labeling him the editor of this collection, but it was he who did all the grunt work in getting the rest of us lazy writers to send him our material. It was he who put everything together, and he had some editing suggestions here and there, so I call him "editor." I'm looking forward to reading the other stories from my fellow members

Mini review: I am simply humbled by being a part of this collection of short stories. There are great tales here, and I can't believe some of my own fumblings are among the mix. Not a stinker to be found. My favorite? It would be difficult to pick only one.

100 sites for fiction writers: #97 - Write It Forward

This is an ongoing series looking at websites that can be of help to fiction writers with their craft and career.

Write It Forward

Write It Forward is the blog of New York Times bestselling author Bob Mayer. That alone means fiction writers should pay attention to this man and his blog. But he is also a co-founder of the site Who Dares Wins Publishing, a Green Beret, a West Point graduate, a former instructor at Fort Bragg, a keynote speaker, a consultant, and a writing instructor. Are you impressed yet? If not, I can't help you, so just stop reading now.

But Bob Mayer's background should tell you that the men knows what he is talking about, especially when it comes to writing (and the military, of course).

I check out this blog on a fairly regular basis because it always has interesting posts, such as Mayer's take on "Goal Setting for Writers for 2012," or his many tips for NaNoWriMo.

Bob Mayer also offers online writing workshops. If you are interested, you can sign up here.

This is not a blog where you will generally find all kinds of news about publishing, though there is some of that. Mostly what you will discover are blog posts by a professional, someone who has solid advice to offer to beginners and pros alike. If you feel the need for a writing coach, or a workshop, then take a look at Write It Forward.

100 sites for fiction writers: #96 - Novel Spaces

This is an ongoing series looking at websites that can be of help to fiction writers with their craft and career.

Novel Spaces

Writers learn from other writers. Unfortunately, sometimes writers only stick to one or two particular genres, their favorites, when studying other writers. While this might seem natural, it can also create situations in which writers do not try something different or something new because ... well, simply because they haven't been exposed to other genres, other types of writing, other ways of telling a tale.

A site like Novel Spaces can come in handy, then, by opening one's eyes to other genres and other writers. At Novel Spaces, more than a dozen fiction writers from a variety of backgrounds and who write in a variety of genres have come together to blog. Here you will find Jewel Amethyst, a poet and romance writer from the Caribbean; Charles Gramelich, a Louisiana professor who pens fantasy, horror and Western tales; Devon Vaughn Archer, an author of urban literature as well as romance and mainstream fiction; and many, many more.

At this blog one regularly finds advice about writing, information about publishing, and sometimes simply matters that are on writers' thoughts. It's a great place for writers to become familiar with other genres, to stretch their boundaries and consider other options, to spread their talent perhaps to limits undreamed.

Novel Spaces also allows for Guest Spots, so if you are a writer who would like to introduce yourself to this blog's audience, you might consider a guest post.

Novel Spaces is also a great place for Giveaways. If you like free books or e-books (and who doesn't?), check the site regularly to find out what is available.

Best of all, for readers, Novel Spaces can help you discover writers and books with which you might be unfamiliar. And we all love discovering new writers.