Writing Resources
Looking for a good resource? Our writers have had some recommendations over the years.
Note: These resources and links are in no way affiliated or maintained by KRW. Please see our External Links Disclaimer. While these resources worked well for some of our writers, they might not for everyone–so definitely read up on them when making purchasing decisions.
Workshops
Writing the Other. Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward began by writing a practical manual that discusses elements of characterization and “offers elementary techniques, practical exercises, and examples for helping writers create richer and more accurate characters with ‘differences.'” In addition to providing links for the book, this website provides excellent classes.
Critical Lens by LaQuette. LaQuette offers a great workshop on writing outside your personal, generational, or cultural experience. She shows you how to avoid harmful or problematic content by looking at your own work through a literary critical lens.
Empowering Characters’ Emotions by Margie Lawson. Lawson routinely offers online workshops of this class, or you can download her lecture packet. In this class, Lawson teaches how to power up your characters’ emotions and how to hook your readers viscerally. Lawson’s Writer’s Academy also offers a plethora of other writing classes aimed at anyone from a beginner to a master writer.
Michael Hauge. Michael Hauge has multiple useful classes on plot structure, external plots, and internal identities.
Write Better-Faster. Becca Syme’s course uses individualized productivity strategies to make you write quicker.
Books
Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels by Gwen Hayes,
Plot and Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish by James Scott Bell.
The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface by Donald Maas.
Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Kron.
Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development by K.M. Weiland,
Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder.
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg.
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi.
Podcasts
Writing Excuses. Weekly 15-to-25 minute podcast to help listeners become better writers.
The Creative Penn. Joanna Penn provides a weekly podcast about writing, publishing, marketing, and making a living with your writing.
Six Figure Authors. This podcast focuses on marketing. In each episode, the hosts discuss topics crucial to developing a successful publishing career, interview insightful guests in the field, and/or answer questions from listeners.
Journey of Romance. Romance author Jess Michaels talks to other romance writers about their journeys to writing and publishing romance.
Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach. Episodes are roughly 15 minutes and focus on motivation and practical tips for writers at all stages of their career.