Welcome to the third year of the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, which is a monthly event on the topic of resources and learning for authors. Feel free to hop around to the various blogs and see what you learn! The rules and sign-up form are below the list of hop participants. All authors at all stages of their careers are welcome to join. Non-writing publishing peeps (editors, book-marketing specialists, book-cover designers, picture-book illustrators, etc.) are welcome, too.

The Rules:
1. Theme: this is a monthly blog hop on the theme of resources/learning for authors: posts related to the craft of writing, editing, querying, marketing, publishing, blogging and social media tips for authors, reviews of author-related products, anything that an author would find helpful. Sharing of your experiences as it relates to these topics is encouraged but straight journaling with no takeaway for authors is not what this hop is about. Can you…

Readers (and friends and acquaintances and strangers you meet during tennis matches) often have ‘funny’ ideas about what it’s like to be a fiction writer. These ideas are mostly so far off base it isn’t even funny (No, actually, I don’t spend the entire day staring at my screen trying to think up things to do!). Take researching a novel as an example. Most readers understand that writing historical fiction involves hours and hours of researching. But what about chick lit or other guilty pleasure type novels? Surely, no research or perhaps only a bit of research is required to write one of those? Um, no. I think most readers would be shocked by the amount of research writers put into their writing. (Of course, there are always exceptions. I, for one, almost never read a novel with a hero or heroine who is a lawyer as most writers have…

Welcome to the last Author Toolbox post of 2019!

Previously I’ve written about writer’s block, and how free-writing to random prompts can help break it. But where do you find these mysterious prompts? This month I’ll share my favourite writing prompt resources. For anyone doing Nanowrimo, they may help if you get stuck!

1) Random Word Generators:

Does what it says on the tin. There are websites, like Random Word.com, which provide a random new word with each refresh.

Like ‘illuminism’: belief in an inward spiritual light!

There’s a definition below the word too: Not only is it a great way to get writing prompts, it also helps you learn new words!

2) Story Cubes:

Story cubes are great fun. Each dice has 6 pictures on it, and there are 9 dice in a set. Roll all 9, and pick 3 dice for the beginning of your story, 3…