Online References and Resources for Writers

These are links to websites and online resources we have found useful. Suggestions are welcomed, as is feedback on the value (or lack thereof) of these websites.

Writers' & Editors' Organizations

» The Authors Guild, Est. 1912 — a leading advocate for writers' interests in effective copyright protection, fair contracts and free expression
» The Freelance Writing Organization International — searchable databases for markets, articles, contests, jobs and newsletters
» National Writers Union — trade union for freelance and contract writers
» International PEN — worldwide association of writers
» Publishers & Writers of San Diego
» San Diego Writers, Ink nurtures writers and those wishing to explore the craft of writing, fosters a literary community, promotes literature and celebrates artistic diversity. We hang our literary hats at The Ink Spot, a bright and creative space in downtown San Diego’s East Village. Here writers and artists and those who love literature gather for literary events and art exhibitions. But The Ink Spot isn’t the only place we gather. We’re an enthusiastic collaborator with many artistic, cultural, and community organizations and join with others throughout the city and county in promoting literature and creating community.
» San Diego Professional Editors Network (SD/PEN) — an association of trained editors offering a variety of editorial services for writers and publishers
» Sisters in Crime - San Diego — supporting women who write, read, sell or review crime fiction; membership open to women and men.

Reference Materials

Dictionaries & Thesarus
» Bartleby: Great Books Online — a reference site for literature, providing dictionaries, thesaurus, author index and quotations
» Cambridge Dictionary Online — British English
» Merriam-Webster Online — dictionary and thesaurus of American English
» Online Etymology Dictionary

Idioms

» A-Z List of Idioms - UsingEnglish.com — alpha list of idioms
» Answers.com — resources about idiomatic speech
» Google Search — returns sites on cliches

Skills & Technique/Grammar

» Common Errors in English — common errors in English and alphabetical list of misused words; easy grammar checking
» OWL - Purdue University Online Writing Lab — Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

Style Guides

» Associated Press Stylebook — "the journalist's 'Bible'" widely used by newspapers
» Chicago Manual of Style — the most widely used style manual for book and magazine publishing (but not newspapers); see also: One Space or Two? — answers the timeless question of whether to put one or two spaces following a period
» The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World — essential elements of Web style for writers, editors, bloggers, and students. With topics that range from the basics of grammar and punctuation to Web-specific ways to improve your writing

Research Materials

» Bartleby: Great Books Online — a reference site for literature, providing dictionaries, thesauri, author index and quotations
» Google Book Search — search the full text of books to find ones that interest you and learn where to buy or borrow them
» Internet Movie Database — to locate a quote from just about any movie ever made; also good for other movie trivia
» Literary Law Guide - free articles and podcasts by an intellectual property law firm regarding legal issues for writers

Critique Groups, Chat Rooms and Forums

» Betsie's Literary Page - How to Critique
» Chat and Forum Listings — Preditors and Editors guide to publishers and publishing services for serious writers
» Critique Circle — give and receive feedback through online critiques
» Writer Circle — an active site for critiques
» Universal Writer's Group — chatrooms, forums and critiquing for all writers

Classes and Workshops

» Allpoetry Community — focuses on education and sharing your poetry; chat rooms, contests, critiquing, classes and workshops
» Fiction Factor — classes and workshops to help you publish and warnings about publishing schemes; site contains forums, newsletters and markets
» La Jolla Writers Conference
» Spoiled Ink Writing Community — workshop your short stories and poems; contests, critiques and forums

Contests

» George Polk Awards in Journalism — the criteria for awards are discernment of a significant news story, resourcefulness and courage in gathering information, and skill in relating the story
» Glimmer Train Press — categories include Very Short Fiction, Short Fiction and Fiction Open (up to 20,000 words)
» Pulitzer Prize — entries accepted for Journalism (daily newspapers), Letters (books), Drama and Music
» San Diego Book and Writing Awards — entries accepted from published and unpublished authors living in San Diego
» Virginia Kirkus Literary Award — enter your completed yet unpublished, full-length (45,000+ words) novel or short-story collection for a chance to win a publishing contract
» WritersDigest.com — Writing competitions and contests from Writer's Digest magazines

Book Reviews

» Kirkus Reviews Online — Kirkus Book Reviews

Online Literary Journals

» Online Literary Magazines — the NewPages Guide to online literary magazines
» Pindeldyboz — the Web Edition has published more than 850 stories by more than 580 authors over the last five years

Online Radio/TV

» A Way With Words — KPBS Radio, Saturdays at noon or Sundays at 10 a.m.; hosted by authors and language experts Richard Lederer and Martha Barnette; previous episodes archived
» Booknotes.org — permanent online archive for C-SPAN's award-winning author interview program, Booknotes
» Writer's Roundtable — hosted by Antoinette Kuritz, founder of the La Jolla Writers Conference, Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.; previous shows are archived

Resources

» A Newbie's Guide to Publishing — author JA Konrath's blog on writing
» Absolute Write — forums, classes, market listings, editorial services, writers directory, agents, software, newsletter
» A Writer's Edge — Georganna Hancock's editorial services, blog, free articles & more
» Betsie's Literary Page — lots of links to book reviews, author interviews, upcoming events, author-friendly radio sources
» Book Marketing Update — resources for self-publishing and promoting your books
» CaliforniaAuthors.com-CaliforniaWriters.com — book news, author and reader resources
» Dictionaryreference.com — sources for reference books and software
» Folio Literary Management (formerly Creative Media Agency Inc.) — helpful articles for writers, including "How to Get Published"; a must site for anyone hoping to sell a book to a publisher. See also: How To Write A Kick-Ass Query Letter — voice of experience from agent Paige Wheeler, president of Folio Literary Management
» Donald Maass Literary Agency — good writing still gets noticed: an interview with Donald Maass. See also: 10 Secrets for Dazzling Query Letters by Rachel Vater, author of "The Agents Directory: Everything You Need to Know to Sell Your Book or Script," and editor of "Guide to Literary Agents"
» The Market List - A Writers Market Resource for Genre Fiction
» Preditors & Editors — a guide to publishers and writing services for serious writers
» Publishers Marketplace — fee-based site with book-publishing news and free daily newsletter, PubLunch
» Publishers Newswire — bills itself as "The News and Marketing Resource for Book Publishers and Authors"
» Publishers Weekly — monitors the pulse of the book publishing industry
» Quotes About Writing — get inspiration (or not) from the famous and infamous
» Scriptorium — a virtual room for writers; on The Writers Digest 101 best writing websites for 2004 and 2006
» Tips Products International — Booklets and Info Products as Business Propositions
» Writer's Digest Magazine — writing books, competitions and other resources for writers