This topic will contain helpful links (and books!) for writing. Whether it's specified or general doesn't matter. Everyone is welcome to post links and titles of books you deem helpful.

Discussions are not meant for this topic. I ask you to take it to the Elements of Writing instead. This serves as a gathering of resources.

All links will be in the second post. All books will be presented in the third post of this topic. The fourth post will be reserved for "Other", such as documentaries or such things that don't belong with the two previously stated categories.

Layout goes like this: We have the title of the website and next to it, the link. With books, we have the title, next to it, the author's name. Under is a description.

Should you give us links, please state under which category it would belong (ie Characters, or invent a new one), and give a brief but helpful summary of what the site/book is about, along with the link/title.

Resources for both stories and poems are welcome!

You bring in the links and books. We edit them into the posts. And so everyone profits!

LINKS

BOOKS

OTHER

What we don't want:

Links to self publishing sites. In other words, links to sites that is like FictionPress. We can all find those on our own. If you have links to accredited publicists we gladly accept, though!

LINKS

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STORIES:

Advice:

Editor's Pet Peeves - http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=1218&chapter=0

An articles that touches upon things that will get your story rejected. Learn to avoid these.

Tip of the Day - http://www.writersdigest.com/TipOfTheDay

Many collected tips over time. You may just get an eye opener from one of them.

Writing advice from Caro Clarke - http://www.caroclarke.com

This site has lots of articles on writing fiction that are easy to read and to understand. Some topics covered are pacing, the naming of characters, and character motivations.

Writing Fiction - http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/fiction/

An author that gives out helpful information about writing fiction in his blog.

Writing Pulp Fiction - http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/dent.html

An outline about how to write a good pulp fiction story.

Characters:

Archetype writing - http://www.archetypewriting.com/

This site deals a lot with psychology and forces you to look deep within your character's mind. A place with many helpful goodies. Do check it out.

Body Language Expert - http://www.bodylanguageexpert.co.uk/

Get some ideas on how your character would communicate with others through body language.

Character Trait Chart and Personality Components - http://users.wirefire.com/tritt/tip8.html

Has the usual character worksheet, along with interesting additions. Also offers many character traits you can look at, should you ever feel in doubt what else to add.

How to Create Life - http://www.chimerapulsestudio.com/ChimeraPulseTutorial2.html

A guide that takes you through the process of creating a character. Very well made.

Character Names:

A Naming Language - http://www.langmaker.com/ml0102.htm

This site goes very in-depth in creating words in a language you can use to create names with meanings for your characters. You don't really have to read the entire article. Instead, you can just skip down to the tables near the bottom of the webpage.

Baby Names - http://www.babynames.com/

A site with plentiful of names. You can search for the most popular names, and also names for different countries.

Baby Names World - http://www.babynamesworld.com/

Offers basic info, and is easy to browse through.

Behind the Name - http://www.behindthename.com/

"The etymology and history of names". Also contains meanings behind names. Country-name search available.

Fantasy Name Generator - http://rinkworks.com/namegen/

A versatile random name generator geared towards Fantasy, though it can be used for other genres. There is a simple interface for general use/entertainment and an advanced interface. The advanced interface takes a bit of learning to use, but once you know how to use it, you can specify how many syllables in the name, what letter/consonant pair the name starts/ends with, how many vowels you would like, etc.

First Names and What They Mean - http://www.zelo.com/firstnames/index.asp

Allows you to search any name, and it'll bring up the meaning and more.

Popular baby names - http://ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

More than it sounds: This page tells what name were popular at what years from 1880 and forward. You can also see, if you already have a name, how it ranks on the popularity charts through the years.

Name Generator - http://www.thenamegenerator.com/

A list of first and last names from the Census Bureau. 463 billion name combinations searchable by letter and by parts of names.

Character Name Database - http://www.languageisavirus.com/namedatabase/db.cgi?db=default&uid=&view_search=1

Character names that can be searched based on meaning or origin in addition to an alphabetical list.

