Writing-Related Sites (All)
101 Best Websites for Writers - Annual roundup of Web sites you'll want to bookmark to improve your writing skills, find new markets and get the word out about your writing. Categories include: articles, tips and discussion boards; creativity; general resources; genres; jobs; just for fun; media resources; niches; online writing and critique groups; online writing groups offering classes; organizations; and publishing resources.
1736 Dictionary of Thieving Slang - For the aficionados of historical thug-speak!
1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue - More historical thug-speak!
All About Romance - Although at its heart a review site, AAR also offers readers and writers a lot to browse through, including opinion pieces, multiple message boards, special title listings, interviews, polls, and contests. I rarely read the reviews, but I do read the ATBF column and check the boards now and again.
AllWords.Com - A link directory related to language, covering a broad variety of subjects. I've linked the dictionary links section, which covers: Architecture Glossaries, Body Art Glossaries, Art Dictionaries, Humorous Dictionaries, Popular Dictionaries, Foreign Language Dictionaries, Rhyming Dictionaries, Translating - Special Topics, Crossword Dictionaries, Glossaries, Medical Dictionaries, Law Dictionaries, Monetary Dictionaries, Agriculture Dictionaries, Health Dictionaries, Acronym Dictionaries, Technology Dictionaries, Biographical Dictionaries, Math Dictionaries, Home Related Dictionaries, Food Dictionaries, Science Dictionaries, Obscure Words Dictionaries.
An Unofficial Dictionary for Marines - Military slang, in all its blunt, bizarre glory.
Ask Oxford - Another excellent site all about words, courtesy of the Oxford Dictionary people.
Authors Guild - One of the oldest organizations for professional authors of all types and genres of published books. They're more focused on the legal side of publishing than the "how-to" of writing. They offer an industry-related bulletin to members and also hold frequent seminars, both live and by teleconference. Free contract advice for members.
Bartleby.Com - Site blurb: "Bartleby.com combines the best of both contemporary and classic reference works into the most comprehensive public reference library ever published on the web." It includes The World Factbook, thesaurus, quotations, the ol' Elements of Style, Bullfinch's Mythology, the King James Bible, Gray's Anatomy, Emily Post's Etiquette, Parlimentary Procedures, a bunch of encyclopeida titles, and a huge collection of verse, fiction, and non-fiction. The entire Divine Comedy is here, all of Shakespeare's works, and lots and lots of classics and nonfic like Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.
Behind the Name - The etymology and history of first names. It also includes lists of popular names -- and such oddities as a random name generator and "name themes."
Books and Writers - For the obsessive among us who need to check their book rankings at Amazon and BN. It costs money, but their is a free trial service. I don't use it -- nor do I shop much at either Amazon or BN -- but included it here for the fun of it.
British Slang - Because I fondly recall the time when I was at a dig at Newcastle upon Tyne and a young British woman asked me if I had a "fag." And my temporary confusion when, back in London, several locals I was hanging out with wanted my help with "the barbie," since they figured all Americans barbeque. I think I've attempted to grill twice in my entire life. So, yes! An interesting little site to keep in mind if you're writing British characters and need to go beyond "boot" and "tube."
Deb's Historical Research Page - Yowza! A bazillion or something links of the historical research persuasion. Visit only when you have lots of time...
Dictionary of Victorian London - Pretty much self-explanatory; a nice site to explore for those who love Victorian London.
Encyclopedia Mythica - Because myth and folktales provide plenty of inspiration for writers. From the website: "Please enter the award-winning internet encyclopedia of mythology, folklore, and religion. Here you will find everything from A-gskw to Zveda Vechanyaya, with plenty in between. The mythology section is divided to six geographical regions: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Oceania. Each region has many clearly defined subdivisions that will ease your search. The Folklore section contains general folklore, Arthurian legends, and fascinating folktales from many lands. In addition, we feature special interest areas to enhance and refine your research. A Bestiary, legendary heroes, an image gallery, and genealogical tables of various pantheons and prominent houses."
