A List of Medium.com Resources for Creative Writers
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I’ve been a Medium member for a year, which is longer than I’ve been publishing on the site. One of the reasons I purchased a membership was because of the wealth of information I found there on the craft of writing. Without a membership, I hit my limit of three locked articles in under an hour, but spending $5 a month has given me access to an abundance of resources, tips, and instructions.
As a thank you to those who have taught me so much, I want to share with others just a few of the writers, articles, and publications that have helped me on my writing journey.
Writers to Follow
Erica Verrillo’s bio says her goal is “helping writers get published,” and she offers a ton of resources to back up that claim. In addition to her blog, Publishing…and Other Forms of Insanity, she posts monthly reports on Medium with upcoming deadlines (for writing contests, calls for submissions, and conferences), as well as listings of publishers and agents open to new clients.
Shaunta Grimes is an author (her latest book, The Astonishing Maybe*, was released in March 2019) who publishes on Medium multiple times a day. She offers tips on the craft of writing while sharing her experience with the ups and downs of writing life. (I find myself highlighting most of her articles and have reread quite a few — they’re that good.)
N.A. Turner uses his Medium page to “share tips about my writing journey.” Although focused primarily on the writing of short stories, his posts on the craft — structure, plotting, themes, genres—can be useful to any writer. He also shares valuable lessons he’s learned from the masters, such as Charles Bukowski.
Writer’s Relief is a company that aims to “facilitate every step of an author’s path to publishing.” Their Medium articles cover everything from query letters and proofreading, to marketing and networking.
Mike Gardner has a fascinating series of articles called “How I Paid the Bills While I Wrote the Book,” in which he interviews authors about the day jobs they held while in the early stages of writing.
ProWritingAid, the grammar checker tool, has a blog offering “essential tips and tricks for writers.” The top blog pieces are cross-posted to Medium.
Articles to Read
In addition to the writing-specific pages above, there are loads of individual articles on the craft, as well as marketing, publishing, and writing life. These authors don’t write solely about writing, but I want to include some of their work since I’ve found these pieces so helpful.
Stefani Vader: “How and When to Write in Layers”
Dani Jorgensen: “Writer’s Block: What to do If You’re Stuck on a Scene”
Maliha Mannan: “How to Battle Your Enemy, The ‘Adverb’”
Ramona Grigg: “Words That Drag Your Writing Down”
Sam H Arnold: “5 Tips for Attracting More Readers With a Killer First Sentence”
Susan L. Stewart: “How Plotting Will Make You a Better Writer”
Lauren Salkin: “Are You a Draft Dodger?”
Teresa Colón: “1 Year Later, I’ve Learned These Valuable Writing Lessons”
Double D: “How to Write Responsive Personal Essays”
Michael Shook: “Lessons Learned From 10 years Of Ghostwriting”
Penguin Random House: “Write On: 27 of the Best Books on Writing”
Kay Bolden: “First Time Doing NaNoWriMo?”
Kris Gage: “How To Overcome Writer’s Block”
Melanie Rockett: “Your Amazon Author Page and BIO Helps Sell Books”
Jeff Goins: “How to Not Waste Your Time at Another Pointless Conference”
Michael Shook: “Unleash the Successful Writer Within You”
Jewel Eliese: “You’re Ready to Get Published. Now Grow a Pair?”
Kamga Tchassa: “When You Think Your Art Sucks and Shouldn’t Be Published”
Publications to Follow
There are a number of incredible writing-related publications on Medium. Follow them. Write for them, if they’re open to new writers. They offer so many great articles, essays, poetry, and fiction, and can be a true source of inspiration when you need it most.
The Writing Cooperative: Helping each other write better
Writers Guild: Hone your craft. Share your story.
Writing Together: Bringing together a network of new and experienced writers, from all backgrounds, with many messages.
The Book Mechanic: Helping writers sell more books, write tighter, write faster, build a platform, and come up with great stories.
Writer Mom: A place for moms who write.
Belladonna Comedy: Funny writing by women, for everyone!
Lit Up: The land of little tales (short stories, flash fiction, poetry).
Go Into the Story: The official screenwriting blog of the Black List.
Adlers Writing: Microfiction, short stories, writing tips and blog.
These are just a few of the writers, articles, and publications I’ve found useful as I’ve worked to develop my skills. I hope you find them useful!
A version of this post also appears on Medium