Are you an aspiring writer? Hopefully some of these resources can help you along the way. Remember, the most important thing you can do is keep writing. Write a book you wish existed. Write the stories that matter to you.
One very kind reader sent in this basic overview of some of the paths to publication. There are many helpful links in the article. (Thanks, Anna!)
Twitter – almost anything you ever wanted to know about becoming a published writer, you can learn on Twitter. Follow agents and other authors to get their insights on the industry and to avoid common mistakes. As with all social media, be polite! Saying please and thank you goes a long way, as does not harassing industry professionals.
AbsoluteWrite – this forum is a place you can get feedback on your work once you’ve hit the 50 post minimum. Make sure you have a thick skin and can sort the good advice from the questionable. Best of all, it’s free.
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) – have you always wanted to write a book and never had time? This is a great place to start. I’ve been participating in NaNoWriMo since 2005. There are few better ways to prove to yourself that you CAN write that ugly first draft.
Query Shark – I’m not going to lie: querying sucks. However, Query Shark can take a lot of the guesswork out of it for you. Start here to learn from the mistakes of others, and then take your query to AbsoluteWrite or another community to polish it until it sparkles like the horn on a baby unicorn.
If you already have a completed manuscript, check out Author Mentor Match, where you can enter a contest to get paired up with a writer a little farther along the publication path.
Good luck, and happy writing!