Friday Links: Resources for Writers Getting Down to Basics

Happy Friday, everyone! This week has simply flown by and I have a huge pile of things to get done today, particularly since my new iPhone is supposedly on the truck for delivery, which means I’m having a technology update sort of weekend. Not only does the phone need to be set up, but my new computer is sitting in a box on the floor staring at me, waiting patiently for me to take a day to sort through four years of file accumulation (and email!) and migrate what I want to keep to the new machine. So that’s my exciting weekend plan. Come Monday I will be thoroughly modern and up-to-date. At least until Apple releases the new OS.

I’ll admit the good thing about this plan, other than a phone battery that will hold a charge more than half a day and a computer that moves with a bit more pep, is that file migration takes time. Time during which I can lie on the couch and read. I have a stack of books I’m twitching to get to, so I’m hoping to tackle one or two this weekend as well. I never quite outgrew that feeling of September signaling that it’s time to head back to school, which means my brain really wants to crawl into study mode for the next few months. This is probably about as close as I can get.

Of course, I have Friday Links for all of you, so whatever plans you’ve got brewing this weekend, take a few minutes to check these out. There are some writing tips, places to submit your work, and of course a few reading recommendations because at the end of the day, it’s all about the great books. In particular, there are some terrific links for anyone just starting out or who is looking to get back to the basics with their writing. I hope you find some inspiration here. Wishing you a wonderful weekend, and happy writing!

Katie Khan on Choosing the Perfect Name for a Novel – On that pesky chore of deciding on a title for your book.

The Millions Quiz: The Best Political Fiction – Some great book recommendations for anyone who can’t get enough of the political scene, or maybe for anyone wanting to hide from the current U.S. campaign chaos.

The 7 Biggest Mistakes Personal Essay Writers Make – Great tips for anyone looking to master (or publish) this format.

Opportunities for Writers: October and November 2016 – A great list of contests, calls for work, and other places where you can submit your writing, with deadlines over the next couple of months.

How to Be a Writer: 10 Tips from Rebecca Solnit – Solnit offers excellent advice on various aspects of the writing career and process.

10 Books on the American Immigrant Experience – A wonderfully diverse list of titles featuring the experiences of immigrants in America.

Start Writing Fiction: A Free Online Course Starts 3 October – An online course on writing fiction, offered for free by Open University, kicks off October 3rd.