Looking into a new hobby this summer? Something you can do both outside in the sun with a pencil and paper and inside with an iPad or laptop? Something that can be both stationary and on the go? My favorite hobby that falls into all of these categories is fiction writing, or the creation of texts that aren’t factual. As someone who has been writing fiction for years, it’s one of my favorite outlets for emotions and creativity.
The best thing about fiction writing is that anyone can try it, and you have complete control over everything. Want to write an audacious novel about dragons playing in a fantasy lacrosse league? You can. Want to write a short story about a girl taking a crazy road trip with unruly and nettling family members? You can. You also have complete control over who sees what you write, whether you decide to post it to a public blog, or keep it to yourself.
It’s easy to tell you that writing fiction is great, but where should you start? Throughout my years of writing fiction, I’ve developed a wealth of easily-accessible digital fiction writing resources to help myself (and now, you) get started with a new story. Whether you’re a seasoned fiction writer or just starting your first piece, these resources will come in handy when developing any piece of fiction.
Wikibooks: What’s Their Name?
Need help naming your characters? Writing Adolescent Fiction/Character Names with Wikibooks has you covered. You can choose first names and surnames from a variety of countries and cultures, and they’re listed in alphabetical order. A lot of the name pages are accompanied by a usage note, explaining naming conventions from that specific culture and how to use the names properly, which is a big help when aiming for accuracy, and great for learning about the world. Wikibooks is also helpful when strengthening your characters and stories with individual pages for general advice while writing books. These pages include information about setting, describing physical characteristics, and revealing personality traits.
Hiveword: Where Are We?
Not sure where you want your story to take place? Hiveword Random Place Generator has an unlimited supply of random town names from any country you choose. If you want your story to take place in Greece, but aren’t sure of a specific town or location, you can select the ‘Greece’ option under ‘Country’ in Hiveword, and get a good-length list of random Greek towns. Along with the town names, you also get quick links to the town’s location on Google Maps and its Wikipedia page if you want to learn more about the place.
Campfire Writing: Fantasy and Worldbuilding
If you love writing fantasy and worldbuilding, I recommend going to Campfire Writing to keep track of your world elements and information. This website includes features such as an organized character creation system, story planner, interactive map maker, and other interactive tools that help you visualize the world you wish to put on paper. While using Campfire to its fullest extent (unlimited elements within each feature) requires a subscription that ranges from $2/month to $12/month, I have gotten by pretty well with the free version.
Writing Exercises: What to Write About?
The most difficult part is deciding what to write about, which is where random prompts can come in surprisingly handy. There are many prompt generators on the internet, including any AI services, but my favorite has been WritingExercises’s Plot generator. They will randomize main character traits, setting, situation, and theme, and you can put them together to get you started. Here’s one that I got:
Along with writing prompts, they also have a variety of other generator prompts and lists including Dialogue Prompts (which will give you a random quote) and List of Jobs and Occupations. Using these awesome prompt generators, you’re sure to find a spark of inspiration.
So, if you want to stay inside, use these digital resources, and write something cool on your laptop, or copy ideas from these sites into a notebook and take it outside to execute your fruitful writing journey, you sure can. The options are endless when it comes to writing fiction, and now, you have a fiction-writer’s approved methods of getting that inspirational push you may need to get started. Happy writing.
Image Source: Reddit