When I say young, I don’t mean by age, I’m simply referring to others like me who hope to someday be a big name author, but are still working on getting there.

These days there are a seemingly endless supply of resources for aspiring authors, especially with explosion of modern social media. In this post, I’m not trying to give some kind of comprehensive list of quality sources (which would be impossible anyway). Instead, I’d like to share my personal favorites – those that I’ve found most helpful to me over the last few years as I’ve honed my craft.

If you’re looking for a somewhat more extensive list, here’s one good reference by author Dan Koboldt.

Now for my list, in pseudo-alphabetic order. You’ll notice it’s heavy on sci-fi & fantasy:

Brandon Sanderson YouTube lectures – One of the most popular fantasy authors (and my favorite) teaches a class on creative writing in SF/F at BYU. He has a series of recorded lectures posted on YouTube.

Brent Weeks personal blog (writing advice) – Another one of my favorite fantasy authors, with a nice section on writing advice on his website.

Elements of Style by Strunk and White – Classic text on grammar and writing fundamentals.

Jim Butcher’s LiveJournal – Author of the uber-popular Dresden Files, with a series of LiveJournal entries over the years covering serious fundamentals.

On Writing by Stephen King – Part memoir, part instructional guide on writing, this is the first book about writing I ever read. Excellent for beginners.

The Story Grid – A website and accompanying book regarding story structure, written by an editor with decades of experience.

Techniques of the Selling Writer – In my opinion, the single best book available for authors. Great for all levels of expertise.

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass – Comprehensive book from a big time agent.

Writing Excuses podcast – Hugo award winning podcast by Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells. Loads of great info here.