Gabrielle Luthy's Links - Just as advertised: "More links than you can shake a stick at." These are primarily romance-related, but lots of other genre links are also included.
Gryphon Books for Writers - Offers writing books -- like Debra Dixon's GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict -- as well as new, used, ex-library, or out-of-print research (mostly UK-related) books.
Hardboiled Slang - From the site: "Why get in a car when you can hop in a boiler? Why tell someone to shut up when you can tell them to close their head? Why threaten to discharge a firearm when you can say, Dust, pal, or I pump lead! This is the language spoken by Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Mike Hammer and the Continental Op. When Cagney, Bogart, Robinson and Raft got in a turf war, this is how they talked. Now, with the help of this glossary, you too can speak it like a native!"
Horror Writers Association - THE HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION (HWA) is a worldwide organization of writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it. HWA was formed in the late 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Joe Lansdale. Today, with over 1,000 members around the globe, it is the oldest and most respected professional organization for the much-loved writers who bring you the most enjoyable sleepless nights of your life.
How Stuff Works - Learn how everything works, from tech to life science!
HTML-Kit - Official blurb: "HTML-Kit is a full-featured, highly customizable and free development environment that can be used to create, edit, validate, preview and publish web pages and scripts [...] has support for several scripting and programming languages [and] 440 free plugins are available for extending and customizing HTML-Kit to fit the way you work."
Internet Movie Database - Comprehensive listing of movies and television shows, with associated information such as the list of characters and the actors, producer, production crew, music, writers, etc.
Library of Congress American Memory - A huge list of the historical collections at the Library of Congress, though it takes a while to get the hang of how to use the resources.
Links for Writers - A link directory -- "More links than you could possibly shake a stick at!" -- maintained by Gabrielle Luthy. Categories include: Agents & editors, Books & magazines for writers, Characters, Conferences, Conflict, Contemporaries, Contests, Creativity & inspiration, Critiquing, Elements, Fantasy, futuristic & paranormals, General romance writing, Historicals, Plotting, Practical information, Promotion, Prose, Publishing business, Query letter and synopsis, Research, Sensuality, Submitting to publishers, and The Writer's Life.
Merriam-Webster Online - Not only a dictionary page, but also offers word games and the ever-popular "word of the day." The place to go if MS Word's dictionary just isn't cutting it.
Mystery Writers of America - Mystery Writers of America is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. MWA is dedicated to promoting higher regard for crime writing and recognition and respect for those who write within the genre.
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) - National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
New York Public Library Digital Archives - From the site: "NYPL Digital Gallery provides access to over 550,000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, and more."
Novelists, Inc. - Serves multi-published authors in popular fiction. It focuses on coordinating information on the publishing industry and keeping its members updated through an online discussion group list, a newsletter, and conferences.
OpenOffice - Free wordprocessing (and other stuff) software: "OpenOffice.org the product is a multi-platform office productivity suite. It includes the key desktop applications, such as a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program, with a user interface and feature set similar to other office suites. Sophisticated and flexible, OpenOffice.org also works transparently with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office, and the vendor-neutral OpenDocument standard from OASIS. Available in over 65 supported languages with more being constantly added by the community, OpenOffice.org runs stably and natively on Solaris, Linux (including PPC Linux), Windows, Mac OS X (X11), and numerous other platforms."
PBW's Virtual Workshop - The wonderful virtual workshops from PBW, including the PDF file "Left Behind and Loving It" collection of virtual workshop posts, which can be downloaded here:
http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2007/07/as-promised.html
Project Gutenburg - Project Gutenberg is the oldest producer of free ebooks on the Internet, compiled from titles that are in the public domain. If you need to check something in Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince -- and can't find your copy or you don't have the time to go to the library -- you can read the book online. Along with a lot of other books, most of them pretty obscure.
Publisher's Lunch - Publishers Lunch is the industry's "daily essential read," now shared with nearly 30,000 publishing people every day. Each report gathers together stories from all over the web and print of interest to the professional trade book community, along with original reporting, plus a little perspective and the occasional wisecrack added in.
