Useful references for writers

Web Tools Useful for Writers

• Random Title Generator
• My readability analysis CGI that uses Lingua::EN::Fathom and the UNIX style utility. See the Wikipedia definition for the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test.
• Merriam-Webster OnLine
• Freemind open source software for mind mapping; see also Keynote
• Oblique Strategies
• Writing Prompts - a list
• more Novel writing prompts
• 30 days of world building
• writingfix.com -- interactive site for writers
• Character Name generators
• Fantasy Name generator
• Seventh Sanctum Name generators
• D&D Name generator
• A collection of name generators
• Story Idea generator
• wordcount frequency

Writing Advice and Articles

• "The Snowflake Process for Writing a Novel" by Randall Ingermanson
• "Plotting" by Jeff Heisler, of Heisler Ink
• "Plotting by Personality" by Marg McAlister
• HollyLisle.com
• Patrice Kindl, Children's Author
• Getting Started: Really Basic Information for Children's Writers and Illustrators
• Amazon.com: So You'd Like to... Write Classical Children's Fantasy
• National Novel Editing Month (March)
• The Opening Sentence
• Founders' Copyright Creative Commons

About Copyright

• Kimberly Dawn wrote:

Because there are HUGE misunderstandings about what a copyright is these days and I keep seeing them repeated over and over again. I thought I could help.

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

There's a good start.

So, yes fan fiction is a violation of copyright.

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

Copyrights are made as soon as you make them into apparent form. So automatically everything in this post is being copyrighted as I write it.

This post will be invalid in its copyright after I'm dead for EIGHTY years.

Also another thing to know is that an official copyright is EXPENSIVE, which is why most publishers will do it for you. It will cost you quite a bundle, unless you intend to have a high volume, and should be done through a lawyer. Trade mark and copyright often get confused, BTW, but you can't copyright titles to books, etc. You can copyright ideas, expressions of art, etc. specific phrases, slogans and titles are trademarks. ^_^

• Copyright info and Electronic publishing info from the Science Fiction Writers of America.

• MThornton

official copyright requires the filing of form TX for literary works, sending along 1 or more copies of the work to be copyrighted and $30.00 Copyright itself is not the expensive part. correcting an error in the submission is $100.00 and any investigation into existing copyrights is $75.00 per hour.

Trademark application as of this year is $325.00 per each class of goods or service that you submit.

ISBN registration is done in blocks of 10 and begins at $225.00 with an additional publisher registration fee of $25.00

I've got a list of links to various agencies US, UK, Aus and others listed here, along with other information for registration or self publishing, including ISBN and barcode ordering.

Writing Communities

• Forward Motion Writer's Community -- looks really good!
• aburt's critters Writers' Workshop, a large, active community of writers who help each other through frequent critiques.
• The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators
• ARWZ.com: Alternative Reality Writers' Zone. An online community for writers and readers of speculative fiction: fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, horror, supernatural, cross genre
• Diaryland members area
• Write On! Discuss the art and craft of writing

Self Publishing

• Lulu: Marketplace for digital content

Writing References

• Common Errors in English
• 2004 NaNoWriMo
• 2003 NaNoWriMo
• 2002 NaNoWriMo

Other Writing Links

• Internet writing links for writers
• lazym posted this at NaNo:

• What's in a name?
• Random name generator uses data from the US Census to match first and last names with differing degrees of probability
• Names from around the world
• Etymology and history of first names
• Surnames
• Evil name, planet name, angel and demon name generators Plus lots of links and a place name generator

Where am I?

A phenomenally complete Excel spreadsheet that helps you keep track of your progress. It could save you time, unless you use it obsessively just to watch the charts and graphs change. Includes a morale tracker.

What AM I doing?

character worksheet and other resources It may be a bit late muck around with plotting, but you never know what you're gonna need. This is where our character worksheet came from. The site also includes character biography worksheet, fantasy and sci-fi world-building forms, and story starters.

Is this for real?

Check out the Character and Plot Realism thread on the NaNo forum. This is the place to go for the skinny on weight-lifting, Italian folk magic, creative assassinations, or summoning angelic beings. It's also a great place to mess around when all you really want to do is, well, procrastinate.

• lulu self-publishing company offered one free published B&W book for each NaNoWriMo novel. Offer expired 01/15/2005 but maybe they'll repeat it.
• Found this intriguing nanowrimo resource site with lots of great tips and tools.
• Project Gutenberg
• plainlanguage.com
• Open Directory - Arts: Writers Resources: Fiction
• Writing Advice from Science Fiction author Jeffrey A. Carver
• NaNoWriMo Windsor: National Novel Writing Month 2003
• Moleskine Notebooks, Journals, and Date Books - MoleskineUS
• RPGnet: Review of Nanofictionary
• NanoBlanks: Make-Your-Own Nanofictionary Cards