The Stacks
Helpful tips and resources for the aspiring writer

What in the World Will I Write About? - by Kim Kay
Where Do You Get Your Ideas, Part I - by Michael Banks
Where Do You Get Your Ideas - Part II - by Michael Banks
The Theory and Practice of Titles - by B.W. Clough
Heinlein's Rules - by Robert J. Sawyer

SETTING THE SCENE

It's Your World: Setting Your Novel - by Kim Kay
Setting (Romance) - by Lori Handeland
You CAN Take It With You (Sci-Fi) - by Robert Metzger
Building New Worlds: Construction & Influences (Sci-Fi) - by Stephen Baxter
Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions - by Patricia C. Wrede
Scenes: The Building Blocks of Novels - by Kim Kay
Using the Reader's Imagination - by Sara Douglass

ADDING IN THE ELEMENTS
Patricia Wrede's World Builder Questions (Fantasy)
Medieval Demographics Made Easy - by S. John Ross
Constructing a SF Universe - by Stephen Swiniarski
Stefan's Florilegium SCA
Early Medieval Resources for Britain, Ireland & Brittany - by Michelle Zieglar
Internet Medieval Sourcebook - by Paul Halsall
On Creating an Earth-like Planet - by Geoff Eddy
World Building - Clothes by Charles Mossop

MAPPING
Celestia 3D Space Simulation - by Chris Laurel
Irony Games World Map Maker
World Builders Homepage
Planet Designer
Mapping Resources
Fractal Mapper
Fractal WorldMap Generator

WORLD BUILDING & RPG GAMER RESOURCES
Astrofantasy Fantasy World Building Tips
On Creating an Earthlike Planet
World Builder Projects
Dr. Games (Rich Staat's) Homepage
Paleomap Project
Creating Your Own Magic System
RPGnet Gamer's Encyclopedia
Tesarta Online
Perseus Digital Library
Phoenyx Roleplaying Game Discussions
Constructing a SF Universe
Mike Munsil's Bookmarks

Character Chart
You and Your Characters - by James Patrick Kelly
Strong vs. Weak Characters by C.J. Cherryh
What makes a strong character weak? And how can you tell?
Making Monsters (Villains) - by James Patrick Kelly

NAMES
First Names: http://www.behindthename.com/
Surnames:http://surnames.behindthename.com/
NameNerds
Indian Names
What's In A Name? - by Moria Allen
Medieval Naming Guide
Naming Characters - by Orson Scott Card
More on Naming Characters - by Orson Scott Card

POINT OF VIEW (POV)
Narrative Voice (POINT OF VIEW)
Point Of View - by Bruce Bethke

DIALOGUE
"Let's Talk About Dialogue," He Pontificated
Speech Tags - by Les Stephenson
Writing Effective Dialogue - by Donna Sundblad
Writing Dialog - by Melanie Spiller
On Dialog - by SF writer, Robert J. Sawyer

LANGUAGES
The Metavers: Lingustics for Conworlds - by Mark Rosenfelder
The Phrontistery: Unusual Word Dictionary - by Stephen Chrisomalis
Zompist Language Construction Kit - by Mark Rosenfelder
Pre- and Post-1900's Language by CJ Cherryh
The Zompist Sci-Language FAQ
Weird Words
World Wide Words
Ancient Scripts, Writing systems of ancient civilizations.
The Ethnologue, History of over 6,900 living languages
I Love Languages, On-line dictionaries, grammars, courses, etc.
Lexicon of Thieves Cant, "Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue".

Story Premise - by Kim Kay

STYLE & STRUCTURE
CJ Cherryh clarifies those pesky "Who and Whom words"
Writerisms and Other Sins
How to be Edited - by Juliet McKenna
The Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson
Freshman, Sophmore, Junior, Author! by Randy Ingermanson
Elements of a Successful Novel - by Kim Kay
How to Write a Publishable Novel - by Judith Kelman
How to Open Without A Bang - by Alex Keegan

CLICHE
The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord
Things I Will Do When I Become Evil Empress
Strange Horizons Plots To Avoid
CJ Cherryh presents "The Really Wretched Experessions I wish would drop out of writing. Also how to use those pesky 'who' and 'whom' words.
Cliche-O-Rama by Lars Eighner
Writerisms and Other Sins (C.J. Cherryh)

Fantasy Fiction Factor

Doyle's SciFi Genre Rant - by Dr. Deborah Doyle
Doyle's YA SciFi Rant - by Dr. Deborah Doyle
Science in Science Fiction (Ideas & Plot) - by Joan Slonczewski
Turkey City Lexicon (A Primer for SF Workshops)
Suns, Moons, and Rainbows or There's Alien, and Then There's Silly - by Holly Ingraham

