Hello!
As we emerge from nine weeks of lockdown here in Scotland, I’d like to share some highlights from the explosion of FREE writing content available online that I've found useful. That’s right, they’re all FREE! I hope there's something for everyone in the following round up...
CURTIS BROWN CREATIVE’S FREE WEEKLY WRITING WORKOUT
If you haven’t discovered Curtis Brown Creative yet, then you’re in for a treat. Their weekly writing workout offers advice and writing tips from their tutors and top agents. Each week’s recommendations are short enough to read during a coffee break, but offer food for thought that lasts all week. A must for newbie writers. Find more information here.
REEDSY LIVE ON YOU TUBE
Reedsy provides useful interviews with a wide range of editors and agents, as well as practical tutorials on every aspect of writing. To discover their latest advice with links to all their free material, follow @ReedsyHQ on Twitter.
BRANDON SANDERSON LECTURES
It was a recommendation from my dear writing buddy, Sareen McLay that led me to Brandon Sanderson, the fantasy and science fiction author, and his series of lectures available on You Tube. Covering topics such as Writing Great Characters, Plot and World Building, the viewer can follow the lectures in order, or dip in and out, depending on the inspiration required. Check out what’s on offer here.
KIM THE BOOKWORM’S FACEBOOK CHATS
My Tuesday evenings have changed forever after discovering Kim the Bookworm’s (otherwise known as author Kim Nash) inspiring Live Facebook Chats. Each Tuesday at 8pm (BST) she interviews an author about their journey to publication - their successes, their low points, their writing process, as well as discussing their latest release. Kim has a loyal band of followers who also chip in with loads of interesting writing questions and chat. The good news is that if you’ve missed any or all of Kim’s interviews then they are still available as video recordings by following this link… Keep up-to-date with what's coming next with @KimTheBookworm on Twitter.
Author Kim Nash hosts Tuesday night's Kim The Bookworm Facebook Chats ... |
STAY HOME STORY SUMMIT
Thanks to author, Rosemary Gemmell who introduced me to the Stay Home Story Summit series of videos, stuffed full of writing and book marketing advice. Again the content is FREE, but you must be quick as there is a whole course available but only until June 21st. Discover all the info you require, including registration, here.
WHAT NEXT…?
WRITERS’ HQ COUCH TO 5K
Other FREE writing advice to check out is the Writers’ HQ Couch to 5K word
extravaganza, available from 1st June. Sign up here for 28 days of writing tips and prompts to help perk up your writing mojo, straight into your inbox.
Writers's HQ Logo ... |
FUTURELEARN
Debut author, Mairibeth McMillan kindly reminded me of the brilliant FREE tips and material available at FutureLearn. I completed their Introduction to Creative Writing course a few years ago and now plan on trying their How To Make A Poem series of classes. With a wide range of short courses on offer, the FutureLearn website is well worth a look, not only for writing tips and advice, but also for character/plot research too.
AND FINALLY…
If you’ve found this post useful, then you may be interested to learn that I launched my personal website this week, where I plan to share practical posts like this, along with a monthly round up of books I've enjoyed. If you’d like to discover more (and receive a very warm welcome, including a poem offering hope in unsettling times) check it out at raecowie.com.
But for now, I would love to hear of the advice and tips that have kept you writing during lockdown.
Stay safe and happy writing!
Rae x
Lots of good freebies here, Rae. Well done. I'm especially looking forward to Kim Nash's videos.
ReplyDeleteTuning into Kim's chats has been fantastic during lockdown... like attending a literary festival without leaving home. Hope you enjoy. : )
DeleteWhat a fabulous blog! Some great resources here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kath, I'm glad it's useful. : )
DeleteThanks, Rae. Great resources here, particularly helpful for keeping up motivation just now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Sareen and also for the Brandon Sanderson top tip. : )
DeleteA great list!!! Well done Rae.
ReplyDeleteThanks, John. I'm glad you found it useful. : )
DeleteA nice little example of how good can come out of bad. Full marks to you, Rae, for researching this.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda but I can't take all the credit as I had the help of generous friends passing on their top tips. : )
ReplyDeleteSo many free resources, Rae, I had no idea. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete