On this page you will find a variety of useful links for writers to websites and resources which specialise in providing help and advice.
The Definitive Guide to Grammar
This link includes a selection of resources designed to help you improve your English grammar.
8 Best Netflix Series to Learn English in 2020
Follow this link for a collection of Netflix videos which can help with English language learning. These are aimed more at people learning English as a second language but it is worth scrolling through the page to see if there is anything useful.
This link includes a list of over 300 writing courses in a variety of genres and niches. However, you can just do a search for a specific genre (for example, nonfiction) and by price range (from free to $500+).
This link has been recommended to me by the creator because it is both a resource for enthusiastic Scrabble players (it unscrambles random letters into words) and it also includes an English grammar section which includes useful information about the different parts of speech.
This link has been recommended to me by a budding young screen writer called Anna. Although I don’t offer advice on theatre and screen writing I am very happy to include this link because the aim of my website is to encourage people to write in whatever genre suits them. In addition to providing tips on writing scripts and screenplays this website highlights why we need good writers: “Without good writers, TV shows wouldn’t stick around for more than one season, and Oscar-winning actors wouldn’t have the careers or awards they have.”
Guide to Finding and Reading Scripts Online
Here is another resource that has been recommended to me which is aimed at writers who are interested in screenwriting. This guide delves into how professional scripts are typically formatted and what makes a good script. The guide also provides information about the best places that budding writers can find free scripts online to analyse, as well as direct links to free scripts of popular films in variety of genres like: Good Will Hunting, Inside Out, and Bridesmaids.
Website builder designed for writers
This link had been recommended to me by a representative of Copyfolio (a free website/portfolio builder designed specifically for writers). The blog includes examples of seven successful freelance writer websites together with reasons why freelance writers need to have their own website. It also includes a simple guide on how to create your own Copyfolio website and a list of the five most common mistakes you should avoid.
How to Edit and Digitise Old Photos in 5 Steps
If you have some old photos that are faded or damaged and you want to revive and digitise them to add to your book on family history, your life story life or any other type of publication, but without the need for expensive editing tools, then take a look at this article from Family Tree magazine for some very useful tips.
To Cut or Not to Cut: Filler Words in Your Speech & Writing
Further to my post Annoying words and phrases that are best avoided this is a link to a post recommended to me by the person who wrote it for the educational blog IvyPanda. The article is about how crutch words and filler words detract from the quality of your speech and writing. There is some overlap in the examples I included in my post but there are also some very useful tips on how to overcome crutch words when speaking.
The MyHeritage Photo Storyteller app, which is available free on IOS and Android smartphones and tablets, enables you to attach an audio narrative to a photo. The link above includes some detailed instructions on how to use the app together with some examples of the stories other users have recorded. You can either record yourself or take your phone to a family get-together and interview a relative. Once a recording has been saved it is tagged under the name of the person who made the recording. Saved recordings are uploaded to the MyHeritage servers for safekeeping and assigned the same privacy level as the photo to which it is attached.
Money-Saving Guide for Authors and Writers
This article has been recommended to me by Marisa Miller who lives in New Hampshire USA. She found it when researching resources for writers as part of her ‘Introduction to Writing’ course. The article includes links to a variety of resources aimed at writers from writing style and finding an editor to manuscript preparation and self publishing.
Word Processors Through Time: Before MS Word & Google Docs
If you want to find out how people managed before computers were invented, this infographic explores life before MS Word and other modern word processors.
A Writer’s Guide to Historical Fiction
Historical fiction uses historical events as the setting/backdrop for the narrative. This means that as a writer of historical fiction not only do you have to do thorough research you also have to ensure that the details in your story are accurate.