Lots of authors write blogs these days; it’s the “in” thing to do, a way for authors to market their books and their brand as well as communicate with their readers. Author blogs come in all types and styles, from blogs exclusively focused on the books to “here’s what I did today” diaries, and everything in between. But what really surprises me is how few author blogs I’ve come across that are actually for writers, about writing. An author may occasionally discuss a problem s/he is having with a particular book or character, mention where a plot idea came from, or post about a recent research trip, but rarely is an author’s entire blog focused primarily on the writing process.*
I recently came across two author blogs which do exactly that, one by Gail Carson Levine and one by Patricia Wrede. Their blogs discuss character creation and development, world building, research, viewpoint, plot, dialog, denouements, hooks… Their posts aren’t limited to fantasy or children’s/YA novels, though both authors are well-known in those fields. You could build your own writer’s workshop or writing class from these two blogs alone. Check them out and browse through their older posts.
If you’re not familiar with either of these authors, Gail Carson Levine wrote the Newbery Honor book Ella Enchanted, as well as Fairest, Ever, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, and a number of other YA and children’s fantasy books. She has also published a book for aspiring writers called Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly, which is terrific. I highly recommend it for aspiring fiction writers, whether or not you’re interested in writing fantasy or children’s/YA books.
Patricia Wrede is the author of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Dealing with Dragons, etc.), the Frontier Magic series (Across the Great Divide), Mairelon the Magician, and (with Caroline Stevermer) the Kate and Cecilia series (Sorcery and Cecilia, or the Enchanted Coffeepot.)
* OK, I will admit I haven’t looked at huge numbers of author blogs, but I have checked out the blogs of many of my favorite authors, and within that sample, I stand by my statement.
