Rachel Fikes
Writer, Dreamer, Coffee fiend
For Writers
The rise of technology has saturated the Internet with loads of resources for writers. We all have our faves. These are mine. Enjoy.
Writing software
I’m a huge advocate of this software. In the past, I’d always used Microsoft Word for all of my writing, but after thrashing through a major edit (50k words trashed and replaced), this software was unbeatable. They have a 30-day free trial, and after that, it’s like $45. Use it! You can keep all your research, notes, character sketches, settings, outlines, (you get the picture), in one place. You can also color-code your POVs, which is especially helpful.
After writing my draft in Scrivener, I plug it into Microsoft and use the male voice for male characters, and the female voice for female characters. Yeah, it’s robotic, but it sure helps point out when you have a typo or use the wrong word.
There is a free version and a paid version, $70 for a year, which goes into advanced details like when you’re using passive voice. This grammar-checker is much more advanced than Microsoft’s, but it doesn’t catch everything, and sometimes it gives you a red flag for something that’s totally fine. Don’t accept all corrections, go through each recommendation and make sure it fits.
Writing Advice
ZenBusiness is a lovely website dedicated to helping people build their careers and includes a fantastic overview of writing as a profession. With a plethora of resources highlighting education and craft development, editing, as well as self-publishing and traditional publishing, this is a wonderful tool to get you started. *A huge shout-out to young writer Miss Amelia, her dear mother, and benevolent librarian/educator Ms. Barbara Lincoln for sending me this gem to share with you all!
ON WRITING by Stephen King is the best investment ($6 on Amazon) you can make. He’s blunt, transparent, and is the kick in the arse you need to just start writing. No excuses.
NYT & International bestselling author Jay Kristoff serves his advice with a side of rib-busting, peeing-in-your-pants, coffee-squirting-out of-your-nose, humor. I adore him.
NYT bestselling author Susan Dennard has a complete blog dedicated to writing from start to finish. Any possible question you may have, she has a damn good way of answering it. When you get to the dreaded synopsis stage, she has the best break-down How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis to junk-punch that sucker directly in the bollocks. You can also ask her questions on Instagram.
NYT bestselling author Lindsay Cummings shares her creative process via vlog and has really helped me during my rollercoaster ride of anxiety and fear. I hired her, along with fellow writer Rebekah Faubion (a unicorn who also blogs about her writing life) as content editors. I went through three major revisions with them and wouldn’t have acquired my dream literary agent without their mentorship.
Author Alexa Donne has a delightful YouTube channel that answers every question you could possibly have about the nitty-gritty of traditional publishing, even the hard advice you don’t want to hear but certainly need to. She’s also one of the founders of Author Mentor Match, a wonderful FREE program that pairs seasoned writers with young writers and their completed manuscripts, mentoring them through the tricky world of revising, querying, pitching, and ultimately landing a book deal.
Professional freelance novel editor Ellen Brock offers some excellent insight on honing your craft via her vlog. She also provides a wide range of editing services. I haven’t used her professional services, but gauging from her advice, I bet she’s amazing.
Author and YouTube sensation Jenna Moreci also serves up some comical yet clear writing advice via her vlog. She’s a self-published author who has done exceptionally well and is committed to helping writers get off their tushes and follow their dreams.
Writing with Color is a blog dedicated to portraying racial and ethnic diversity in a beautiful, respectful manner. Do you have a diverse cast? You should. Are you a pasty caucasian like me? If you are, then you need to check this out, so you don’t write something stupid or offensive.
Roll for Fantasy If you are a fantasy writer and want to conceptualize your world, check this site out. It’s fantastic! There are so many different tools you can use to design your own map. I created the basic outline, added some terrain and geographical features, and then exported it to Microsoft PowerPoint to add names and labels.
Author and map extraordinaire Jessica Khoury creates some of the most intricately detailed, exquisite maps I’ve ever seen. Not only does she create gorgeous worlds, she’s what I would deem a renaissance woman, and has numerous published books to her name. You can see her current work on Instagram.
MasterClass was a Christmas present, and I love it! You can take unlimited classes from a variety of industry professionals for $180 per year, or pay a one-time fee of $90 per instructor. I’ve taken classes with James Patterson, Shonda Rhimes, Dan Brown, R.L. Stine, Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, David Baldacci, and Neil Gaiman. I think every writer, no matter what genre they write, has something to offer. You can always learn something new, and I make it a habit of doing so every day.
NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit that, per their website, “provides tools, structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds — on and off the page.” I’ve never personally taken part in their program but have MANY writing friends who join every year and absolutely love the motivation NaNoWriMo provides.
Query Shark aka literary agent Janet Reid of New Leaf Literary is a must see BEFORE you start querying. Go through ALL of her posts. She breaks down the dos and don’ts, and you’ll soon realize why they call her the Query Shark. She’s the reason I started this website. Per one of her blogs, she says a fiction writer needs one. So, here I am. She’s clearly a badass, and I’m sure she’d be a hell of an agent. No doubt, she’s a shark for her authors too.
MS Wishlist is the legal way to stalk your dream agent (just kidding) and find out what is on their manuscript wishlist. This sure comes in handy BEFORE you start querying.
Query Tracker like the name implies does just that. You can narrow down your scope of agents, search by genres or names, and keep tabs of the queries you send out and rejections you receive.
#pitmad is the only reason I joined Twitter and here’s why. Every few months, you get the chance to pitch your POLISHED manuscript to literary agents. If an agent likes your tweet, you have the green light to query them. It’s a tad bit better than cold querying. I’ve seen many success stories!
BookEnds Literary Agency is the AWESOME agency I am HONORED to be represented by! Their transparent advice (oft rare in the publishing industry) is utterly refreshing for a writer about to jump into the query trenches. Check out their YouTube channel for some comical yet informative videos, and make sure you hit them up when you query. My literary agent the FABULOUS Naomi Davis dishes out some brilliant advice on Twitter, and it would certainly behoove you to follow her. After all, ’tis how I found her.
Well, that’s it for now. I’ll keep updating this list as I find new gems. Until then, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite writerly quotes, which is the reason I now refer to myself as a writer, not an aspiring writer:
“You either are a writer, or you’re not. Prove yourself. Nobody has to pay you to write. Write every day. Find the time to do it.” -Shonda Rhimes
