Resources
There are thousands of ways one can write their story. This sentiment is illustrated with the many writers, editors, and literary agents who share what works for them and what doesn't. But there is no right way to write.
Here I wish to provide links to the many different books, podcasts, Youtubers, and TikTokers that I like to turn to whenever I feel stuck or when I am starting a new project. Hopefully they can help you too. Or at the very least, it is nice just to hear what others in this industry have to say.
Reference Books
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
by Jessica Brody
This is the best place to start for new writers. Or even seasoned ones that feel stumped. This book helps to break stories down to a handful of plot beats that is familiar to readers. With plenty of pop culture references to help contextualize, this book can help with pacing or to give you mile-markers to reach while writing, even if you are a pantser.
This series of books are perfect for any writer who feels stumped while writing. For example, the Emotions one can help with figuring out a different word to use to describe when their character is mad or sad, along with suggestions of physical and emotional reactions to use. Or there is one on negative character traits and positive traits. Or even one on emotional wounds. This is great for whenever you are stumped, or to help flesh out your characters to allow the readers to experience your story
Story Genius is the perfect book for anyone who feels as though their characters, and more specifically their main character, is not as strong as they can be. This author helps to break down creating an amazing character and how to push them. This model focuses more on the characters pushing the plot forward and the plot being affected by the characters.
The Emotional Craft of Fiction
by Donal Maas
Romancing the Beat
by Gwen Hayes
Donald Maas is a titan in the industry and you can trust any of his reference books to be full of useful tips and advice. In this specific one, it emphasizes on how to ensure your readers experience your story. This book covers topics such as: emotional modes of writing, beyond showing versus telling, your story's emotional world, moral stakes, connecting the inner and outer journeys, plot as emotional opportunities, invoking higher emotions, symbols, and emotional language, cascading change, story as emotional mirror, positive spirit and magnanimous writing, the hidden current that makes stories move.
This reference book is beloved by many writers. It is a very short read, but packs a punch. It breaks down beats to help create a compelling and realistic romance arc. This can be applied to standalones, but excellent when writing a romance over the course of multiple books. It is helpful for romance books and for any other genre with a romantic subplot.
K.M. Weiland is another powerhouse in the industry and has a host of other reference books to help in all aspects of your writing journey. This one specifically is here to help push your characters to be the strongest they can be and become a powerhouse in their own right. By applying the foundation of the Three-Act story structure and then delving even deeper into the psychology of realistic and dynamic human change, Weiland offers a beat-by-beat checklist of character arc guidelines that flexes to fit any type of story.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a great place to learn about writing. But for me, the best is when I get to listen to authors talk about the craft of writing. By listening to published authors, I’ve learned different styles and tips and tricks that have helped me. And the most important thing I have gained by listening is that the best thing to do is to keep writing until you find what works for you. Sometimes it can change from book to book. But it is best to stay open to trying something new whenever you feel stuck and to keep learning. These have been some of my favorites I have listened to over the years. However, I also always recommend just searching your favorite author’s name and seeing what interviews might pop up.
With over 200 episodes interviewing authors from an array of genres, I guarantee you will find a handful of your favorites. I also recommend checking out the ones outside your genre. You never know if you might pick up something useful. I personally enjoyed listening to Madeline Miller and Stephanie Garber’s episodes
This podcast is dedicated to emerging writers. Hosted by an author/writer instructor and two literary agents, they not only read and critic listener’s query letters (which I found exceptionally helpful), but also answer fan sent questions about writing and agents and everything else within this industry. A lot of their episodes into specific topics like writing for a certain genre or how to make character relationships more vulnerable.
This podcast has a backlog of over 300 episodes where the host, Sarah Enni is interviewing a published author. Similar to 88 Cups of Tea, I promise you will find at least one episode with your favorite author. There are even a handful of episodes where a few authors come back on and you learn something different from them. Like VE Schwab and Veronica Roth.
If you want to broaden your listening experience to listen to all types of writers, this is the podcast for you. Here the host interviews not only authors, but also screenwriters and journalists. You never know what tidbits of tips and tricks they say can help you with your story.
Speaking of VE Schwab, her causal podcast interviews with other authors is one of my favorites. It started during the pandemic as a way for her and others to cope, but she recently returned with season 2 and each episode has been amazing. As the title shows, Schwab emphasizes that there is no right way to write. By talking to her colleagues, we see how every writer approaches and writes their stories differently. The best example of this was her episode with Pierce Brown. Their styles could not be more opposite. I also highly recommend Holly Black’s episode.
This podcast is the most calming and uplifting one I've listened to. The host interviews authors, screenwriters, journalists, and comedians who shares their writing experiences and tips and tricks.
Youtube and TikTok
I have found both Youtube and Tiktok to be the best places to hear advice of all kinds on writing and the industry and everything else under the sun. Here are some of my favorite creators to follow.
I religiously watch Abbie Emmon’s videos. Whenever I start a new project or if I am stumped while helping another author’s, I often go to her videos to uncover what I might be missing. With her videos, she breaks down the psychology of being a reader and how best to hook your readers. If you are outlining your story, I highly recommend her playlist on that. She breaks the beats of a story down and explains them in one of the most helpful ways for me. But she also does videos on how to not make insta-love suck or to fix boring dialogue. This is the account I often recommend to other writers.
Cee is a developmental editor who creates bite size videos to help you with your writing and editing process. She has videos about writing with omniscient narrators or writing a morally gray character or how to write great story openers. I often find myself saving her videos to go back to.
This TikTok creator uses what she learned from her screenwriting class and jobs and own writing experiences to share useful tips on numerous topics like different types of story arcs or how to write unrequited love or character traits that can be good and bad.
This aspiring writer provides a host of useful videos when it comes to writing. For example videos about figuring out your main character’s wants or side character arcs or show vs tell. She often uses examples of other published works in her conversations.
Gina is a developmental editor that unpacks a little bit of everything. From critiquing fan-sent query letters to breaking down characters and plots from shows such as Gilmore Girls to questions of industry, this creator is a wealth of knowledge. She is someone I often stop and listen to whenever I see a new post.
This creator often stitches random TikTok videos but contextualizes them for writers. For example, how to better your worldbuilding or subverting reader’s expectations. They’re short videos, but often spark one’s creativity or help unlock something in your own story.