My favs: blogs about writing

I've followed lots of writing blogs over the years, and these are the ones with staying power, for me:

Craft blogs:

• Thinking through Our Fingers

I like Thinking through Our Fingers for two reasons. One is that the posts are interesting and shine a light on smaller aspects of craft (I especially enjoyed today's post about research in historical fantasy). The other is that they have a rotating cast of authors. They write often enough that I get acquainted with their voices and stories, but there's enough variety to appeal to lots of different writers.

• Mary Kole's Kidlit

I started reading Mary Kole's blog back when she was a literary agent (she freelance edits now). I like her no-nonsense style and the examples she includes of good and better techniques.

• Writing Excuses 

This one's kind of a cheat, because it's a writing podcast I enjoy hosted by Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor, Dan Wells, and Mary Robinette Kowal. I usually listen to new episodes while lifting weights at the gym, but I also visit the website every now and then to track down an older episode. I just searched their website yesterday for podcasts on "Endings" because I've written seven different endings for my current WIP. It needs an eighth. At least.

Business blogs:

•  Janet Reid's blog  

Janet Reid is a hilarious literary agent who maintains a shark-like image online. I like her cut-the-crap style, the way she defends aspiring writers instead of treating them like nuisances, and how she shares insight into the business of agenting and publishing. I've learned tons from her.

• Nathan Bransford's blog

I don't usually click through to read comments (or comment myself), so a lot of former agent Nathan Bransford's posts that are simply questions don't entice me. But he does a great feature called "This Week in Books" that rounds up news in publishing. It's a great overview of hot topics in the biz.

For querying:

• Query Tracker

I found my agent using the free database available at Query Tracker, so I'm biased--but it's wonderful. WONDERFUL.

• Literary Rambles  

Hands down, the best resource for stalking--ahem, researching--agents. It rounds up online resources and gives an overview of what agents are looking for. They also spotlight new releases, and I've found many great books thanks to that feature.