Writing Resources

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Our Favorite Writing-Focused Blogs and Conferences

"Writing is the best way to talk without being interrupted."

~Jules Renard

• Daily Writing Tips ~ http://www.dailywritingtips.com/
• Edittorrent ~ http://edittorrent.blogspot.com/
• Grammar Girl ~ http://.grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/
• Guide to Literary Agents ~ http://guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/
• Hartline Literary Agency ~ http://www.hartlineliterary.com/
• Jane Friedman's There Are No Rules ~ http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/
• Kill Zone Authors ~ http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/
• Novel Matters ~ http://novelmatters.blogspot.com/
• Novel Journey ~ http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com/
• Prarie Chicks Write Romance ~ http://prairiechickswriteromance.blogspot.com/
• Query Shark ~ http://queryshark.blogspot.com/
• Rachelle Gardner, agent ~ http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/
• Romance Writers of America ~ http://www.rwa.org/
• RWA's Faith, Hope & Love chapter ~ http://www.faithhopelove-rwa.org/
• Seekerville ~ http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/
• The Character Therapist ~ http://charactertherapist.blogspot.com/
• Word Sharpeners ~ http://wordsharpeners.wordpress.com/
• Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference ~ http://www.brmcwc.com/
• American Christian Fiction Writers National Conference ~ http://www.acfw.com/conference

Our Favorite Books on Craft of Writing

"Revision is one of the true pleasures of writing.

I love the flowers of afterthought."

~Bernard Malamud

• The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction ~ Jeff Gerke
• The Art of War for Writers  ~ James Scott Bell
• Creating Character Emotions ~ Ann Hood
• Fiction First Aid ~ Raymond Obstefeld
• Getting into Characters ~ Brandilyn Collins
• Goal, Motivation and Conflict ~ Deb Dixon
• How to Write a Romance Novel and Get It Published" ~ Kathryn Falk
• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers ~ Renni Browne and Dave King
• The Moral Premise ~ Dr. Stanley Williams
• Revision and Self-Editing ~ James Scott Bell
• The Fire in Fiction ~ Donald Maass
• The Hero's Two Journeys DVD ~ Michael Hauge and Chris Vogler
• The Story Within Guidebook ~ Alicia Rasley
• The Synonym Finder ~ Rodale
• The War of Art" ~ Steven Pressfield
  
  Writing Dialogue ~ Tom Chiarella
• Writing the Breakout Novel ~ Donald Maass
• "Writing the Christian Romance" by Gail Gaymer Martin
• Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively ~ Rebecca McClanahan

Our Favorite Grammar Books

“I have been correcting the proofs of my poems.

In the morning, after hard work, I took a comma out of one sentence….

In the afternoon I put it back again.” ~Oscar Wilde

• The Chicago Manual of Style
• Strunk and White's Elments of Style
• Strunk and White's EoS Online
• Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia O'Conner

Our Favorite Motivational Writing Books

"Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper

until drops of blood form on your forehead." ~Gene Fowler

• If You Want to Write ~ Brenda Ueland
• On Writing ~ Stephen King (profanity warning)
• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life ~ Anne Lamott

Our Favorite Non-Writing Books for Characterization

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead,
either write things worth reading or do things worth writing."
~Benjamin Franklin

• Body Language ~ Julian Fast
• Discover Your God-Given Gifts ~ Don and Katie Fortune
• For Women Only and For Men Only ~ Shaunti Feldhahn
• Please Understand Me ~ David Kiersey
• The Birth Order Book ~ Dr. Kevin Leman
• The Road Less Traveled ~ Dr. M. Scott Peck

Our Favorite Reseach Sources
"Don’t get it right, just get it written." ~James Thurber

• Charlotte Dillon's Research links
• Everyday Life in the 1800s ~ Marc McCutchen
• Google Books ~ http://books.google.com/
• How the West was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Frontier ~ Chris Enss
• The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West ~ Candice Moulton
• What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew ~ Daniel Pool

Our Favorite Items for Writing-Stress Relief

"The wastebasket is a writer's best friend." ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

• Chocolate ~ Milk, Dark, White, nut- or creme-filled
• Coffee ~ cold, hot, chocolate-covered beans