Meaning of Names - http://www.meaning-of-names.com/

An alphabetical listing of names, their meaning and origin.

Description:

Descriptive Words -- http://www.msgarrettonline.com/descripwords.html

Can be used by anyone who wants to make an imagery and couldn't find the words.

Dialog:

How to Spice up your Writing with Dialog - http://www.archetypewriting.com/articles/writing/spiceUpWdialogue.htm

Short but to the point on what not to do when writing dialog.

Flaws:

Limyaael's Fantasy Rants - http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=limyaael&keyword=Limyaael's+Fantasy+Rants&filter=all

Top notch rants about the flaws of fantasy. Read this not only to learn what not to do, but also for entertainment. Limyaael's rants are far from boring.

Stupid Plot Tricks - http://sff.net/paradise/plottricks.htm

Is all about listing the "stupid plot tricks" regarding certain types of characters (ie, hero, villain, etc). Humorous and true.

Turkey City Lexicon - http://www.sfwa.org/writing/turkeycity.html

It brings up many common flaws, and they are concise and brief while actually delivering a point. Mostly focused at sci-fi, but writing is in all genres so that shouldn't matter much. Read through to find out what your flaws are.

TVTropes - http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage

A pretty good Wiki on cliches, including for the actual books themselves. You can search for books/tv/movies for their 'tropes.' Also, it lists why, and also how/if they have been 'subverted' or 'averted' from the cliché. It encompasses most everything on cliches, if you have any problems with that. It also provides a good laugh.

Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test - http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm

Very good test...at least I (Dexterity) think so.

General:

Absolute Write - http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/articles1.htm

Has plentiful of articles on subjects such as general writing tips, tips for editing, creativity, etc.

Cliché Finder - http://westegg.com/cliche/

The place to go if you want to use some cliché expressions but feel you have run out of them.

Daily Writing Tips - http://www.dailywritingtips.com/

The title does sound limiting, but this site is so much more than daily writing tips. It also has a list (and explanations) of misused words, features a word of the day, and goes into the areas of spelling and grammar. And much more!

Fiction Factor - http://fictionfactor.com/

This site has a variety of helpful articles on many different subjects in multiple genres of writing. Mainly geared towards getting writers published. Also provides a variety of services.

For Authors - http://www.forauthors.com/

Has nearly 300 articles regarding writing. Statistically speaking, at least one of them is bound to help you! There are also writing contests wherein you can win money and tips on how to get published.

Holly Lisle - http://hollylisle.com/fm/

Articles, how-to's, workshops. Plentiful of helpful links, basically.

Language is a virus - http://languageisavirus.com/

This site has lots of generators (some silly one and even one for haiku) which might help you on getting rid of that writer's block. It also has articles on brainstorming techniques, visual inspirations, etc.

Seventh Sanctum - http://seventhsanctum.com/

A site full of generators. It has both serious and silly ones, regarding subjects such as combat and "Questionable Anime Attack Generator"

Showing and Telling -http://www.anti-shurtugal.com/wordpress/?p=57

Helpful article on understanding the pros and cons of showing and telling.

The Writing Gym - http://www.will-ludwigsen.com/gym/index.htm

The Writing Gym is a great website with articles on writing, such as improving prose, grammar technicalities, style, a section on 'business', and 'workouts' to refine any writer's craft.

Workshops -- http://hollylisle.com/fm/Workshops/

Takes up most aspects of writing a story, I think.

Free Resources -- http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/28/50-free-resources-that-will-improve-your-writing-skills/

A directory of 50 free resources to help you with your writing, organized by category.

Writing Steps and Organization Guide - http://mae-jay.deviantart.com/art/Writing-Tips-Organisation-133152185

A short guide regarding writing steps and organization.

Horror Story Help - http://horror.fictionfactor.com/articles.html

A collection of articles about writing a horror stories, including ones about plot, character development and cliches.

Inspiration:

Creative Writing Prompts - http://creativewritingprompts.com/#

Helps you get your creative juices flowing.

