“The Treasure Trove”: Resources for Writers

Resources / ideas that have transformed my writing life:

Drafting:

Anne Lamott on ‘Shitty First Drafts’

Liz Berry on a Slow, Rich, Exploratory Drafting Process

Creativity:

Dr. Edward de Bono – who devised the concept ‘Lateral Thinking’

Rod Judkins’s mind-altering book: ‘The Art of Creative Thinking’

Some love it, some hate it – but it will transform your attitude to creativity: Julia Cameron & ‘The Artist’s Way’

How to Find Your Flow State

How Creativity is Helped by Failure

How There’s No Time Limit for Success

Creative Imagination vs. Technical Imagination

Getting Published: 

Examples of Great Books That/Great Writers Who Bounced Back from Multiple Rejections

Why You Should Aim for 100 Rejections A Year

The ‘Jo Bell Method’ of Submitting to Magazines

Helena Nelson on How (Not to) Get Your Poetry Published

Kristen Roupenian Interview, discussing her getting published

Short Story Magazines To Submit To

Poetry Magazines To Submit To

Bernadine Evaristo on rejection, ambition, and having a vision

Literary Essays / Interviews about Writing Craft:

Audre Lorde: The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action

Chuck Palahniuk on “Burnt Tongue”, “Received Text”, and “Recording Angels”

A Selection of the Greatest Literary Essays

Raymond Carver (one of my favourite writers): ‘A Storyteller’s Notebook’

George Saunders on what writers really do

George Saunders interview – on writing fiction

LitHub – A great resource for writers and readers

Brain Pickings: Famous Writers’ ‘Rules for Writing’

The Guardian: Famous Writers’ “Ten Rules For Writing”

Interview with poet Don Paterson

Insights into Literature:

The ‘In Our Time’ Literature Podcasts – discussions of classic literature

Story Structure: 

Mythic Structure: The Heroine’s Journey (by Maureen Murdock and others)

Mythic Structure: The Hero’s Journey (by Christopher Vogler)

Mythic Structure: The Seven Basic Plots (by Christopher Booker)

‘3 Words That Are Guaranteed to Make Your Writing Better’

George Saunders on Not Planning Ahead

Poetry Resources:

London’s (amazing & free-to-use) Poetry Library

Teaching Resources:

Facilitation resources for Teachers

A lifeline for writer-teachers: The National Association of Writers in Education