Links/Resources

There are a billion and one places to help you with just about everything and anything writing related. These are just the ones I tend to use and/or frequent and/or recommend for some reason or another. I'm not really looking to grow this list, as I think most resources lists are a bit overwhelming.

Tools

Shunn Manuscript Formatter (prose)

Shunn Manuscript Formatter (poetry)

Market Listings

Duotrope

A database of over 750 current markets for short fiction and poetry. Use this page to search for fiction markets that may make a fine home for that short story or poem you just finished. Use the menus at the top and right to explore the rest of the free services we offer writers and editors.

Critique Groups

Zoetrope

In March of 1998 Francis Coppola launched a website where writers could submit their short stories to his magazine, Zoetrope: All-Story. A community of writers quickly formed around the website. It became so popular so quickly that a few months later he launched sites for novellas and screenplays.

The Virtual Studio, which launched in June 2000, brings together the original sites as departments, plus includes new departments for other creative endeavors. Members can workshop a wide-range of film arts, including music, graphics, design, and film & video, as well as access some of the best e-collaboration tools. This site is the culmination of years of work by the Virtual Studio staff—and of course Francis Coppola who hatched the original idea, oversaw every stage of development, and funds the whole caboodle.

Critters

Critters is an on-line workshop/critique group for serious writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. You get your work critiqued in exchange for critiquing the work of others, both of which are invaluable ways to improve your writing. It's run by Dr. Andrew Burt, former vice-president of SFWA, and his army of software minions.

Critique Circle

Critique Circle is an online writing workshop for all authors, whether they write literary fiction, genre fiction, articles or short stories. Their purpose is to provide a place for writers to give and receive feedback on their work, and thereby learn from one another. The Critique Circle also includes forums as well as helpful writing tools for manuscript progress, submission tracking, character generation and more. They use a credit system. Each critique can get you 0.5 to 2 credits. Submitting costs 3 credits. Jón Bjarnason created the website. Day-to-day operations are handled by Sigrún Erna Geirsdóttir and Hulda Bjarnadóttir.

Critique Circle is one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites 2006 and they also became number 1 in the Pred Ed poll in 2004 and 2005.

Agent/Editor Blogs

Pub Rants (Kristin Nelson aka Agent Kristin)

A very nice literary agent indulges in polite rants about queries, writers, and the publishing industry

General Resources

The Speculative Literature Foundation

Mission: To promote literary quality in speculative fiction, by encouraging promising new writers, assisting established writers, facilitating the work of quality magazines and small presses in the genre, and developing a greater public appreciation of speculative fiction.

And sundry

Poemranker

A for-the-love site dedicated to posting and ranking poetry; includes a sampling and explanation of a wide variety of poetry types... not necessarily the friendliest or most helpful site, but it's definitely sundry.

Writing for theater and Film

Includes the basics for understanding the importance of setting, writing for different kinds of stage productions, industry formatting for screenplays, etc. Some of the links are broken, but the links that aren't can be a good stepping stone.