Musicovery - http://musicovery.com/index.php?ct=us

A mood music generator. Want to write something in a dark mood? Then go for it. Musical genres are also available to choose from, to further narrow the results.

PlotBoiler -- http://thebradness.com/plotboiler/

Can't think of anything? Need a bit of inspiration? Try using this generator. At least you'll be amused.

Storybase - http://www.storybase.net/index~nav~home~gro~3~n1~1~n2~3~n3~0~w~none.php

This site is to discover new possibilities, points-of-view and points-of-departure from which your story can unfold. Be sure to read the How To Use before even trying. It will take a few minutes getting the hang of it.

Story Starters - http://thestorystarter.com/

The Story Starter provides 373,067,200 creative ideas and writer prompts for writers of all ages. Use it or abuse it, there is not much difference.

Write or Die! - http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

For those that suffer from a writer's block, this might help you get some writing discipline!

WritingFix - http://writingfix.com/index.htm

They don't just have prompts to get your ideas started, they have prompts specialized for right-brained people, and for left-brained people.

Yuni Words of Wisdom - http://www.yuni.com/

Hosts a wide selection of quotes, whether latin, famous. Also has other interesting areas.

One Word - http://www.oneword.com/

One word, 60 seconds to write about it. A small exercise to get some ideas flowing.

Language

Common Errors in English - http://www.wsu.edu/%7Ebrians/errors/index.html

A comprehensive exposé over the words or phrases that are common errors, such as the title says. Don't be discouraged by the simple layout. It holds many gems.

OneLook Reverse Dictionary - http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml

OneLook's reverse dictionary lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. If this sounds confusing to you, don't worry, they've got lots of examples of exactly what they mean on the first page.

Planning:

A Novel Writing Handout -- http://silveragebooks.myby.co.uk/mag/ns/issues/NS2007.pdf

It's a really extensive worksheet that you could pick out certain parts you want to use or print out the whole thing. It's useful either way. Makes you think about some issues.

How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method - http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

A useful step-by-step of one method of planning a story, good if you have writers block or have written yourself into a hole.

Research:

Crime and Clues - http://www.crimeandclues.com/

Covers the stages of crime investigation, from fingerprints to behavioral evidence.

Crime Spider - http://www.crimespider.com/

Centralized source for crime, police, fire and prosecution information.

Detail Oriented - http://community.livejournal.com/little_details/

LiveJournal site wherein people ask for a specific thing to be cleared up that their own research haven't managed to (ie; what are the best guns for sharpshooting and sniping?) and then the community that knows the answers (or knows where to look) answers.

Encyclopedia Mythica - http://www.pantheon.org/

A site about various info on mythologies all over the world.

How Stuff Works - http://www.howstuffworks.com/

Offers (scientific) explanations from everything between animals to travel, science to history, etc.

Military Jargon - http://www.amyjfetzer.com/jargon.html

Tells you what means what in the military.

Research Links for Writers - http://www.charlottedillon.com/ResearchLinks.html

Is only a small part of a larger site, but this is the most helpful page. It contains many links regarding a variety of subjects such as: old and new west, the middle ages, medicine and drugs (now and then), supernatural creatures, civil war, jets, police, law, military, Irish, food and many more.

Timeless Myths - http://www.timelessmyths.com/

This site contains extensive information on mythologies as well as Arthurian Legend. Also has a Bibliography so you can track down the sources yourself. The information presented is extremely reliable, though site navigation can be a bit of a challenge at times and the occasional typo has been known to rear its ugly head. Still actively maintained.

Writing Realistic Injuries by Leia Fee -- http://www.users.totalise.co.uk/%7Eleiafee/ramblings/realistic_injuries.htm

As an author it is your DUTY to make your characters suffer. Some authors make them suffer physically. Here's some tips on how to keep it real. From fainting to burns.

Titles:

The Theory and Practice of Titles - http://www.sfwa.org/bulletin/articles/clough.htm

An essay about titles.

Worldbuilding:

Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions - http://www.sfwa.org/writing/worldbuilding1.htm

If you are ever writing a fantasy and want to make a new kind of world, this is the guide for you. It's extensive and touches many useful topics you need to think of.

