Each genre of writing has its difficulties—nonetheless, creative writing can be a unique challenge!
Creative writing requires the author to depend on creative inspiration instead of not on real-world facts and information. The creative writer must figure out how to build characters and stories out of their imagination, which is no easy feat! That is why it can be very helpful for writers to make a practice of reading creative writing blogs and interacting with other authors to help get the creative juices flowing.
Join a Writing Community! ????
Writing can be a solitary task. Nevertheless, you’d be robbing yourself of a lot of support if you aren’t a part of a writing community.
Joining a writing company is beneficial for many reasons. For example, in-person writing groups or workshops allow you to find a support system in your local area. Additionally, web-based writing communities are a lucrative method to find diverse support.
Even more, there are a plethora of ways to get involved in online writing communities. To elaborate, interact in writers’ forums, follow writers you admire on social media, read the best creative blogs.
All in all, these are simple ways you can get involved in a writing community. And, as a result, learn from other writers, share your knowledge, and get tips to progress your creative writing career!
Get Inspired with These Best Creative Writing Blogs ????
Here are 10 creative writing blogs that you should consider reading for writing tips and support.
#1: Jane Friedman Blog
Publishing industry veteran Jane Friedman is the author of The Business of Being a Writer and The Hot Sheet. Additionally, she is the author of the Jane Friedman Blog! Posts—some written by Friedman, others by guest bloggers—cover a wide array of helpful topics. From the nuts and bolts of writing (e.g. character building, creating context) to networking and finding a publisher, Jane Friedman’s blog will prepare you to succeed in the writing world.
#2: Writing Forward
Writing Forward is a creative writing blog that gives writers plenty to chew on! The blog includes musings like “What is poetry?” and “What makes iconic characters unforgettable?” Other blogs include in-depth grammar lessons, tips for setting writing goals and advice on avoiding clichés. To get your creativity going, there are also posts featuring storytelling exercises and writing prompts!
#3: Well-Storied
Fantasy fiction author Kristen Kieffer is the founder and author of blog Well-Storied. Well-storied is a compilation of Kieffer’s and guest author’s greatest tip for the trade. This reader-friendly blog uses bold graphics to highlight topics such as editing fiction, and writing motivation. While some posts focus on the crucial basics of writing, others get into meaningful aspects of the writing life.
#4: Peter Rey’s Blog
Author Peter Rey’s blog provides creative writing advice and reflections on writing through a more personal lens. Blog posts include a wide range of topics. For example, Ray’s pet peeves as a reader and what a recent move taught him about writing. Also, he offers practical writing advice like how many drafts are too many drafts.
#5: Writers Helping Writers
Writers Helping Writers‘ mission is to provoke thoughtful commentary on creative writing to help you conquer common writing challenges. The blog features useful resources like its Descriptive Thesaurus Collection posts. Conflict, Character Motivation, Occupation, and so on are common topics that these posts are based around. For example, a recent Conflict Thesaurus entry on the plot point of “Taking Advice from the Wrong Person” provides dramatic examples, lists of potentially disastrous results, people who could be affected, resulting in emotions, positive outcomes, etc. It’s a great resource that essentially does your brainstorming for you!
#6: NaNoWriMo Blog
National Novel Writing Month, called NaNoWriMo by those in the know, is a popular annual event in which authors are encouraged to spend the month of November working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel. The non-profit behind the event runs a great blog that features news about it and other writing programs run by NaNoWriMo, also including relevant posts on topics like how to break through writer’s block.
#7: Writer Unboxed
Get a daily dose of creative writing advice from writers like yourself at Writers Unboxed, a blog about the craft and business of fiction. From contemplative pieces on the challenges of being a writer to more technical articles like an explanation of how to revise your manuscript in Scrivener (a well-known word processing program), Writers Unboxed offers a wide range of blog posts covering many angles of the writing experience.
#8: The Muffin
WomenOnWriting.com (also known as WOW!) is a global e-zine dedicated to supporting women through the creative writing process. Its blog The Muffin, which publishes new posts daily, provides tips and inspiration to readers through engaging interviews with writers, reviews and spotlights on books authored by women, writing prompts, editing advice, and much more.
#9: Creative Writing Contests
Writing contests can give writers an excellent opportunity to get their work out into the world, and possibly earn publication and prize money. But, it can be hard to hunt down these opportunities. Fortunately, the Creative Writing Contests blog does the work for you, posting about upcoming contests in creative writing and poetry, as well as other opportunities and information about fellowships, writing residencies, and grants.
#10: Time to Write
Former television writer Jurgen Wolff (Family Ties, Benson) brings his decades of hard-earned experience to his blog Time to Write. Posts include pep talks, advice on everything from brainstorming to creating characters, and a focus on screenwriting tips and thoughts that will be especially helpful for those of you hoping to write for film or TV.
Bonus blog! ???? Gatekeeper Press Blog
Not to toot our own horn, but we think the blog that you are reading right now is worth following! The Gatekeeper Press blog digs into several issues important to writers, like the cost of publishing and what authors can expect to earn. Gatekeeper’s blog features important writer topics such as self-publishing, eBook publishing, marketing, choosing a book title, and more!
What to Do When You’re Ready to Publish Your First Book
If you need guidance on the business of writing or are thirsty for inspiration, perusing these creative writing blogs regularly can help you along in your writing process.
And, once you have completed your book, Gatekeeper Press is ready to assist with your next steps, whether that is a need for editing & proofreading services or with publishing and distribution. Visit the website to discover how Gatekeeper Press can help!