Writing your first novel? Helpful blogs for new writers

An old friend of mine from high school recently made the huge decision to write his first novel. Awesome! And that made me think back to a few years ago, when I first started writing seriously and genuinely hoping to be published one day. I had just finished my MFA and I was feeling a little lost. The same sort of feeling you get when finals finish after a really tough quarter: like a train that's run out of tracks. That's when I started to venture into the online writing community, checking out Facebook groups (remember those?), websites, and blogs. I learned a lot from agents, editors, and authors—both published and unpublished. I learned about craft (the MFA didn't teach me everything), good writing habits, setbacks, the publishing industry...you name it and I probably read a blog post about it. These days, I feel confident that I've learned the basics of the publishing process. So while I'm still a long way from querying, I feel informed, I feel ready, and I know what I need to do (namely produce a manuscript that's good enough to sit on the shelves of the YA section in my local bookstore, rubbing shoulders with the works of JK Rowling and John Green and Diana Wynne Jones—yeah, totally no big deal).

So the first thing I did when my friend announced that he was writing a book was offer to give him a list of blogs I found helpful when I first started out. And then I figured that that information might be useful to other just-starter-outers.

Thus, without further ado, here's my list of helpful blogs for the first time novelist hoping for publication:

Rachelle Gardner, literary agent: This lady's blog helped me a lot in understanding how the publishing industry works, and what the roles of agent, editor, and author entail. Her posts are concise and informative, and her tone is helpful and friendly. Check out her lists of popular posts on the right hand side.

Nathan Bransford, author and former literary agent: When I first started reading this blog, its author was a literary agent. As such, there's a lot of fantastic information here about the publishing process. But Nathan Bransford is also a published author of middle grade novels, so his posts span a broad area of the writing/publishing spectrum.

Natalie Whipple, YA author: As nice as it is having the "inside scoop" that you get from the blogs of agents and editors, it's so encouraging and informative to read about the author's journey to publication. Natalie Whipple's first novel comes out next year and she's been gracious enough to share every step of the process, both good and bad. I can't tell you how inspiring and helpful this blog has been for me.

Kiersten White, YA author: Author of the bestselling Paranormalcy series, Kiersten White takes an often humorous look at writing and publishing.

Query Shark: When your novel is the best it can possibly be and you feel like you're ready to get it out into the world, the first step is to write a query letter to a literary agent. This site, on which query letters are ruthlessly critiqued, will help you learn how to write one—or how not to write one, as the case may be.

I read a lot of blogs, but these five stand out as particularly helpful for new writers. As you start to explore the online writing world you will find your own favorite sites. Reading the comments sections on blogs you like and participating in discussions there will also help you find and connect with people who are on the same path as you.

Of course, the most important part of your journey isn't reading blogs, it's writing. So give yourself a little time to check out these blogs, then turn off your Internet connection and write!