The Mythopoet's Manual - http://www.rpgmud.com/WorldBuilding/Mythopoets/tmm.html

About writing multi-cultural fictional settings. Another extensive manual. It is best to read about the topics that concern your story, rather than all of it, for it's a lot. But easy to read.

Other:

Temptation Blocker - http://sourceforge.net/projects/temptblocker/

Allows people with windows to block certain applications, allowing them to avoid temptation. A 32 character string must be entered to unlock the applications.

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POETRY:

Rhyming:

Online Rhyming Dictionary - http://www.rhymer.com/

It's a rhyming dictionary where you type in the word you want to rhyme with and it spits out a list of words you could use.

Rhyme Zone - http://www.rhymezone.com/

Your one stop for all your rhyming needs. Separates results alphabetically and by syllable. Shows only exact rhymes, and has a whole host of archaic words.

Word Choice:

Descriptive Words -- http://www.msgarrettonline.com/descripwords.html

Can be used by anyone who wants to make an imagery and couldn't find the words.

Inspiration:

One Word - http://www.oneword.com/

One word, 60 seconds to write about it. A small exercise to get some ideas flowing.

Other:

Temptation Blocker - http://sourceforge.net/projects/temptblocker/

Allows people with windows to block certain applications, allowing them to avoid temptation. A 32 character string must be entered to unlock the applications.

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BACK TO THE FIRST POST

BOOKS

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STORIES:

General

The Curious Writer by Bruce Ballenger

A very laid back and goes through exercises to get someone motivated to write.

The Elements of Style by E.B. White and William Strunk Jr. (available online: http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk/dp/020530902X)

This book helps explain the rules of English writing, specifically grammar, and how they are often violated. It's short, to the point and helpful with writing style.

How to write Damn Good Fiction: Advanced Techniques in Dramatic Storytelling by James N. Frey

Advanced techniques in fiction writing, such as building suspense, creating more interesting characters by quoting acclaimed authors. It is practical, readable, down to earth and concise.

Genre-based books

Writing Bestselling Children's Books by Alexander Gordon Smith

Basically, it cuts the mammoth undertaking of writing for children into 52 not-so-scary sections. Each one filled with knowledge, advice, tips and quotes (from other authors) that deal with all aspects of the novel. Each chapter is about 3-4 pages long, with examples of assumptions and mistakes easily made when writing for children, how to rectify those said mistakes, a little excercise, an inspirational quote from an author, etc.

Specifics

Armed & Dangerous: A Writer´s Guide to Weapons, by Michael Newton

This book was pulblished in 1990, so some information might be out of date, however if your piece is a historical one you will be fine with it

Deadly Doses: A Writer's Guide to Poisons, by Serita Deborah

Deadly Doses is an excellent beginning resource for the writer interested in using poison as an element within a story. It gives a brief history of poisoning, clearly divided chapters (plant based poisons, industrial, medical, etc.), and an easy to read format for each entry. Each poison is listed with a toxicity rating (6 being the highest), form, effects and symptoms, reaction time, antidotes and treatment, case histories, and notes of interest. Because the book has to cover so much, each entry is necessarily brief and many less toxic forms of poison are glossed over or omitted. The author is quite open about this from the start. In addition to the known poisons, the author provides a chapter on how to create an imaginary poison for the sake of your story.

The Writer´s Complete Crime Reference Book, by Martin Roth

Roth deals with all of the major issues involved in crimes. He has a comprehensive list on topics such as motives for homicides, frequently abused drugs, and firearms. The book explores the workings of the police, justice system and investigations. At the end of every chapter you will find a reference list for additional information on the topics covered. Note that this is a reference book--it is not meant to read cover to cover. Browse through the book, highlight, and reread the sections that interest you. This is an essential book for any mystery writer.

Keep in mind that this book might be a bit outdated if you are writing about recent crimes. As the book is not covering the most modern techniques it should be used as an addition.

