A collection of writing resources - for novices and experts - some places to turn when you find yourself stuck or just need a little nudge of inspiration
Here we’re discussing some of my favourite writing resources - whether you’re just getting started or find yourself stuck.
“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”
This quote from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield has stuck with me - I think of it often. It is a beautiful idea that I generally whole-heartedly agree with. But what happens when you're just getting started and the thought of giving "what you've got" is a little intimidating? Or, what if you don't even know "what you've got" and how to "give" it? Or, what if you're a seasoned writer but find yourself stuck at some point, unable to write, unable to move on?
This is why all writers - beginner or experienced, fiction or non-fiction, unpublished or published, aspiring-to-be-published or not - need resources. Sometimes a little nudge is enough to get you on your way and keep you going.
This is why I've decided to write down all my favourite writing resources to date. It is by no means an exhaustive list (and some just may not be your thing). But, hopefully, there will be some that you find interesting and useful and that they manage to keep you writing. Because we all have times when we're stuck - the important thing is to have a way out.
Books
Bird by Bird: some instructions on writing and life, by Anne Lamott
One of my favourite books about writing: Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott
Lamott's down-to-earth guide on all things writing is comforting and inspiring. I have said in a previous article on my favourite books that I learned more from this one book on writing than my whole creative writing major at university - so I think it is well worth the time investment to read it.
She covers a lot of ground: the central discussion of the importance of a writing routine, writing for its own sake, telling your truths through writing, becoming unstuck, getting a first draft down without drama, structure, reviewing and editing, and much more. I really appreciated her use of personal anecdotes and her references to other writers talking about writing - you get a lot of bang for your buck from this one. Of course, she is mostly referring to creative writing, but I think a lot of the principles in this book could be applied to non-fiction as well.
While this is Lamott's only book specifically on writing (it's pretty good, so why do we even need more?), she's written many other books - including some memoirs. I mentioned one of these: Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year in my post about gifts for new parents. She has also written some non-fiction (perhaps more meditative?) works that will be next on my list: Dusk, night, dawn - on revival and courage, Small victories - spotting improbable moments of grace, Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair, as well as many more.
The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield
Pressfield's premise is that what's standing in the way of your writing (or indeed, doing anything creative) is a thing called Resistance (AKA fear, self-doubt, any form of self-sabotage). He argues for a regular writing routine and for doing all creative work with a certain level of professionality. This is a good one to read if you're struggling with general writing motivation.
I would say that this is his most well-known work, and Pressfield himself suggests to start with this one, but he has written a number of other books on writing: Turning Pro, Do the work, Nobody wants to read your sh*t (one I'm particularly interested in reading), The Authentic Swing (how he managed to succeed with his "first" novel - he'd already written 3 others beforehand), The Artist's Journey, as well as a whole bunch of fiction works.
He also has a blog, and you can also sign up for his free mini-eCourse.
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
Despite the name, I think most writers (memoirist or not) could draw some great insights from this book.
This book is specifically about writing memoir, but I think all writers could pick up something useful from this book - because, aren't we all (no matter in what form we write) telling our stories in some way? Everything we write speaks to our exact perspective, our past, our experiences - even if it has seemingly nothing to do with those things. She specifically discusses a number of important aspects to writing memoir (and telling our stories in general): structure, memoir as "creative" rather than " just raw reportage flung splat on the page", seeking the "truth" of our stories, ethical issues associated with memoir, revising, and developing a voice.
One piece of golden wisdom that I received from reading this book was the idea of "carnality". Karr argues, more than the often suggested showing rather than telling, that you should describe using "sensual data" in order to have much more of an impact on the reader.
Karr has written a number of other books, including other memoirs as well as poetry collections.
On writing: A memoir of the craft by Stephen King
I read this one a long time ago. I don't really know what provoked me to read it, since I wasn't doing any writing at the time (in fact, writing wasn't even on my radar at that point). But, I read it and loved it (perhaps this was one of the early nudges that started me on the road back to writing?). The first half is a memoir - where King discusses his life and how he got to writing. It's very interesting to read about his early days. The second half is more of a traditional how-to-write type book. I can't remember all that much specifically, except his discussion of his routine. If I recall correctly, he writes before lunch, sometimes for only a couple of hours, and then he's done for the day. Nice motivation if you're trying to pursue writing as a side gig to other full time pursuits.
Okay, I know Stephen King's advice is to "read a lot", but for those strapped for reading time you could: a) Listen to the above books (and fictional works) instead of reading them and/or, b) Listen to some podcasts for writing advice and inspiration.
Onto the next category of resources:
Podcasts
Here, we're actually only talking about one podcast - I'm sure there are many others that are focussed purely on writing, but I haven't listened to them so I can't comment. I love listening to the Tim Ferriss Show podcast - he interviews some pretty amazing people (all top of their respective games) in a lot of detail (I think most episodes are at least 1.5 hours). I usually listen while I'm doing the weekly cleaning; it certainly makes that task infinitely more enjoyable!