Publisher's Marketplace - From the site's registration blurb: "As a paying Marketplace member, you may view new deal information posted live every day; receive an optional deal e-mail and search our database of thousands of previous deals; track your books automatically at Amazon and BN.com and check them against bestseller lists with our "addictive" tracker; follow and search book reviews from over 60 of the nation's leading newspapers and magazines (complete with pre-"blurbed" extracts); and create your own professional Web page through a simple set of online forms. You may also post your proposals and rights offerings to our rights board to elicit interest from agents, publishers, and other licensees; search our extensive database of industry contacts; and much more."
Romance Central - "Dedicated to helping writers follow their dreams." Various articles, tips, links, and resources with a focus on romance genre fiction.
Romance Writers of America - Romance Writers of America is a national non-profit genre writers' association -- the largest of its kind in the world. It provides networking and support to individuals seriously pursuing a career in romance fiction.
Romancing the Blog - A HUGE hub for blogs on the romance genre, including reader, author, and industry blogs. The site also has daily entries on various romance genre subjects. Definitely the first place to check when catching up on your romance genre blog reading or to find favorite blogs.
Romantic Times - "The Magazine for Fiction Lovers." Although geared mostly romance novels, the magazine and website also focus on other genres. The site includes an active message board for readers, archived eviews, and conference information.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America - Damon Knight founded SFWA in 1965. Today, SFWA's 1500 members include most professional writers of science fiction and fantasy in North America.
Sisters in Crime - Their mission is to "To combat discrimination against women in the mystery field, educate publishers and the general public as to inequities in the treatment of female authors, raise the level of awareness of their contributions to the field, and promote the professional advancement of women who write mysteries." Open to published, unpublished, and industry professionals.
Storymind - Offers a selection of writing-related software packages: "Since 1997, Storymind has been a premiere destination for novelists and screenwriters, providing a wealth of free articles, classes, and tips, and the very best prices on the most popular writing tools."
The Costumer's Manifesto - The oldest (since 1996) and biggest and most comprehensive directory of information related to the history of fashion and making costumes. I used this site a lot when I write my first book (a medieval) and to check out costume in the 1830s, especially military uniforms, for the historical subplot in All Night Long. But it's just a fascinating place to visit, whether or not you're writing a book set in non-modern times.
Urban Dictionary - From the front of the site: "Urban Dictionary is a slang dictionary with your definitions. Define your world." For writers who would like to add an urban flair to their slang and try to at least get it right.
US Copyright Office - All the info you'll ever need on copyright policies, procedures, fees, and laws.
Western Writers of America - Western Writers of America, Inc., was founded in 1953 to promote the literature of the American West and bestow Spur Awards for distinguished writing in the western field. The founders were largely authors who wrote traditional western fiction, but the organization swiftly expanded to include historians and other nonfiction authors, young adult and romance writers, and writers interested in regional history. Today it has over 500 members who write everything from mainstream fiction to local history. Its annual convention occurs during the last week of June in a western city.
Wikipedia - Touted as "the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit." It's a useful place to find basic facts on just about every subject under the sun. Since anyone can edit the entries, though, it's important to double-check the information.
Writer Beware - SFWA's site for writer alerts on agent and publishing scams or questionable practices, as well as a lot of useful information on ebook and POD issues.
Writer's Digest - The online equivalent of the long-running, popular monthly magazine. Offers lots of tips, advice, and resouces for all writers.
Writers Guild of America - A labor union targeted toward those who write screenplays and content for other "new-media" technologies.
WritersDigest Bookstore - A wide variety of titles, some basic, some more specific.
Writing.Com - From the site: Writing.Com is the online community for writers and readers of all interests and skill levels. Whether you're an enthusiastic, creative writer looking for the perfect place to store and display your writing online or a casual reader searching for a good story, Writing.Com is the website for you." (Sent in by Sky, thanks!)
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