I have just returned from an inspiring and informational weekend away at the New Jersey Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (NJSCBWI) Annual Conference. As always, the educational workshops and networking opportunities were fabulous!
In case you were unable to attend, I’d like to share a few of the recommended web-based resources for writers I learned about at the conference. The first three were shared by the talented picture book author Beth Ferry and the fourth was shared by literary agent Leon Husock of the L. Perkins Agency. All are amazing!
- hemingwayapp.com – This desktop app for writers highlights bits of uploaded text to help clarify and improve writing. For example, passive voice is marked in green, while adverbs are blue.
- prowritingaid.com – Paste your text into this software to improve readability and eliminate errors.
- wordle.net – Generates word clouds from your text to highlight words that appear more frequently.
- tvtropes.org – Although the web address says TV tropes, you’ll find common and unusual tropes broken down by numerous categories, including films, literature, comic books, and more. The site is entertaining and at times comical, but definitely full of inspiration.
Other writing websites worth mentioning:
Query Shark (queryshark.blogspot.com) – How to write and revise query letters with tons of examples.
Absolute Write (absolutewrite.com) – A comprehensive, informational website for writers of all levels.
Jennifer Mary G 