Writing Tip Wednesday: Use Resources!

I lead a writing workshop last weekend, and one of the attenders said, “I’ve always wanted to write, but I didn’t because I wasn’t very good.”

She really hit the nail on the head, didn’t she? We often don’t attempt things because we’re not very good at them. It’s no fun to do something poorly.

But here’s the secret: no one is good when they start out. I wasn’t. And I bet that J.K. Rowling, Beverly Cleary, and Rick Riordan weren’t either. But the reason you see their books on the shelves is because they kept at it. They kept trying. They learned and edited and wrestled their stories into something that millions of people talk about.

How did they do it? I can’t say for sure, but I bet they used resources. And that brings me today’s writing tip: Use Resources.

Do not think for a second that you need to stare at a blank page and pull amazing words out of thin air. I certainly don’t do that. When I write, I do my best to get the basic idea down. I put the characters and the setting and even the plot on the page. Then, when it’s time to edit, I look for how to improve it. I’ll see a sentence and think, “How can I show and not tell that?” And then I reach for my favorite resource: The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. I’ll pore through the pages, looking for inspiration on how to describe how my characters are feeling so I can show and not tell.

In fact, I have a whole stack of books on my desk that I pull out when writing. Here’s a list of them:

The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
The Positive Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
Outlining Your Novel by K.M. Weiland
Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland
Writing Deep Scenes by Martha Alderson and Jordan Rosenfeld
Emotional Beats by Nicholas C. Rossis

Sometimes I’ll do a search on the internet for examples or names or songs or types of food. Sometimes I’ll reach out on social media to get ideas about what my character might like. My point is, I rarely rely on just my own little brain to craft a story. I’ll pull from many things around me to get just the right combination of ideas that will bring the story I have in my head to life.

There are so many writing resources out there. Books on the writing craft. Websites dedicated to helping writers become authors. Not to mention fabulous writing friends who are always happy to lend their ideas.

Don’t be afraid to use resources while you write. It’ll make your writing deeper and richer.

Do you have any favorite writing resources? Tell me about them! This is your last chance to get in on October’s giveaway, and all you have to do is leave a comment!