While Tim interviews people from a range of backgrounds and industries, he's interviewed quite a few authors (including some I've mentioned above):
Joyce Carol Oates - A Writing Icon on Creative Process and Creative Living
Jerry Seinfeld - A Comedy Legend’s Systems, Routines, and Methods for Success
Mary Karr - The Master of Memoir on Creative Process and Finding Gifts in the Suffering
Steven Pressfield - The Artist’s Journey, the Wisdom of Little Successes, Shadow Careers, and Overcoming Resistance
Maria Popova - On Being Interesting, Creating More Time in a Day, And How to Start A Successful Blog
The above are ones I've listened to, but there are also others (and probably many more - go and have a look!):
Neil Gaiman - The Interview I've Waited 20 Years to Do
Chuck Palahniuk, Author of Fight Club — A Masterclass in Creative Living and Dangerous Writing
The great thing about this podcast is that Tim has full transcripts available! So if you miss something, or would prefer to read, or just want to take some notes - you can get the info without having to re-listen.
Tim Ferriss also has a number of great blog posts on writing
Coursera courses
I only started doing Coursera courses in the second half of 2020. It was around the time I started my long-form creative piece, and I felt the need to access a little guidance on getting started with such a big project (especially when I hadn't written creatively for such a long time before that).
I've completed 2 so far:
Writing in First Person Point of View, taught by Ariel Levy.
Writing a Personal Essay, taught by Amy Bloom.
But there are lots of others.
They are video-based courses that I found to be quite manageable (approx 1 hour of video per week).
I did them both for free by auditing the courses, see here on how to do that. It did mean that I didn't get my work assessed, didn't get access to all course materials, and didn't get a certificate - but I got access to all the videos, and I found that to be helpful enough.
Other tools
Notion
I use Notion every single day - for a lot of things, not just writing.
It's an all-in-one workspace that is completely customisable. You can make notes, calendars, to-do lists, whole documents, timelines...the list goes on. What I find great is that you can link everything up so that it's all within easy reach. I've basically set up a dashboard for myself - with pages relating to various aspects of my life. In my short-form writing page, I have a tonne of information. It's a great way to organise all your different projects, so great for a blogger or freelance writer with lots of different things going on at once.
I do plan to go into detail about how I use Notion for productivity in general, so stay tuned for that.
Howler timer
I use this to time my writing sessions. I try to use the Pomodoro technique (or variations on it, more on that in another post).
It's basically just a timer, so you could use any other timer as well. I like having it on my computer and not on my phone, so that I don't get distracted.
Scrivener
I haven't personally used Scrivener, but I like the idea of it (especially for longer pieces of work).
From what I've read and heard, you seem to be able to move things around easily, structure your work and see either the big picture, or the small picture, have research materials side-by-side - I think it would be a great alternative to Word.
Other advice / resources that are not really "resources" in the traditional sense
View the world like a child
Henry James said, "A writer is someone on whom nothing is lost", and Anne Lamott adds another layer to this: "One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore. Another is that writing motivates you to look closely at life, at life as it lurches by and tramps around."
So, I would say - if you're stumped and don't feel like picking up a traditional resource, maybe try going for a walk and attempting to perceive the world as if you'd never seen it before, as if you were suddenly shed of your adult preconceptions and assumptions.
Develop a writing routine
Steven Pressfield says that the most important thing is to overcome "resistance: sit down and do the work and then, when you hit the point of diminishing returns, shut down for the day."
Anne Lammott echoes this: "“Do it every day for a while,” my father kept saying. “Do it as you would do scales on the piano. Do it by prearrangement with yourself. Do it as a debt of honor. And make a commitment to finishing things.”" "You sit down, I say. You try to sit down at approximately the same time every day. This is how you train your unconscious to kick in for you creatively."
I have definitely realised the power of habit (however micro) especially in relation to writing (read more about that here).
Final words: More on reading and finding inspiration from everywhere
I am completely with Stephen King: I cannot overstate the importance of reading and, as Joyce Caroll Oates says: "writ[ing] your heart out". I find now that I'm writing a lot, I'm reading differently compared to how I once did. It's like I'm trying to uncover the secrets of these great writers - how do they make me feel the things that I do? Why do I feel the compulsion to keep reading? How do they describe their characters so that it's like they're right in front of me? Why do their words, their conjured images stay with me throughout the day?
I'll finish with this quote from Ocean Vuong (author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous):
"I'm not making this up. I made it down. That's what writing is, after all the nonsense, getting down so low the world offers a merciful new angle, a larger vision made of small things, the lint suddenly a huge sheet of fog exactly the size of your eyeball."
Tell me: what are your favourite writing resources? As I said at the beginning, these are my favourites to date - I’m always seeking new sources of inspiration and advice.
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