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Do you find books and magazines on Writing helps you too?
I find by reading back on collected Writing Magazines gives me more confidence in my own writing. It pushes me to write more.
I was feeling a bit negative yesterday so today I visited the library and borrowed a book, 'How To Write' by Richard Rhobes. So far I have read two chapters and by it I managed to sit down at my desk and type up one page today for my next short story club.
Do you find book and magazines on Writing helps you too?
Alana
Comments
I don't buy books devoted to writing.
I do enjoy listening to book programmes on the radio, or anything that mentions writing.
The same applies to the television.
Carol A.
Keep searching, you will turn up some gems.
After all, writing always has new opportunities coming about and we have to keep up to date.
WM & WN are handy for finding out about competitions and other news and both magazines and books can be encouraging - but have too many and their main use is as an aid to procrastination.
I also check out The Bookseller every morning to keep up with what's going on in the business side.
[quote=Baggy Books]The most perfectly written piece won't get published if the story's naff.[/quote]
That reminds me of a critique I received many moons ago when I was first trying my hand at short story writing.
I received a glowing report telling me that I was a 'fantastic writer' - but the subject of my story was wrong. (Not exactly a 'naff' story but an inappropriate subject for the competition I had entered.) It taught me a valuable lesson.
Hey, that's a good idea, Stirling.
I suppose different pathways will suit different writers, Alana. I live by 'how to' books on writing, and bought some of them through the WN website: go to Store in the top menu bar. I love browsing WN in Smiths: it always has half a dozen articles that seem to apply specifically to me. Writers' Forum pushes it hard as a competitor, in my view.
One of the main inspirational springs for me is authors' or agents' blogs. I only wish I had 36 hours in the day to visit them all. I can certainly recommend Sarah Davies' blog in The Greenhouse, which is directed towards as yet unpublished authors. http://www.greenhouseliterary.com/index.php/site/index
I entered the Fairy Story competition
I entered the Sea Story competition
I never heard any more about either BUT
Later I sent both stories - unchanged - to My Weekly and sold both first time out.
Yes, Writing Magazine and Writers' Forum and LOTs of books on writing have helped and inspired me, and I wish I'd found them sooner that I did!