Insecure Writer's Support Group by Ronel Janse van Vuuren

A Round-Up of Resources For Writers #IWSG

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for another posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

Learn more here.

Last month’s question about what the IWSG could offer its members had a lot of suggestions, many of which made me wonder if some of the resources I use couldn’t be of help. So I’m sharing things this month that I use to refine my craft, learn more about publishing and its various aspects, and enjoying the creative process.

Virtual Conferences

I prefer virtual conferences as my health and other things won’t allow me to travel all over the world to learn. Also, some of these conferences can be attended for free. I don’t attend only conferences aimed at fantasy writers, but other genres, too, as there’s always something to learn.

The ones I attended this year:

  • Wanna Write Romance (You can learn more about that here. I absolutely enjoyed the experience.)
  • ProWritingAid (Fantasy Writers’ Week, Crime Writers’ Week, Romance Writers’ Week, etc. You can see the replays here.)

If I had the bandwidth, I would have attended this one, too:

The Self Publishing Show LIVE! (Up until last year, Mark Dawson was very involved with this, but it seems he has left it all to James Blatch to run… Learn more here.)

A couple of years ago, I attended the Women In Publishing Writing Conference and wrote about that experience here. I stopped attending this conference after doing it a couple of years in a row when I realised they were rehashing some things and then they got rid of the free ticket.

I’m a frugal authorpreneur, so when I have to pay a year’s hosting fee for my podcast for a couple of videos from a conference that has turned into an ouroboros, I have to cut it.

Ouroboros. Image credit.

Podcasts

I love listening to podcasts about writing and publishing.

What I’m currently listening to:

What I used to listen to:

I might listen to a new episode from these podcasts, but for the most part they aren’t publishing new content regularly (or at all).

There were other writing and publishing podcasts I’ve listened to, but I can’t really remember, so I’m not going to even try. LOL.

Podcast. Image credit.

Blog Posts

Honestly, I’ve switched consuming new non-fiction information from reading to listening. I haven’t read a lot of new blog posts about writing, though I do have a couple of favourites that I read from time-to-time.

I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Resources for Writers, so you might find something there to pique your interest.

And, of course, I’ve written (and had guests write) a boatload of blog posts to help writers as I investigate new things in writing and publishing:

You can also check it out here.

Blog. Image credit.

Email

I’m on the newsletters of various authors, editors, and writing services, so when a webinar comes up (usually free), I can attend if it’s something I’m interested in. Some also talk about industry news in their emails. I’ve culled a lot of subscriptions over time as they stopped bringing me value, but these are the ones I’m currently on:

Probably not exhaustive, but these popped up in my inbox when I went to take a look. 🙂

Email. Image credit

I’m sure I’ve somehow missed something, mostly because I’m thinking about my current WIP, but I’m sure I’ve covered most everything I use to be a better writer. And if I’ve missed something, it’s probably in one of those many posts on my For Authors page with loads of resources to help writers.

I’m also sure that you are reading the IWSG blog and that you’re on the IWSG newsletter to get everything the group can offer you (besides this blog hop).

one of the keys to writing a story that you and your readers enjoy is to focus on the ideas that bring you alive joanna penn

Which resources do you use to be a better writer? Anything you’d like to recommend?

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16 thoughts on “A Round-Up of Resources For Writers #IWSG”

  1. You certainly have a litany of resources. Good for you. I’ve taken a few online courses on advertising, but that’s it.

    Reply

  3. Thanks for all the resources. I’d like to take advantage of more free online courses too. I subscribe to Joann Penn’s podcast. I need to listen to it. I really like Jane Friedman’s, Erin Bowman’s, and Susan Dennard’s newsletters.

    Reply

  4. Thanks for all the resources you’ve listed, Ronel! It must have been you that I heard about Joanna Penn. I bought and read her “Writing the Shadow” this month because of a recommendation from an IWSG member. It was very interesting. If you’ve read it, you’ll get this. I have three horses, white, dark, and a huge Clydesdale draft horse that rules my life ~ lol! Have a great IWSG Day.

    Reply

  6. Great list of resources! I hadn’t even thought about there being helpful podcasts, nor about virtual conferences (something I’m more likely to attend than in-person, as I detest crowds).

    Reply

  8. I really appreciate the information you provide on your blog regarding resources and attending conferences. I used to attend conferences until one speaker sharing tips on marketing had the audacity to proclaim that people like myself (over the hill), well, it’s too late sister. I have a feeling you have a lot of good advice for writers in general, so I’ll be back, sister. 🙂

    Reply

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