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Creative Writing Resources

A list of materials for creative writers, published or not. Welcome!

Advice from a Fellow Writer

It is easy to think that you cannot write because you have nothing important to say. But that is not true. You have lived your life up until this point. You've had experiences and made mistakes and grown and changed as an individual the whole way through. Even if you've never done any traveling or anything particularly wild, the fact of the matter is that you have still lived, which is a universal experience. When we read stories, speculative or not, the thing that draws one in to a well written tale is that universality; the common ground that you can feel for a person, even a non-human person. If you want to write, then by all means do so! We all have stories to tell; who better to tell your stories than you?

My main piece of advice to you is if you want to write seriously, write every single day whether you are "inspired" or not. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece. It doesn't even have to be something for other people to read, just a snippet about your life, or a dash of fiction. Buy a notebook and keep it on you; you never know when a plot might strike. Maybe you only have a vague idea for a character or a plot. Write it down! Every good story has to start somewhere.

Second, if you can find some sort of writer's community to share your work with, you will greatly benefit from it. Not only does it provide you with a small audience right off the bat, a writer's group will allow you to get used to criticism against your work and reveal your most common mistakes. There are local writer's circles to be found in almost every town or city, but an online writer's circle may very well be a viable option for you as well.

Third, get used to rejection. Just because your work you've slaved over for months is not accepted by one magazine or publisher, it doesn't mean that it won't be accepted by another. Some literary magazines only publish certain kinds of works, and some publishers only accept books that will appeal to certain kinds of audiences. Once you have figured out who will take your particular kind of writing, submit, submit, submit. Don't give up! Persistence is key. If you write what you like, there are sure to be others who like that kind of writing too. You might just have to go and find them before they will come and find you.

 

 

 

Name Generators

Sometimes you sit down to write, and find you have everything you need except names. Names for characters, the places they live in or explore, names for their historical figures or pseudosciences; coming up with unique titles for all of these can present a daunting challenge. However, there is no shame in using a random generator, even if it is only to create a placeholder until you have the time to dive into the Latin Roots books. Below you will find links to several name generators made by writers, for writers.