Resources for Writers and Writing Instructors
By Jack
Lynch,
Rutgers University
This page is terribly disorganized; I'm working to clean it up.
For now, it's a miscellaneous group of writing resources serving
as a supplement to my grammar and style
guide. Note that, as a matter of policy, I don't include
links to commercial enterprises.
Style Guides (more or less comprehensive):
- Strunk, The
Elements of Style (1918 edition)
- H. W. Fowler, The
King's English
- The
Economist Style Guide -- A very handy compendium of
writing tips, highly recommended. But caveat Yankee --
The Economist is a British magazine, and the rules apply
to British English. So be careful
with rules about punctuation, spelling, and Americanisms.
- MHRA's Home Page
(Cambridge)
- Writing
Better: A Handbook for Amherst Students (Susan Snively,
Amherst College) -- A practical collection of writing advice,
both specific and general. Plenty of examples. [Added 10 Sept. 1999]
- Papers:
Expectations, Guidelines, Advice, and Grading (Jeannine
DeLombard and Dan White, Univ. of Puget Sound) -- Eminently
reasonable and extremely helpful advice for writers of
college-level English papers.
- Learn
to Write (Brian Dana Akers) -- Brief, opinionated reviews of
some major guides to writing.
Grammars:
Pages on Specific Topics:
Dictionaries and Lexicography:
- Hypertext
Webster Interface (CMU) -- A common interface allows you to
search several public-domain dictionaries on-line.
- The
Alternative Dictionaries -- A collaborative international
dictionary of slang and non-standard usage.
- WordNet: A
Lexical Database for English (Princeton) -- "An on-line
lexical reference system whose design is inspired by current
psycholinguistic theories of human lexical memory. English nouns,
verbs, adjectives and adverbs are organized into synonym sets,
each representing one underlying lexical concept. Different
relations link the synonym sets."
- LOGOS Dictionary
Writing various genres:
- Drama:
- Poetry:
- Children's Literature:
- Technical Writing:
Literary Terms:
Writers' Groups:
General Essays on Style:
Mechanics:
Miscellaneous Observations:
Publication:
- RhetNet: A
Dialogic Publishing (Ad)venture (Missouri) -- "RhetNet is a
concerted effort to see what publishing on the net might be in
its 'natural' form. Without leaving our print heritage behind
entirely, we want to adapt to the net rather than only adapting
net publishing to print-based convention."
Copyright:
Copyediting:
Writing Programs and Centers:
Research:
WriteBusiness.com
-- Mostly a commercial site, but includes a good collection of
free resources, including tips on copyright, MS preparation, and
the writing business.
Inkspot: Resources for Writers
The World-Wide Web Virtual Library:
Writers' Resources On The Web
American Society of
Journalists and Authors
Writers House
The Writer's
Depot
Frequently
Asked Questions about English, Series 1 (John Lawler, Michigan)
The Reporters Network
Writing
Assessment Services
The Writers' Conference
Writer's
Connection
RhetNet:
Net/Texts
Writers Write:
Internet Writing Journal
Garbl's
Writing Resources On Line -- Extensive and annotated
collection of links to writing resources on the Web.
PEN Oakland Resource
for Writers
Common Errors in
English (Paul Brians, Washington State Univ.)
Paradigm Online Writing
Assistant
Robin's Nest Writer's
Help
Warnings
and Cautions for Writers -- A useful set of pointers for
newcomers to the business of writing.
SAJA Stylebook
for Covering South Asia and the Southa Asian Diaspora --
Style tips, especially for journalists, on South Asian matters.