Resources

Writing can be a lonely avocation. I’ve found great joy in participating in writing communities and providing support to other writers. The craft of fiction writing is such an interesting mix of things from the emotional aspects, like motivation and desire, to the mechanical aspects, such as learning to write in a consistent voice. Sometimes you just need to read other writers’ work for a while to take a break from the chaos going on in your own mind.

This space is about all of those things.

Return here when you need to go to the well for a drink. I’ll be growing the resources here to support my fellow writers. If you have some you would like me to add, please reach out via my Contact page.

Read short stories online

Here’s a small collection of favorites. I will add more over time.

• The SFT Library
• The New Yorker – A few gems:
  • The Spot, by David Means
  • Stone Mattress, by Margaret Atwood
  • Riddle, by Thomas McGuane
  • Texas, by David Gates
  • Stay Down and Take It, by Ben Marcus
• Good Country People, by Flannery O’Connor

Read up on writing tips

I regularly produce writing tips! You can find two different collections:

• My Writing tips page here on my site. A few highlights:
  • Exploring voice in writing
  • Perspective and point of view (POV) in fiction writing
  • How to write your character’s background
  • Write your story from a logline
  • Three tips for improving your fiction
  • How to accept criticism on your fiction writing
• Writing tips I share in The Ink Well community on Hive. A few highlights:
  • Overcoming Writer’s Block
  • Developing Memorable Characters
  • Is “Show, Don’t Tell” a Writing Rule?
  • Hook Your Readers
  • What Is a Story Arc?
  • Do Short Stories Have to Have a Plot?
• How not to start a story, by Ja Konrath
• 10 tips to master ways of writing, from Now Novel

Find publishers

• Choose Your Publisher
• www.duotrope.com
• The Top 30 Publishers for New Authors, by Authors Publish
• 16 Literary Journals that Read Submissions Blind, by Authors Publish

Peruse literary magazines and writing markets

• Top 50 Literary Magazines, from Every Writer
• The Short List – a compendium of markets for micro, flash and short story writers maintained by D. L. Shirey

Explore writing careers

• Zen Business provides a really nice Writing Careers page. Thank you to Ms. Amelia of Salt Lake City for the recommendation.