📖 Nourishing your narrative

Sitting down with a good book is one of the best things you can do for your soul. It's why page-turners full of fantastic phrases, helpful hints, and salacious stories have been around for eons, and if you're someone who aspires to contribute to the wonderful world of words with your own writing talents, the time to start is now. This week's newsletter is about applying exceptional writing advice, discovering online writing communities, and reading the best books about books. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• Advice for aspiring authors
• The best online spaces for writers
• Improve your writing craft

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Helpful dialogue

The pressure to write the perfect thing can be immense. Whether you're looking to put your hands on the keyboard for the first time or you're wanting to reignite your routine, it can feel overwhelming trying to get your writing gears turning. If you're experiencing a paper jam, taking advice from today's world-class wordsmiths can transform you from amateur author to powerful publisher in a flash.

The team at Writing Routines has compiled top advice from some of the bestselling authors in the business to assist with your writing aspirations.

Train your brain

• Cal Newport, author of Deep Work, encourages training your cognitive fitness so you're more comfortable concentrating intensely for longer periods of time. Deep work is a skill to be honed before you dive into your first big writing project, so you're a lot more successful.
• Tim Grahl, author of Your First 1,000 Copies, thinks you should keep getting better, even if you've been a successful writer for a good while. Start by having fresh eyes edit your work to catch anything your brain has become accustomed to. There's always something to rethink, revise, and grow from.

Connect with your audience and yourself

• Jeff Haden, author of The Motivation Myth, knows many authors want to write what they want to write, but the key is to write what your audience wants to read. Putting your audience's needs first will bolster your joy and passion for writing and naturally grow your readership.
• Nils Parker, editor and celebrity ghostwriter, wants authors to sound like themselves instead of trying to sound like an author. If your writing isn't coming from your soul, then it's probably not what you should be writing about. You should know what you want to say before you put yourself out there.

Live life and stop complaining

• Ryan Holiday, author of Ego Is the Enemy, wonders if you're writing because you have something to say, or you're writing for the sake of writing. If you're in the second group, leave your desk, go do interesting things, and come back. You need to live a full life to write fully.
• Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, believes writers should stop being so negative and just concentrate on doing the work. Your career won't unfold if you're too focused on the trials that come with achieving success. If your publishing career goals weigh you down, you'll be too tired to pick up the pen.

Start now and be patient

• Asha Dornfest, author of Parent Hacks, recommends you start writing and keep writing. Don't listen to the negative voices inside your head, don't follow a plan, and don't listen to experts – just write. Success starts with putting pen to paper, so if you're not writing, you're not making gains on your goals.
• Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer, suggests you have patience throughout the process, and a lot of patience takes a lot of love. You have to love to write and love what you're writing about, so you can meet any challenge. As long as you have patience, you can work through anything.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• Poetry in the age of AI – Vague Blue
• Taking blogging seriously – Tom Critchlow
• Gaining an audience when your topic is you – Josh Spector
• Parents and AI don't understand – 404 Media
• How to build a website – Ahrefs

Plot points

When searching for writing advice or publishing communities on the World Wide Web™, you'll instantly discover there is an endless supply of information. There's so much info online about publishing that you could spend the rest of your life googling rather than just getting started on your writing journey. So, how do you cut out all the fluff and get to the good parts so you can get going?

Published novelist Mary Adkins helps narrow down the best websites for aspiring writers so you can quickly find the finest writing spaces.

#1 Reedsy has an extensive database of hundreds of literary agents seeking book submissions. You can even filter by location and genre.

#2 LitHub is the place to read about writing and other writers. They also have a worthwhile weekly newsletter that keeps you connected to the community.

#3 Funds for Writers is all about advancing your writing career with guidance on funding, markets, grants, and agents. Lots of business with motivation folded in.

#4 Poets & Writers is a leading non-profit that connects writers with publishing opportunities like writing contests, literary magazines, and small presses.

#5 The Rumpus publishes original fiction, poetry, comics, essays, and interviews with authors and artists of all kinds. Endless inspiration!

#6 The Marginalian is a lucious personal record of Maria Popova's readings. If you're looking for a deep dive into some lovely literature, this is the place.

#7 Electric Literature features exceptional excerpts from upcoming books, exciting cultural criticism, and tons of reading lists.

#8 KDP for Self-Publishing is an accessible way for self-publishers to reach millions of readers with control over their content, design, and price.

World building

The art of writing is multi-layered, and you don't have to be naturally good at each aspect. Are you great with grammar but totally suck at vocabulary? That's ok! Most well-known authors didn't start with a perfect writing craft. They honed it, nurtured it, and probably failed at it at least once or twice. Having solid writing skills takes work, so don't stress if you haven't reached publishing perfection just yet.

Let's examine some of the best books on writing that will help sharpen your style, improve organization, and boost your business prowess.

‣ At the beginning of your writing journey, Bird by Bird from Anne Lamott is a great place to start if you're not sure of your ideal style or niche. Anne believes the best writers are those who are most aware, so don't be afraid to experiment, ask questions, and break all the rules.

‣ If you're looking to improve your writing style, The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White is a well-known resource to have on hand. If you're struggling with sentence structure or aren’t sure how to adjust your technique to fit your topic, this is an excellent rule book to reference.

‣ Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content from Ann Handley makes developing a writing strategy a breeze. If you're creating or publishing online, this book gives expert guidance on attracting and retaining readers using your compelling content.

‣ Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon preaches that you don't need to be a genius to create, you just need to be yourself. If you want to create like your heroes without copying them, this book shows you how to transform existing works into your own unique ideas.

‣ If you want to speed up your writing process, 5,000 Words Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter from Chris Fox teaches you how. Developing effective writing habits helps you finish your drafts faster so you can get to the next thing on your list. The more you write, the more you succeed.

‣ Building a StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller utilizes the seven universal elements of powerful stories to improve how you connect with your readers. Using the right words to market your business is just as important as using the right words when you're writing.

Curator's pick ✍️

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