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I thought I would compile a list of some of the great websites I use when writing my novels:
1) maps.google.com - I use this a lot. Why? Because of a new thing called 'street view' I can walk the streets of various cities. I can look around, look at the buildings, the trees, the architecture. It's a wonderful way to know what your characters are seeing. I choose a street and zoom down and describe it. I don't have to put on my jacket and actually go there anymore. I can finally be the recluse I've always wanted to be. (You can visit my London blog to see examples of streetview photos. They're amazing!)
2) Google - This is, of course, an obvious one. But I also do a lot of picture searching. For instance, sometimes I have a minor character come up and I want to give him/her a face. So I will type something like 'Carl' or 'Carol' into the search bar and search the picture results for someone I can use as a character. That way, when I describe a character, I have something concrete in my mind.
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| Foxton's Floorplan |
4) dictionary.com or thesaurus.com - If you don't know what these are or don't use them, you should.
5) The Next Big Writer - a writing community is very important. You should get feedback on your chapters or stories. Sometimes writers get in the habit of loving their work too much, we all need to be brought down to earth on occasion. This site is great. I have been with them for over two years and my writing has improved ten fold. The key is reviewing... NOT GETTING REVIEWED. I mean it. Reviewing others work is so important. No better way to see what is wrong with your work than noticing what is wrong in what you read of others. Plus, the more you review, the more reviews you receive.
6) Amazon - READ, READ, READ!
7) Wikipedia - If you can't find it here, it probably doesn't exist.
8) The Quote Garden - Some people like quotes. Some people put them above every chapter.
That's a useful list Clarissa. "The Next Big Writer" is one I certainly wasn't aware of ..... will now check it out. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteClarissa - Wow! Thanks for these terrific resources! I hadn't heard of Foxton, but I'm going to bookmark it. This is very helpful.
ReplyDeleteCambridge lady, yeah, I love TNBW. It does cost money to join but I think it's worth it. Cheaper than paying an editor to look at first or second drafts.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I use Foxton's a lot.
CD
Foxton's is evil! Pure evil! Look away, look away fast, before the evil estate agents get you...!
ReplyDeleteGreat list. Somethings are so obvious I wonder how they are not thought of.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Maribeth
Giggles and Guns
Talli, I don't actually use them as estate agents!
ReplyDeleteMary, thanks. Glad you like them.
CD
Definitely some good reference links for all type of writers.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
Thank you, Mason, enjoyed your blog post today by the way.
ReplyDeleteCD
Didn't know about a couple of those.
ReplyDeleteAlex, you may like them and you may not. I find them helpful for my genre but some may not need it.
ReplyDeleteCD
I have the opposite problem- my memory (and imagination) is visual, so I can close my eyes and 'see' what I want to describe. I suck at descriptions, though!
ReplyDeleteBut those are useful links to check out, and think I agree with your statement of how reviewing helps more than being reviewed.
Love your London blog, BTW
Great tips, Clarissa! I'm going to tweet this. :)
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Wonderful resource list. I have a go-to site for floorplans, interiors, and exteriors, too. Whatever would we do without Google?
ReplyDeleteWhether you intend to use them as estate agents or not, they will find you. Hunt you down. And put your flat up for sale.
ReplyDeleteI tell you, they're zombies in disguise.
This was a great post thank you
ReplyDeleteAs a blood courier, I find maps.google.com is invaluable -- also invaluable as a writer, too. Thanks for the list, Clarissa. Foxton and The Next Big Writer were new to me. Thanks for the list, Roland
ReplyDeleteGoogle Viewer! Terrific idea, Clarissa! No better way to find out what a place looks like and how to describe it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, your line about dictionary.com and thesaurus.com made me laugh.
Methinks YOU would make a good resource!
TNBW was a biggie in my writing life. That's where I honed my writing. :) Google and dictionary.com are staples for me. Now I'm wondering if google map can find places in Jamaica. Gotta try that.
ReplyDeleteRayna, thanks, yeah, I really feel that explaining to others what the problem is in their work helps me understand it in mine.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, thanks for tweeting.
Carol Kilgore, exactly, I don't know what I'd do without my trusty companion.
Talli, oh crap, I shouldn't have used your address then when they called? If they put a sign up in your window, you know who to blame. :) Now, I just have to figure out how to kill zombies...
melissa, glad you liked it. Thanks.
Roland, I'm glad you found some new links.
loveable_homebody, thanks, haven't found a writer that doesn't know what a dictionary or a thesaurus are but, you never know.
Joy - yeah, the only thing is that some smaller countries haven't been mapped yet. But maybe Jamaica has.
CD