Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
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Level up: courses and tools for writers, creators and lifelong learners
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items You don't need a degree to get good at something. You need the right teacher and the right tools. Online classes, writing tools, and help for when you'd rather pay a pro than do it yourself.
I've learned a ton from MasterClass. Writing from authors you actually read, plus filmmaking, music, cooking. Big names, great production, and you can binge it like Netflix.
MasterClass Online Classes
Udemy is where I go to pick up a specific skill fast. Photoshop, Python, guitar, whatever. Wait for a sale, they run constantly, and courses drop to the price of lunch.
Udemy
Real university and company courses without the student loans. I audit a lot of it for free and only pay when I want the certificate.
Coursera
My go-to editor for fiction. It flags overused words, pacing, sticky sentences, and dialogue tags. Goes way deeper than Grammarly when you're working on a manuscript.
ProWritingAid
When it's faster to pay a pro, I hit Fiverr. Covers, logos, audio, editing, web fixes. Read the reviews and look at portfolios before you hire.
Fiverr
I used DataCamp to get my hands dirty with Python, SQL, and AI tools. Short hands-on lessons right in the browser, no setup. Good for the curious, not just career changers.
DataCamp
I get my audiobooks here instead of Audible. Same catalog, but the money goes to an indie bookstore you pick. Great for learning while you drive or work out.
Libro.fm Audiobooks
Half memoir, half no-BS advice from the King himself. If you only read one book on the craft, make it this one. I go back to it all the time.
On Writing - A Memoir Of The Craft: Stephen King
This is the book that got me plotting instead of writing myself into corners. A beat-by-beat blueprint for novels. If you're a pantser who keeps getting stuck, read it.
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
A short kick in the ass about beating Resistance, the thing that keeps you from doing the work. Read it in an afternoon. I reread it whenever I'm dodging the page.
The War of Art: Break Through Blocks
Tiny book, big idea: nothing's original, so steal from the best and make it yours. Read this if you're stuck worrying your stuff isn't new enough. I was.
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Untold
I read way more since I got a Kindle. Glare-free, waterproof, battery lasts weeks, and I can highlight stuff and pull my notes for research.
Kindle Paperwhite & Kindle E-Readers
Ideas die in a phone's notes app. I plot in one of these. Numbered pages, an index, and paper that takes a pen without bleeding through.
Leuchtturm1917 A5 Dotted Notebook
Funny, honest, and the origin of ‘shitty first drafts.’ This book gave me permission to write badly so I could eventually write well.
Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing & Life
I edit audio and video in Descript by editing the transcript, like a Word doc. Delete a sentence and it's gone from the recording. Saves me hours on every podcast and video.
Descript
Where my books get written. Chapters and scenes in a binder you can drag around, research right next to the draft, and it compiles straight to ebook or print. One-time price, no subscription.
Scrivener