Resources

Writers have, if anything, too many resources available to them. Thousands of books and Web sites compete for their attention. The following reflects strenuous efforts to winnow. Feedback (see upper left) is welcome.

Books

Yes, this is the Internet age, and yes, some of the following sources are available online (see below). You're still going to want the books.

WRITING TOOLS

• The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition. The bible. Get it.
• The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. More popular among newspaper and magazine editors, but nonetheless handy and informative.
• The Elements of Style. By William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. The 1999 edition is barely changed, and for a good reason: Strunk and White got it all right the first time. There is no excuse to not buy this slim, cheap classic.
• A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Third Edition, by H.W.Fowler. A classic, first published in 1926, and the last word on proper grammar.
• Modern American Usage: A Guide. Erik Wensberg's lucid and droll revision of William Follett's classic.
• Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. The favored dictionary among editors.
• The Oxford English Dictionary. Comes in two weighty, expensive volumes, with a magnifying glass. Easily the best and most thorough dictionary of the English language.
• Merriam Webster's Biographical Dictionary.

• Writer's Market. An annual from Writer's Digest Books, packed with info and listings of editors, publishers, magazines, etc. Every aspiring writer should at least flip through it.
• Kirsch's Handbook of Publishing Law. By Jonathan Kirsch. Clear and comprehensive.
• Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know About What Editors Do, Third Edition. Edited by Gerald Gross. A collection of illuminating essays by distinguished editors.
• The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book, by Dan Poynter. A thorough, invaluable guide for authors who want to go it alone.

Educational

The Associated Writing Programs' official guide is the most comprehensive listing of creative writing programs available, with details on over 300 programs in the U.S., Canada, and U.K., as well as over 200 writers' conferences, colonies, and centers. Purchase it here. Or see its site, below.

Writer's Resource: The Watson-Buptill Guide to Workshops, Conferences, Artists' Colonies, and Academic Programs (by David Emblidge and Barbara Zheutlin) is also a useful guide.

Associated Writing Programs' listing of member programs is extensive, as is its listing of writing conferences.

Writers.com offers online classes.

Sites

Agent Research and Evaluation offers a free service in which they tell anyone interested whether a particular agent has a public record, and whether they have heard any complaints about the agent.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association has a useful if rather alarmist page on choosing a literary agent.

Authorlink! An extensive site featuring news, resources for writers, editors, and agents, a manuscript marketplace, publishing imprints, classifieds and more.

Fictioneer has resources for writers of all genres, including ezines.

Nolo.com Self-Help Law Center. A useful place, featuring a law encyclopedia, dictionary, FAQs, and various books for sale. Good, concise articles in the Patent, Trademark, and Copyright section in the encyclopedia.

Resources for Writers - Owl Handouts. The Purdue Writing Lab provides over 130 handouts organized into major categories, which include general writing concerns, writing research papers, citing sources, professional writing, and spelling. There's also a link to a comprehensive directory of writing-related resources.

Writers Free Reference. Links to all kinds of writers' references, from maps to currency conversion to Jane Austen.

Professional Organizations

There are so many...

Academy of American Poets

American Society of Journalists and Authors

Asian American Writers' Workshop

Associated Writing Programs

Association of Authors' Representatives

The Authors Guild

Canadian Authors Association

The Dramatists Guild

Education Writers Association

Editorial Freelancers Association

Freelance Editorial Association

International Association of Business Communicators

International Online Writers Association (IOWA)

International Women's Writing Guild

Mystery Writers of America, Inc.

National Writers Union

Poetry Society of America

Poets & Writers

Romance Writers of America

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc.

Society of American Business Editors & Writers

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

Society of Professional Journalists

Writers Guild of America