Taking the Plunge: Introduction to Freelance Writing
First Things First: Unearthing a Motherlode of Article Ideas
Writing Articles
The How-To Article
The Art of the Interview

ROMANCE
Endings (Romance) - by Lori Handeland
Creating the Heart in Romance - Characterization - by Ann Durand
Paranormal Romance
Romance Junkies

EROTICA
Six Ingredients of a Sensual Romance Novel - by Patty Salier
Why Not Write Sensual Romance - by Lori Foster
Erotica Readers and Writers Association
Lavendar Blue: How to Write and Sell Gay Men's Erotica - by Lars Eighner

Getting Started - by Sue Riechard
The Well of Ideas - by Sue Riechard
Point of View - by Sue Riechard
Devices of Style in Children's Writing - by Sue Reichard
Elements of Mystery - by Sue Reichard
Writing Mysteries for Children - by Sue Reichard
Writing Short Stories for Children - by Sue Reichard
Humor in Children's Writing - by Sue Reichard
Convincing Characters - by Sue Reichard
Poetry for Children - by Sue Reichard
C-Crack 'Em Up - Injecting Humor into Text by Susan Stephenson

FORMATTING
Manuscript Preparation - by John Gregory Betancourt
Manuscript Preparation Guidelines - by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Proper Manuscript Format - by William Shunn
Standard Manuscript Format - by Mary Soon Lee
Word Count Tips - by Melisa Michaels
Query Etiquette, or How Long is Too Long? - by Andrew Burt
Manuscript Format Checklist - by Robert J. Sawyer

THE BASICS: SPELLING, GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION
The Elements of Style - by Strunk & White
How to Write Plain English (Flesch Guide) - by Rudolf Flesch
Dr. Goodword's Office Alpha Dictionary Site - 992 Online dictionaries, including 120 specialty dictionaries
BabelFish - by AltaVista
English As She Is Spoke, vs Babelfish - by Mark Rosenfelder
Word Usage Errors, Controversies, and Oddities - by Lars Eighner
Eats, Shoots and Leaves - by Lynn Truss
National Punctuation Day Guide to Correct Usage
William Safire's Rules for Writers
Fussy Professor Starbuck's Cookbook of Handy-Dandy Prescriptions for Ambitious Academic Authors

REJECTION
Writers and Depression
Error Checklist for Writers - by Lars Eighner
Why Did My Manuscript Get Rejected? - by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Slushkiller: An Editor presents a Rejection Collection
Five Fiction Mistakes that Spell Rejection - by Moira Allen

CULTIVATING HABITS
Developing Better Writing Habits - by Kim Kay
Writing.com

MOTIVATION
A Blank Page: Beating Writer's Block - by Kim Kay
Seven Surefire Ways to Beat Writer's Block

Research Tips from Teri Holbrook - by Tabatha Yeatts
Wikipedia

Research: Secret Weapons of Science - by Robert J. Sawyer
Researching Your Novel - by Kim Kay
Internet Speculative Fiction Database

POISONS & ALCHEMY
http://www.florilegium.org/files/UNCAT/poisons-art.text
Alchemy Index: http://www.crystalinks.com/alchemyindex.html
http://www.zompist.com/chemical.htm
Herbology: http://www.swsbm.com/HOMEPAGE/HomePage.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/alchemy2.html
http://www.geocities.com/~castleinthesky/blood.htm
http://www.spaink.net/suicide/suicide_poison_natural.html
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/toxagent.html
http://www.famie.com/australia/mostunusual_mostdangerous.htm

BIOMES, HABITAT, FLORA & FAUNA
Ethnobotanical and Native Herbal Treatments
The Names of Alchemy by Mark Rosenfelder
Major Biomes of the World
Habitats & Biomes
OceanWorld

GEMSTONES & CRYSTALS
http://jksalescompany.com/dw/crystals.html
http://www.exquisitecrystals.com/
http://wicca.com/celtic/stones/stones0.htm

GRIDS, MAGNETIC SHIFTS, CATACLYSMS
http://www.crystalinks.com/grids.html
http://www.ascension2000.com/Convergence/9918.html
http://www.intent.com/sg/
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/earth_poles_040407.html

OUTDOOR SURVIVAL & TRACKING
http://www.trackerschool.com/

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
BrainGate Neural Interface
Guns, Germs and Steel - book review
Consciousness, Causality, and Quantum Physics: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/jse.htm

WEATHER FORECASTING
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/03/18/offbeat.weather.aborigines.reut/index.html
http://www.poleshift.org/ps/Other_Views.html
http://www.atlantisrising.com/issue18/18contents.html