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POETRY:

None yet. Please make a post if you have anything to contribute!

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BACK TO THE FIRST POST

OTHER

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STORIES:

None yet. Please make a post if you have something to contribute with!

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POETRY:

Inspiration

Magnetic poetry

It comes with a board that opens up and is magnetic. It also comes with a lot of different small magnets with words and/or letters. You can rearrange them or just use the words to help inspire you. Not so much to write a poem with them, but take some of the words and try to base a poem on them. Sometimes that helps with writer's block. (Wikipedia has more info, if you're curious)

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BACK TO THE FIRST POST

Planning: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

A useful step-by-step of one method of planning a story, good if you have writers block or have written yourself into a hole. It takes a while though, if you're going through all the stages (I've never done the spreadsheet part, so I usually stop at 7).

Character Names - Fantasy Name Generator http://rinkworks.com/namegen/

A very versatile random name generator geared towards Fantasy, though it can be used to generate names for other genres. There is a simple interface for general use/entertainment and an advanced interface. The advanced interface takes a bit of learning to use, but once you know how to use it, you can specify how many syllables in the name, what letter/consonant pair the name starts/ends with, how many vowels you would like, etc.

A site full of generators - seventhsanctum.com

Its got seriousness and silliness. Everything from Boring name generator (made from census information - snore) to "Questionable Anime Attack Generator". I have used this site sooooooo many times

I've always used

http://www.babynamesworld.com/

for my names. It's pretty basic info, but it has a lot of names and it's easy to browse through.

EDIT: This would go under Character Names.

The only writing book that I've found semi-useful (that I had to use for class) is called The Curious Writer by Bruce Ballenger...it's very laidback and goes through exercises to get someone motivated to write...and has explanations and all that. Website-wise...

I found this old guy's personal website years ago...turns out he's an author and he gives out helpful information about writing fiction in his blogs: http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/fiction/ Just click around on there.

General - Fiction Factor - http://fictionfactor.com/

This site has a variety of helpful articles on many different subjects in multiple genres of writing. Mainly geared towards getting writers published. Also provides a variety of services.

Research - Timeless Myths - http://www.timelessmyths.com/

This site contains extensive information on Classical, Nordic, and Celtic mythologies as well as Arthurian Legend. Also has a Bibliography so you can track down the sources yourself. The information presented on this site is extremely reliable, though site navigation can be a bit of a challenge at times and the occasional typo has been known to rear its ugly head. Still actively maintained.

It's my favorite site to go to for information on myths. n.n

If you're looking for a good site to post, read, and review like FictionPress, you could try WritersCafe.org.

In my opinion, FP is easier to use, but WC is more convenient in that you can change the font size, color, face, etc., when you can't on FP. Another difference on WC are the contests and groups. WC also has a point system (I don't fully understand how it works with your writing), messaging through the site and different genres and categories to post under. It's a good site to use if you want a few more reviews and opinions.

okay, so... i don't really write poetry, but this site COULD be helpful... (and frac asked me to try and get a poetry site... so... XD)

http://www.rhymer.com/ - it's basically a rhyming dictionary where you type in the word you want to rhyme with and it spits out a list of words you could use. XD i used it for the prophecy in the epic story, and it actually helped. ^^;

-Lefty

I actually have an other for poetry... the magnetic poetry things. It's kinda silly, but I find it helpful. Not so much to write a poem with them, but take some of the words and try to base a poem on them. Sometimes that helps with writer's block.

@Mini

What is this "magnetic poetry things"? Please elaborate a bit so I know what I am editing in :p

they're a set of magnets with random words on them... you basically just put them together in any way you want. :) you can buy them in any bookstore... and probably at places like target or wal-mart, too.

(at least... i'm pretty sure this is what mini is talking about. XD)

-Lefty

Ummm you buy them. They are a little magnet board that comes with magnetized words and letters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_Poetry is a description of what it is with some pictures. There are also some one sites that I'm gonna try to explore and see if they're any good.

Since I know nothing of this, please write me the name and a small summary which I can copy and paste.

