More On 101 Best Websites for Writers

As we sped north on Interstate 35 yesterday, I spent well over an hour studying the list of 101 Best Websites For Writers, which I had mentioned here in my last post. The weather was foggy and drizzly, so it was nice to have something else to occupy my mind. Ken drove and I read my new magazine and then started a novel I need to read for my Book Club discussion next week.

I put a checkmark next to the sites I wanted to look at, and there were a great many of them. Some of the ones listed I am already a subscriber/reader, but there were a lot of new sites--new to me, at least. I found it interesting that a good many were blogs written by both writers and editors. Some had specific genres that they wrote about and others were about writing in general.

The sites were grouped under specific headings including Creativity, Writing Advice, General Resources, Jobs & Markets, Online Writing Communities, Everything Agents, Publishing/Marketing Resources, Genres/Niches and Just For Fun.  It appears that there is something for everyone. The intro to the article stated that 3,500 nominations had been received, which means the editors had a major operation in cutting it down to only 101.

The farther I went down the list, the more I looked forward to spending some time looking at the various sites and blogs. If I can even check out two each day, it is still going to take a long time to get to all of them. I'll have to choose the ones that I want to return to on a regular basis, for there isn't nearly enough time in the day to go to all of them all the time. That can be a trap for writers that keeps them reading about writing more than writing. We need to keep writing our number one priority and bring the other things in around it.

Later in the evening, we learned that tornadoes had followed the very route we had driven on our way home. Ten or eleven tornadoes hit in Oklahoma City and Kansas, all very near the interstate we drove on, but it was later in the day after we were closer to home. How grateful I am that we missed the devastating storms that created such destruction and took several lives.

101 Best Websites For Writers

I'm posting Monday's entry on Sunday night as we will be traveling home to Kansas on Monday, dodging storms all the way, or so it seems from the weather site.

One of the nicest parts of my Mother's Day was an hour spent at a large Barnes and Noble store in suburban Dallas. First, a good cup of coffee at the cafe followed by a time to browse to my heart's content. I  feel so at home in both libraries and bookstores.

My only purchase was a copy of the May/June issue of Writer's Digest which features the 101 Best Websites for Writers. This prestigious list comes out once a year, and it's something all writers should check out. Make a checklist of the ones that appeal to you and visit them one by one. Some may only be interesting, but others may be a means to mining gems in your writing life.

On the almost 8 hour drive we have tomorrow, I plan to study this issue in depth, and I'll check the ones that are of particular interest. Then I'll read the Master Your Genre section and the interview with Anne Lamott, the author of Bird By Bird, a book that every writer should read at least once.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to our drive home as I have the entertainment all lined up.

Look for my next post on Tuesday, May 11th.