The world of writerly advice…

I spend some little time reading writers’ blogs on the internet. The really good ones are legendary: Joe Konrath, Ray Rhamey, Amanda Hocking, Nathan Bransford, Rachelle Gardner. My all-time favourite epicentre for writers is WriterUnboxed because it is varied and FILLED to the very brim with expertise that one can’t fault. Really true-blue expertise from authors (both mainstream and independent), agents, publishers and editors. Quite plainly, people who know.

These writers offer posts on their own very personal journey to publication or their experience within the field of publication. Writers describe the way they write their pitch, how the submission journey was, the results. Their own feelings about that long and often painful experience. What they do to survive the lengthy journey and so on. Β The editors, agents and publishers spell out in succinct language what they receive and what they think at their end. They are the ones who offer the technical expertise built up from years of experience. Quite frankly the only sort of experience that really matters.

My other favourite fellow writers (ie fiction authors) who post are those who post with panache and verve (like Ann Swinfen, Mark Williams, SJA Turney or Lexi Revellian), who dig beneath, who take a unique view of the wordsmith’s existence. And they are all UK writers… hmm, interesting. It must be a subliminal connection between Australia and Blighty! And not only that, they all belong to the same highly talented writers’ forum: YouwriteOn.com

Other than these clever people who provide the most unique contrasts into life in the garrett, I’ll stick with ‘the trieds and trues’… those mentioned at the very head of this post who never fail to impress with the information they impart.