When I was new to the internet, I was engrossed by the
internet phenomenon called googling
probably, just like everybody else. I plugged words and phrases which fell in
line with creative writing or literature into the popular search engine
and let it go to work. Much of the stuffs I ran into on the result page were...
well, search results. I didn't have
much use for these but there were sites which tipped the scales and reined me
in, readily. I was obliged to browse beyond the landing page. I'd like to list
a few of these Googling bounties in this post. I imagine it would be the
reasonable thing to do considering the great deal of insight I gained trucking
with these online resources.
1.
Writing.Com:
This is the premier online writing community and the site I ever
signed up for. And it is ‘where the
writers go.’ I googled the word writing.
And this site was the first to come up on the result page. I was drilled in
the art of writing on this online community.
This is where I was introduced to one of my favorite writers
Stephen King.
2.
Lifewrite.com:
Before I went deep on writing.com, I was all over this site.
Steven Barnes, the owner of the site and a mentor reawakened my passion for
fiction writing. Over 400 newsletters on the craft have been delivered to my
inbox. There are also lessons on personal development.
I can'remember what exactly I was hunting for on Google when
I stumbled on this site. But I know whatever it was don't matter anymore; I've
been coming back for more since I discovered WritersDigest.com. 93+ years and
still going strong, this website is always pulling new stunts to keep a writers’
creative juice flowing.
I don't know how popular Wikipedia was when I went online
but I got my hands on this loaded web-based encyclopedia by googling. It’s
amazing how much information I have accessed for articles through researching Wikipedia.
Now there's one website that's true to type. I
probably googled the word fiction and
the giant search engine coughed this one up. Did a lot of print outs too. Fiction
writers can access abundance of writing resource right here.
6. About.com:
As the name implies, you'll find information about almost anything on this site. I'm
almost certain my search term included the word about. About.com goes bores deep into the heart of its subjects with
its how-to articles. No dull moments
here only copious party favors.
7. NPR.org:
Here's one that takes me back full circle. I was
curious to know what Stephen King sounds like so I plugged the phrase “Stephen King Audio Interview(s) into the
Google homepage.” I got npr.org (National
Public Radio) for my troubles and my, did it pay? It’s probably, where I heard
Tabby (King’s wife) mention Stephen King married her for her typewriter.
*coughs*
I went hunting for writing prompts and got a
little more than I bargained for. I kept coming back, too. I used some of my
finds for my annual 30 day fiction challenge. You ought to give this site a shakedown
if you’re stuck for inspiration. It’s guaranteed to thrill.
9. NaNoWriMo.org:
I know this one's really popular I could have
found it without Google but I did not. A site like this one was like a dream
come true for a young writer; a community which challenges writers to create a
novel in 30 days was too good to be true only it wasn’t. Last year, I finally,
wrote the first draft of my novel thanks to nano (or should I say thanks to
Google?).
10. Blogger.com:
I discovered a few blogging sites through
Google. My writing instructor had me search for them, signed up with a few
actually. But somewhere down the line, I got stuck with blogger. This blog is
one of the first I created and it’s gradually evolved into my principal platform.
Dare I say, I have been made better (enhanced seems the appropriate word) by
these and a few other sites which I have withheld (or this post would be much
longer and I’m not really up for that). So, what are your googling keepsakes?
Keep your pen bleeding!
Akpan
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