Whether you are new to the craft or a seasoned vet, brushing up on the basics is a wonderful way to boost your writing. I don’t claim to be good enough to teach, so here instead is a list of some of my favorite writing tutorials and tools from around the web.
FREE TUTORIALS
The Basics of Point of View. Knowing who is telling your story is one of the most important aspects of fiction writing. Jumping between points of view intentionally is no easy task, and doing so accidentally is almost a sure way to ruin an otherwise wonderful story.
Writing the Perfect Scene. This article covers scene structure in one of the easiest explanations I’ve come across. These concepts are covered in many of the best books on writing out there, albeit every author has their own twist on the ideas.
25 Guides on How to Write a Short Story. Writing flash fiction and short stories can be tricky for anyone who isn’t used to fitting all that plot in such a small space. Here’s a wonderful list of articles covering all aspects of this topic.
FREE TOOLS
Hemingway App. This little web based app is nothing short of amazing. Simply paste your text into its interface and it will analyze it for everything from how many adverbs you should delete to how difficult it is to read. It gives you a battery of high-quality suggestion line by line. I use this before showing a story to anyone, and then again after adding beta reader edits. If you only use one program, this is what you should be using.
Grammarly. Another app that you can use straight on the website. It checks your grammar and gives you single-click edits. It’s an insanely powerful program and touted as the most powerful grammar program available. While you can spring for the full version, I find the free version is plenty for my needs. And for anyone writing a blog, the google extension app is amazing!
The Writers Den. This fun little site has a ton of ways to get around writer’s block. It has generators for plots, themes, character profiles, locations, writing exercises and more. If you need to get the juices flowing this is a great site to get you started.
Fantasy Name Generator. Not just for fantasy names. and not just for people. Need a scientific name for an undiscovered species? This is your place. It boasts of 900 name generators each with more names than I ever cared to attempt counting.
TV Tropes. This wiki website has every trope you could think of. Character tropes, story tropes, you name it. And each trope has an entire page dedicated just to it. The site is a massive resource for any story teller.
Open Office. This is a free program suite like Microsoft Office. If you’re cheap like me you might not want to shell out cash for a word processor. I actually like open office better than MS Word and it’s completely free.