When I decided to start writing, I knew nothing. No formal education, no writing credits to my name, no contacts in the business and heck, English isn’t even my native language. I was the Jon Snow of writing.
So I went on Youtube, like everyone else, and found one trillion on-topic videos of 10 things I ought to do (or not do) to be guaranteed success in creative writing. Especially if I downloaded a pamphlet and ordered some book.
It was a rough start.
In retrospect, it was also the wrong place to start. But as I say that, I have to backpedal somewhat. It was only the wrong place to start because I didn’t know how to weed out the crap. Now, years later, armed with a tiny bit more knowledge, I want to share what good stuff I did find way back when.
The fantasy/sci-fi creative writing lectures by Brandon Sanderson is where I learned the most from any one source (318R, #1-12). If you know nothing, this is the place to start, and I bet, even if you know something, it still is.
I also really enjoyed Murphy Napier’s Dear Authors series.
Once I had exhausted Youtube, or more accurately, become exhausted by Youtube, I turned to the broader internet. Only to find the same lists of 10 things (now as blog posts instead of videos). And pamphlets. Get the pamphlet! I was about to throw in the towel when I found one list that stood leagues above the rest (one list to rule them all?)
KM Weiland’s Common Writing Mistakes 50 part blog post. I highly recommend spending the time and effort to internalize that entire list.
Another place I spent days on end was the Queryshark archives (by Janet Reid). Shark infested waters is without a doubt the best place to learn, because that’s how it is out there, in that place outside of books. Note, however, that this site is about querying, and querying only.
When not in front of a computer I binged podcasts, and it turns out everyone has a podcast. Unfortunately, not everyone has something to talk about. Many I discarded after an episode or three, but two really stood out from the rest and will remain with me.
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing. A varied, informative, and always insightful show by Bianca, Carly and Cece. Nowadays they have a substack community as well. Not so much fantasy and scifi, but still well worth any invested time.
Story Grid Podcast. I don’t think it’s possible to listen to Shawn Coyne and not learn at least something in the process. It’s not active anymore, and it was far better in the beginning than toward the end.
I recall at some point I thought that maybe I should take a class, too. An actual writing class. But how do you do that in the middle of a pandemic? And with no budget? I was lucky enough to have Udemy access through my work, and decided to explore its content on creative writing. I found two courses that resonated well with me, that I’d like to think I would have paid for regardless.
Rhetoric of Story: Learn the 7 foundations of storytelling. A few sections suffer from bad audio, but the content is great for anyone who loves Story.
Creative Writing: how to write a novel. The full course. While learning Italian is on my docket, this course comes translated to English. Phew.
Also, and I don’t know how, but I came across The Dialogue Doctor, and have followed Jeff Elkins ever since. The podcast is perhaps not as polished as some others, but I’m here for the ramblings. Go forth and become a Dialogger, and you will level up as a writer.
In the end I did go for the pamphlet, and ordered books. Because, after all, physical books are awesome. The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman is a fantastic reference to have and to hold. I also purchased The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now by Jeff Elkins.
I hope this has been helpful, and that you get as much useful knowledge out of these resources as I have. Now I better get back to actually using what I learned to write something.
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