Goals and Advice - First Novel

McKelleon · Jan 13, 2019

I have taken a break from writing my novel to focus on my education. The goal is to collect as many sources as possible to further my writing development. I took an English assessment test today which placed me in the “upper intermediate” range—whatever that means. So, I’d like to expand my knowledge of the written word, nourish my vocabulary, and see what I can shake loose in the old noodle.

I welcome suggestions such as books, courses, videos, and websites that will help sharpen my writing. I’m not focusing on creative writing per se. The fundamentals are my obsession at the present. Please, if you know of sources I would love to learn from them!

cornflake · Jan 13, 2019

Read books.

TheHodorOne · Jan 13, 2019

cornflake said:
Read books.

Or listen to them, if you don't have time enough. For example I use Storytel to listen audiobooks while driving, cooking. Life is too short to read everything.

Undercover · Jan 14, 2019

I did a lot of crossword puzzles. I know it sounds silly, but I think it really helped with my vocabulary.

Greyburne · Feb 8, 2019

McKelleon, don't know if you've tried it already, but you might try to kill two birds with one stone by going through the archives at Query Shark. If you aren't familiar, it's a blog by agent Janet Reid where people submit publishing queries for their novels for public critique. It's a great place to see examples of other people's writing, in short form, as they attempt to hone it to an effective piece. Reid is pretty brutally honest about what works and what doesn't, and people are allowed revisions if they choose. I've been going over it the past two weeks, and I think that even if you aren't querying, her advice will improve your writing. And when you're done, you'll know what works in a query too!

Goals and Advice - First Novel

McKelleon

New Skin; Learning About Thick Fish

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

TheHodorOne

Undercover

I got it covered

Greyburne