Per my resolution to read and learn about writing in 2008, I've been wandering around the internet google-searching writing topics and reading sites here and there. During my creative writing class, a recurring weekly assignment was to find, read, and write reviews on various online or print literary journals. This quickly became a favorite assignment as I stumbled upon many interesting and entertaining sites. On many online journals, the quality of the writing is astounding. Provocative, edgy, captivating. There are journals for every genre, style, and ability. These sites are usually a joy to read through. Of course I have a few favorites and still more are bookmarked. I continue to investigate sites not only for my own reading and learning pleasure (via duotrope.com or newpages.com), but to narrow down sites to which I may one day submit my own writing. The possibilities there so far seem endless.
Also, I've found several general websites dedicated just to writers and writing. The WritersDigest.com and Poets and Writers site (pw.org) are a couple of my favorites. The articles on the sites range from interesting (tips, advice, informative) to entertaining (interviews with successful writers, personal anecdotes from writers). A particularly useful part of both sites to me has been the forums--where other writers share the ups and downs, ins and outs, and the many ordeals and successes of the world of writing. Both forums are chockfull of writers in all stages of careers who ask questions, offer encouragement, provide advice and just generally support one another. It feels good just to be a member of each of those forums. I feel like a writer when I'm there even though I haven't contributed much to either except an introductory post in the "New Member" sections. But I'll be a force to be reckoned with on those forums before you know it. Well perhaps not a force. More like a nudge. There are many other good websites and forums for writers out there...again the numbers seem limitless....but I'm sticking with these two for now and browsing others when I have time.
And then there are blogs. Oh my Gosh! Blogs and blogs and more blogs. You can find blogs with subjects ranging from anything to everything.... and blogs about nothing at all, or the equivalent of nothing. I'm concentrating on writers' blogs, though, and am just now scratching the surface. A quirky blogger habit seems to be listing the blog sites of other like-minded or interesting bloggers on your blog's homepage. So when I find an interesting blog, generally on the right side (although some are on the left) is a rather long list of several other blogs. You literally can blog jump for hours on end. The problem I've found that I want to warn you about is that a couple of times I have moved from blog to blog then forgotten to bookmark a particularly good one along the way only to lose it in the string of blogs visited. A couple of those that I really seemed to relate to I've managed to find again. A couple more are still lost out there. I'll continue looking for those though. Once I narrow down a few blogs that I believe stand out significantly from the others, at least for me, I will begin my own right-side list of favorite blog sites. I know--you can hardly wait, huh? Just please take heed of my warning above.
So, that's where I am so far. This is a long post, so I'll provide more info (and my opinions) about some of the writing sites, forums, and blogs I've found in future posts. Until then, keep warm (they are predicting zero temps in SW Ohio for this weekend) and have fun.
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