The name is magnetic poetry. There are different brands and such, but all say magnetic poetry. It comes with a board that opens up and is magnetic. It also comes with a lot of different small magnets with words and/or letters. You can rearrange them or just use the words to help inspire you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_Poetry is a site that has more information on them.

Is that good Frac?

Adivice - Writing advice from Caro Clarke - http://www.caroclarke.com

This site has lots of articles on writing fiction that are easy to read and to understand. Some topics covered are pacing, the naming of characters, and character motivations.

Ooh, the one book i really have and that'd helped me a lot so far is Writing Bestselling Children's Books by Alexander Gordon Smith (who wrote the childrens classic the Inventors, if anyone's read that!). It's part of the 52 Brilliant Ideas series of nonfiction books. It's greatness personified...inna book!

Can you please give a short summary I can copy and paste along with the book title and author?

Erm, sure...basically, it cuts the mammoth undertaking of writing for children into 52 not-so-scary sections. each one filled with knowledge, advice, tips and quotes (from other authors) that deal with all aspects of the novel, including.

Finding time, and space, to write.

Tips for making sure you're aiming your story at the right age group.

Ways to make a truly villainous villain (A chappie I always come back to when writing for Syn!)

Believable dialogue.

How to create cracking plot, and keep it moving on.

...yeah, those more or less written from the blurb...but you get the picture. Each chapter is about 3-4 pages long, with examples of assumptions and mistakes easily made when writing for children, how to rectify those said mistakes, a little excercise, an inspirational quote from an author, and directions to another idea for those who don't want to read the book cover-to-cover.

Hope that helps...?

Wel dern if this isn't a wealth of information. ITS LIKE GOLDEN NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE!

My favorite things are the little writing prompts on some websites, if you search them, you'll find them...I like doing my best to twist prompts as FAR away from what they were orriginally ment to be...Readers digest, i believe has some really excelent ones.

@Johanna Rascle

I am not sure what you mean... Is this a site somewhere? Or an "Other"? Where do I put it? What is the title? What is the summary?

Update:

- Added a link to Character section. Titled "How to create a life"

(I figured I should start doing these update things if I find links on my own, so you guys know if anything has been added. Please let me know if you don't want me to, but do it in the Suggestion topic)

xlibris.com

A publishing company that publishes/advertises/distributes for you for a price, but lets you keep the rights to your work. I heard about them b/c they scour this site for promising authors...I was one of the ones they emailed. Don't let the cost get you down. If you are serious, this is a great deal.

Yes, they are real. I've read some of their books.

languageisavirus.com

This site has lots of generators (some silly one and even one for haiku) which might help you on getting rid of that writer's block (it worked for me). It also has articles on brainstorming techniques, visual inspirations, etc.

Character name:

www.zelo.com - allows you to search any name, and it'll bring up the meaning and more...

Titles

http://www.sfwa.org/bulletin/articles/clough.htm - The Theory and Practice of Titles is a rather short essay, discussing ways to title your story.

Character Name:

A Naming Language - http://www.langmaker.com/ml0102.htm

This site goes very in-depth in creating words in a language you can use to create names with meanings for your characters. You don't really have to read the entire article. Instead, you can just skip down to the tables near the bottom of the webpage.

Hey, do you guys have any good poetry links? That section is greatly ignored here :p

New links:

Language

Common Errors in English - http://www.wsu.edu/%7Ebrians/errors/index.html

A comprehensive expose over the words or phrases that are common errors, such as the title says. Don't be discouraged by the simple layout. It holds many gems.

OneLook Reverse Dictionary - http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml

OneLook's reverse dictionary lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. If this sounds confusing to you, don't worry, they've got lots of examples of exactly what they mean on the first page.

Characters:

Archetype writing - http://www.archetypewriting.com/

This site deals a lot with psychology and forces you to look deep within your character's mind. A place with many helpful goodies. Do check it out.

Body Language Expert - http://www.bodylanguageexpert.co.uk/

Get some ideas on how your character would communicate with others through body language.

