This last week I’ve been hammering out how I can bring my literary offerings to the forefront of my website. So I’ve been studying other author sites. Some I like, some I don’t. I won’t mention which ones are barely useful or clunky but they are sadly by some writers I love. A few strong highlights are Neil Gaiman’s whose site is as alluring, mysterious and witty as he is; Gary Shteyngart’s, which is wacky and ironic; Paula McClain’s is full of dreamy Parisian history. The website I recommend checking out the most, whether you’re a writer or reader, is Chuck Wendig’s. It’s entertaining, snarky, and engaging, just like him.

Chuck Wendig Stuff For Readers

Chuck Wendig, for those who don’t know, wrote the Miriam Black series. It’s a trilogy of books about a woman who can foresee people’s deaths. They are hip, dark stories that are utterly magnetic. You want to follow this woman around, a lot. He also wrote the latest Star Wars movie tie-in books and the post-apocalyptic Heartland series. Plus, a whole bunch of other stuff. He even offers free short stories. The man is a novel-writing robot.

Chuck Wendig Stuff for Writers

Anyway, in addition to having a suite of products for readers, Chuck also writes a blog. This is sometimes aimed at aspiring writers. It’s incredibly useful. In fact, my Might and Main Monday post was distantly inspired by his Macro Monday posts: a piece about what’s on his mind while inspiring people for the week. One of my all-time favorite posts of his is called “25 Reasons Why I Stopped Reading Your Book,” a how-to write piece masked by a critic’s viewpoint.

So, as I lurk on author sites and take notes, I prepare to streamline my own site. Keep an eye out for changes. I’ll be making clearer what I offer readers and even releasing a book. Hopefully, I can inspire a few writers too.

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