CIVILIZATION & CULTURE
CIVILIZATIONS & HISTORY: http://www.ancientworlds.net/
CIA's World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
http://www.romans-in-britain.org.uk/
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mxb/classic_architec.html
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Festivals.htm
http://www.fjkluth.com/index.html
The Society of Primitive Technology
Ancient Scripts
The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies
Anthro.Net
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
Art History
Diotima: Women and Gender in the Ancient World
Voice of the Shuttle
LacusCurtius: Into the Roman World
The Division of Territory in Society

Making Light
http://www.primitive.org/fireplow.htm
http://www.primitive.org/lighting.htm
http://www.florilegium.org/files/HOME/Med-Lighting-lnks.html
http://www.markland.org/lettherebelight.php
http://yoyo.its.monash.edu.au/~tif/lighting/lightingindex.html

COMMUNICATION
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7835
Esoteric Music Theory: http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/GEM/GEM-PH.html
http://webdesign.about.com/library/weekly/aa070400a.htm
http://www.gladwell.com/1999/1999_01_11_a_weisberg.htm

HEALING
http://www.healerwithin.com/ articles/hand.gif
http://www.abodetao.com/QIGONG/qigong.html
http://www.eclecticenergies.com/chakras/introduction.php
http://www.holistic-online.com/herb_home.htm 
http://www.naturalark.com/herbindex.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/

MEASUREMENT: DISTANCE, TIME & WEIGHT
http://www.saradouglass.com/medtime.html
http://www.fi.edu/time/Journey/Time/Escapements/briefclkhis.html
http://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/Time/time.html
http://www.aigeek.com/chrons/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_weights_and_measures#Ancient_systems_of_measurement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Vedic_weights_and_measures
CIA Fact Book: Appendix G Weights & Measures: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/appendix/appendix-g.html

RELIGION & MAGIC
Encyclopedia Mythica Mythology, folklore, legendary heros, and a bestiary http://www.pantheon.org/.
http://www.litnet.lt/litinfo/religion.html
http://www.spiritualhealing.org/trinity.htm
http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/atlantis-mu-lemuria.html
http://www.parascope.com/en/bermuda2.htm
http://www.newage.com.au/library/atlantis3.html
http://www.greatdreams.com/shamans.htm
http://www.psyche.com/psyche/links/miscellaneous2.html
The Art of War- by Sun Tzu: http://www.chinapage.com/sunzi-e.html
The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi: http://www.cyberpathway.com/musashi/ground.htm
The Way of the Shaman with Michael Harner: http://www.intuition.org/txt/harner.htm
http://www.shamanism.org/articles/857415539.htm#9
Animal Spirit Entities (Totems): http://www.soultones.com/totems.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/poweranimals.htm
Tibetan Shamanism: http://www.world-tree.org/tibetan.html
Kheper: http://www.kheper.net/index.htm
NHNE Special Reports: http://www.nhne.com/database/dbspecialreports.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/index.html
Blavatsky Cosmology: http://www.kheper.net/topics/Theosophy/HPB-cosmology.htm

MONEY, WAGES & COST OF LIVING
http://www.du.edu/~jcalvert/phys/copper.htm
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/history/london-life/coinage.html

London Labour and the London Poor - http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/MayLond.html

TRANSPORTATION
The Care and Feeding of a Mortal Mount - by Ellen Dawn Benefield
http://www.ultimatehorsesite.com/info/farandfast.html
http://phoenixinn.iwarp.com/fantasy/horse_chart.html
http://www.wwwestra.com/horses/history_travel.htm
Using Horses in Fiction - by Tina Morgan
http://fantasy.fictionfactor.com/articles/horses.html
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/6423/Ships/index2.html?200520

Conferences,
Forums &
Critiques

WRITERS FORUMS
Hatrack River Writers Forum (Orson Scott Card)
Shadowmarch (Tad Williams)
Mike Munsil's Liberty Hall (Flash Fiction)
Notebored
Analog
Asimov's
ElectricWine
Night Shade Books
Rumor Mill
SciFi.com
SFF Net
sffworld
SFRT
TTA 
Published Authors only to post, but anyone can read:
http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey/profile

CRITIQUES
Critters.org
Critiquing: A Gift You Can Give
Self-Editing
Become Your Own Editor
Observing Longer Titles: A Criticism
How to Critique Fiction
A Glossary of Terms Useful in Critiquing Science Fiction

CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS
Writers Groups: Are They Worth Your Time?
Five Tips for Writers' Groups
Writers Groups
How an Online Course Works
How To Succeed in an Online Writing Workshop
Writing Workshopw
Writers Conferences
Uncle Orson's Writing Class

COLLABORATION
Collaboration
In Bed Together: The Problems of Collaboration
Collaborating - by Melanie Spiller
Collaboration Advice - by Mike Gunderloy

Common Proofreading Symbols
The Elements of Style - by Strunk & White
How to Revise a Novel - by Holly Ingraham
How to Break an Editor's Spirit - by Kent Brewster