General:

Cliché Finder - http://westegg.com/cliche/

The place to go if you want to use some cliché expressions but feel you have run out of them.

Inspirational:

Creative Writing Prompts - http://creativewritingprompts.com/#

Helps you get your creative juices flowing.

Character:

The 100 Most Important Things To Know About Your Character - http://www.geocities.com/poetess47/100questions.html

Well, as the title says. Forces you to think about your character and good for those that have trouble fleshing them out.

Advice:

Editor's Pet Peeves - http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=1218&chapter=0

An articles that touches upon things that will get your story rejected. Learn to avoid these.

Tip of the Day - http://www.writersdigest.com/TipOfTheDay

Many collected tips over time. You may just get an eye opener from one of them.

General:

Holly Lisle - http://hollylisle.com/fm/

Articles, how-to's, workshops. Plentiful of helpful links, basically.

TO ALL:

I would really appreciate it if I could get in some helpful poetry resources. These are very lacking. I have tried searching myself but I just don't know what is helpful and what isn't regarding this type of medium I have minimum knowledge about.

Of course, writing resources are still appreciated, I am just concerned for the poetry section.

Character names:

Popular baby names - http://ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

More than it sounds: This page tells what name were popular at what years from 1880 and forward. You can also see, if you already have a name, how it ranks on the popularity charts.

Inspiration:

Story Starters - http://thestorystarter.com/

The Story Starter provides 373,067,200 creative ideas and writer prompts for writers of all ages. Use it or abuse it, there is not much difference.

Inspiration:

WritingFix - http://writingfix.com/index.htm

They don't just have prompts to get your ideas started, they have prompts specialized for right-brained people, and for left-brained people.

Research:

Military Jargon - http://www.amyjfetzer.com/jargon.html

Tells you what means what in the military.

General:

Daily Writing Tips - http://www.dailywritingtips.com/

The title does sound limiting, but this site is so much more than daily writing tips. It also has a list (and explanations) of misused words, features a word of the day, and goes into the areas of spelling and grammar. And much more!

(I am personally enjoying this page :3)

Character names:

Behind the name - http://www.behindthename.com/

Since Frac brought up the topic of character names, I think this site is pretty good in the sense that it tells you the origin of the name and what it means, should you want to name your character based on personality traits

Character:

Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test - http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm

Very good test...at least I think so

Poetry - Rhyming

http://www.rhymezone.com/

Your one stop for all your rhyming needs. Separates results alphabetically and by syllable. Shows only exact rhymes, and has a whole host of archaic words.

Inspiration

Write or Die! - http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

For those that suffer from a writer's block, this might help you get some writing discipline!

Inspiration

Musicovery - http://musicovery.com/index.php?ct=us

A mood music generator. Want to write something in a dark mood? Then go for it. Musical genres are also available to choose from, to further narrow the results.

(I personally adore this one)

Dialog

How to Spice up your Writing with Dialog - http://www.archetypewriting.com/articles/writing/spiceUpWdialogue.htm

Short but to the point on what not to do when writing dialog.

(RECOMMENDED!)

If this is in the wrong category please inform me and I will change it!

I have decided that I need some device to improve my writing. I have already found some books about style and stuff like that but I need now something that is especially written about english grammar.

I am not a native english writer so I might need something like a textbook for pupils. Most books about writing are telling what are the do and don´t of writing but they are referring to grammar rules I do not know.

If you know a book that will provide me with the basic rules of English grammar, preferrably with examples I would be very grateful!

If you could get your hands on The Concise Wadsworth Handbook Second Edition (that's the one I have) I think it might help you out a lot. It's been a great help for me. It explains grammar rules with examples and goes into other details too. You might find it useful. :)

Flaws or Advice

I think tvtropes.org is a pretty good Wiki on cliches, including for the actual books themselves. You can search for books/tv/movies for their 'tropes.' Also, it lists why, and also how/if they have been 'subverted' or 'averted' from the cliche.

It encompasses most everything on cliches, if you have any problems with that. It also provides a good laugh.

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