I'm in need of tips for the upcoming weeks, so if you have one to share, please send it in!
Today I'm going to list out some free online communities for writers looking to connect and find support. I find myself recommending forums all the time via e-mail, so I thought it would be good to list some out here and then have you add to the list in the comments.
Larger, active forums:
Verla Kay's Message Board for Children's Writers and Illustrators.
AbsoluteWrite Water Cooler.
Teenlitauthors (yahoo group).
Inkwell (ning).
Smaller forums looking to grow:
Chalk Talk
Unleashed Reviews
The Writers Chronicle (I used to post here, but it's looking dead!)
Your turn! What other free online communities can you suggest?
love these links!!
ReplyDeletei will try to think of some useful tips.. hrmmmm..
in the meantime, HEARTS FOR YOU!!
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I'm a member of www.litopia.com. It's based in the UK, but has lots of US writers. It's not specifically for children's writers but there are many there. Also, it's free!
ReplyDeleteScribophile.com. I love the site and have had the pleasure of interviewing the owner on my podcast. You can hear the podcast at http://www.thewritepodcast.com and check out the site at http://www.scribophile.com
ReplyDeleteGreat links, will check them out. :)
ReplyDeleteI use Querytracker a lot.
Hey Casey,
ReplyDeleteHow 'bout YALITCHAT? They are pretty active! :)
http://yalitchat.ning.com/
xoxo -- Hilary
Great suggestions!!
ReplyDeleteThose are all great links. :D
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to list these groups. I like Inkwell. Also, if you have a statewide SCBWI group e-mail list, that's a good resource. We have one in Michigan I subscribe to.
ReplyDeleteI use QueryTracker at www.querytracker.net and Forward Motion at www.fmwriters.com. Both are active, friendly sites. (Waves at Lindsay.)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Those are very helpful links.
ReplyDeleteHatrack River (URL below) is a lot like Unleashed Reviews, where you comment on other people's writing, but it's primarily for fantasy and sci-fi. Authonomy.com is pretty good too, but you have to have the first 10,000 words of your novel published to post.
http://www.hatrack.com/writers/index.shtml
For science fiction, fantasy and horror, Critters is a large, active group:
ReplyDeletehttp://critters.org/
Thanks to you, Casey, and the others, for all the links. I've seen you recommend Verla Kay before. Now I have no excuse not to check her out!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the mention of Inkwell.ning.com, Casey. Lots of new information is posted daily and I love how everyone supports and helps one another. You can also follow Inkwell on Twitter (@Inkwellning) and become of fan of the Inkwell Facebook page (search for Inkwell in search bar at top of your Facebook page).
ReplyDeleteCasey--I don't know if this is a tip--but there is a lot of great posts wrapping up the NESCBWI conference, and talking about the workshops and what people got out of it. If you want to I could compile a list. I'll email you.
ReplyDeleteI understand that Nathan Bransford's message boards are quite popular. http://forums.nathanbransford.com/
ReplyDeletethis list is great! So many new writers ask just what they can do and where they can look.
ReplyDeleteauthonomy.com and inkpop.com are both sites by Harper Collins, but it takes a lot of work for people to actually see your writing, and when they do, the comments are not always genuine. It's mostly about votes, I think. If you're in the mood for a game, those sites are really fun, but if you're in it to improve your craft... may as well just find a writing group at your local library.
ReplyDelete