AGENT BLOGS
Miss Snark
Lit Agent X - Rachel Vater
Kristin Nelson - Public Rants
Deidra Knight - The Knight Agency Blog
The Rejector
Jennifer Jackson
Jenny Rappaport

Writer Beware's 20 Worst Agents List - Avoid 'Em like an overused cliche'

EDITOR BLOGS
Evil Editor
Jason Pinter - The Man in Black
Anna Louise Genoese

PLOTTING A CAREER
Maximize Your Writing Career - by Deborah Lapoint
Jump Starting a Stalled (or Dead) Career - by John G. Betancourt
Stalled Careers, Writer's Block, and Monsters Under the Bed - by Melisa Michaels
Death and Taxes - by Elizabeth Waters
How to Survive as a Freelance Writer
Freelancing - Writers.com
How Much Does A Science Fiction or Fantasy Writer Make? - by Tobias Buckell
Fear No Podium: A Guide to Giving Good Readings - by M.C.A. Hogarth
Promoting Your Book on the Internet
Finding a Writing Related Job Online - by Greg Knollenberg
The Business of Writing - by Sara Douglass

COPYRIGHT
U.S. Copyright Office
Registering Copyright for your Literary Work Online
Ten Big Myths About Copyright Explained - by Brad Templeton
A Brief Intro to Copyright - by Brad Templeton
Copyrights and Meteorites - by Chuck Rothman
WATCH File: Writers, Artists and Copyright Holders

A Novice Writer's Guide to Rights - by Claire E. White

LEGAL ISSUES
Publishing Law Center
Authors and the IRS - by Linda Lewis
Fair Use of Trademarks
Legal Glossary
Patent Rights Granted To A Storyline?

Queries,
Synopsis,
& Submissions

QUERY LETTERS
How to Write the Perfect Query Letter
Agent Query

SYNOPSIS
How to Write a Synopsis
How Do I Write A Synopsis?

SUBMISSIONS
Submitting to the Black Hole -- Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Publisher Response Tracker

Before submitting your manuscript, do your research on:
Pre-Editors and Editors

Learn a little bit about Publishing:
The Publishing World - by Sara Douglass

WritersDigest.com
Writing World
Researching Publishers and Agents
Getting Published
The Business Side
Glossary of Publishing Terms
The Process of Publishing a Novel
Ten Ways To Increase Your Odds of Getting Published

Preeditors and Editors

Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest
Bantam/Doubleday/Dell/Random House
HarperCollins Publishers/UK
Tor Books
Shimmerzine
From the Asylum Books & Press

NaNoWriMo: http://www.nanowriye.com/

http://www.fictionfactor.com/fiction2.html
http://www.sfwriter.com/ow05.htm
http://www.sfwa.org/writing/glossary.html
http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/sfsubgenre.html
http://www.sfwa.org/writing/

http://www.speculations.com/guidelines.htm

Publishers Weekly
Authorlink
Book Publishers Northwest
Publishers Marketplace
http://www.ralan.com/
http://storypilot.com/
Q & A from the Chicago Manual of Style

SELF-PUBLISHING
Creative Minds Self-Publishing FAQ
New Self-Publisher's FAQ
BowkerLink (for ISBN)

GUILDS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Authors Guild

The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation
Association of SF & F Artists (ASFA)
British Fantasy Society
British SF Association (BSFA)
Broad Universe
Carl Brandon Society
Center for the Study of SF
Gaylaxian SF Society
Horror Writers Association (HWA)
Interstitial Arts
Mundane SF
Mystery Writers of America
Mythopoeic Society
New England SF Assn (NESFA)
SF Canada
The SF Foundation
 - SFF Collection
SF Museum & Hall of Fame
SF Poetry Association (SFPA)
SF Research Assn (SFRA)
SF&F Writers of America (SFWA)
Speculative Literature Foundation
The Tolkien Society
World SF
World SF Society

How to Chose, Use, and Lose an Agent - by Judith Kelman
Agent Advice - by Dan Perez
Hunting for a Literary Agent - Which to Keep and Which to Shoot - by Chuck Rothman
Hunting For an Agent - by John. E. Stith
Horror Writers Association (HWA) Agents FAQ

Publishers Weekly
Bookcrossing
Wild Child Publishing.com
A literary magazine that supports the arts and celebrates the English language through fiction, interviews, travel articles, poetry and photography.
Arts & Letters Daily
Locus Magazine Online

Orson Scott Card
Juliet E. McKenna
Katherine Kerr
Marion Zimmer Bradley
C.J. Cherryh
Sara Douglass
Robert J. Sawyer

BLOGS
BRUCE BETHKE: The Ranting Room, or How To Write Good