Valley Writers Chapter

Resources for Writers

When you WRITE, what are your RIGHTS?

Several of our Valley Writers contribute op-ed pieces to the local newspaper. If you want to write op-ed pieces, click into the Communications Consortium Media Center for hints for writing op-ed pieces and links to many national newspapers.

Marg Gilks wrote an article on "Rights: What They Mean and Why They're Important," containing a good list of definitions for the various kinds of rights.
http://www.writing-world.com/rights/rights.shtml

Moira Allen's article, Protecting Your Electronic Rights," provides a pretty good look at the different kinds of rights, including First North American Serial Rights (FNASR) and first rights in general.
http://www.writing-world.com/rights/erights.shtml

Ivan Hoffman's "Electronic Publishing and the Potential Loss of First Serial Rights" is another informative article. Although it was written in 1996 before e-zines became widely popular, it still contains some usable info.
http://www.ivanhoffman.com/first.html

Blogs for Writers

Blog is a recently-coined word for "web log," meaning a log or journal that a person keeps online (on the Internet) for other people to read. Many writers now have blogs, but so do others in writing-related fields. The following writing-related blogs are worth a look:

By now, everyone who writes and aspires to getting an agent, has heard of—and reads—the anonymous NY lit agent, Miss Snark.

The anonymous Evil Editor critiques both synopses and query letters.

On “Writing White Papers,’ Michael Stelzner lists the Top Ten Writing Blogs for Writers. While many of his choices involve copy-editing, general writers can still find much usable info.

Sarah Weinman’s Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind deals with “crime fiction, and more.”

Fredericksburg editor, freelancer, and blogger Kristen King’s Inkthinker blog post for Dec. 5, 2006, provides a list of books that editors should have.

Lighthouse Writing Tips offers tips on grammar and usage, style, occasionally elements of plot.

Roanoke Area Resources

Hollins University, just a few miles from the church where Valley Writers meet, has a nationally recognized writing program. Graduate programs—with many classes available during the summer term—are available in creative writing, children's literature, playwriting, and screen writing.

Mill Mountain Theatre in downtown Roanoke accepts unsolicited one-act plays for consideration.

The Roanoke Review, a literary magazine, has been produced at Roanoke College since 1967.

The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge strengthens and maintains the cultural activities of southwestern Virginia.

Information for Writers

The Chicago Manual of Style is online and contains much helpful information.
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/cmosfaq.html

Much helpful information about writing technique on the “Elements of Craft: Tips and Techniques” at Sandy Tritt’s Inspiration for Writers site.
http://www.inspirationforwriters.com

“Writers Free Reference—Where to find free information for writers and
others” is a list of free reference sites useful to writers and others.
http://www.writers-free-reference.com

The Standard Deviations of Writing, by Roger MacBride Allen, is a useful aid to improve style.
http://www.sfwa.org/writing/mistakes_allen.htm

Bookjobs.com. is a list of commonly used publishing terms. If you don’t know a frontlist from a backlist, you can learn the publishing lingo at Bookjobs.com.
http://www.bookjobs.com/page.php?prmID=9

Useful Websites

Where's Your Book? Would you like to know how many libraries across the country and around the world carry your book? You can find out by clicking into the World Cat website.
http://worldcatlibraries.org

Ready to Publish? The first chapter of Gary Kessler's and Carol Kluz's book, Finding Go (Winterwolf Publishing, 2004), gives some good info for people who think they are ready to publish and provides some useful links. Gary Kessler— a free-lance professional editor, former news agency managing editor, newspaper columnist, and movie consultant— was one of the panelists on the May 2005 Virginia Writers Club program in Charlottesville.
http://www.carolkluz.homestead.com/findinggo.html

What about those rejection letters? Teresa Nielsen Hayden's "Making Light: Reality-based language, fraud, folly, truth, history, and knitting. Et cetera" contains her thoughts on the slushpile in this February 2004 column.
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004641.html

Good Grammar, Good Style provides lots of info about grammar, style, and mechanics. You can search their archives by typing in a keyword.
http://www.protrainco.com/grammar.htm

Looking for an agent? Think you might need one in the future? Don't know what agents actually do? This info might help you?
http://www.sfwa.org/writing/agents.htm

Articles for Writers and Publishers has numerous links to articles about royalties, foreign rights, copyright law, and other topics writers should know.
http://www.ivanhoffman.com/helpful.html

The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators page offers contests as well as news, events, and lots of links to industry sites.
http://www.scbwi.org

Who is the poet laureate of Kansas? Find the poet laureate of any state on the U. S. State Poet Laureate Page of the Library of Congress.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/poets/poethome.html

Writing-World.com’s site has lots of information for both beginning and experienced writers. A good starting place to read about almost any aspect of writing. Besides the extensive list of writing-related articles on the site, editor Moira Allen also offers a monthly newsletter. http://www.writing-world.com

Elmore Leonard’s Easy on the Hooptedoodle first appeared in the New York Times in 2001. These 10 suggestions are Leonard’s way “to help me remain invisible when I'm writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what's taking place in the story.”
http://www.mysteryinkonline.com/2004/11/10_rules_for_wr.html

While good writers try to avoid clichés, sometimes one comes in handy. The Book of Clichés provides all you want and more.
http://utopia.knoware.nl/~sybev/cliche/index.shtml

Got a booksigning? Or are you planning for one after you write the book? Larry James offers “40+ Ways to Make Your Booksigning an Event” at his website. A few of his “Do & Don’t” suggestions aren’t practical, but most are just what the new author needs to know.

Think you can protect your written work by mailing your manuscript to yourself as a “poor man’s copyright”? Think again. http://www.copyrightauthority.com/poor-mans-copyright

Don’t Have a Website? (And you call yourself a writer?!?)

Every writer needs a website. A website can serve as an online press kit, showcase a piece of your work, provide information to your readers, and announce your up-coming appearances or publications. If you can write an article, you can build a website.

Many service providers—such as Cox, Earthlink, AOL, and ATT.net provide space for their members’ websites and offer templates to make web page building a snap.

However, if your ISP* doesn’t give you space, check out these sites that will provide a modest website for free:
http://www.webspawner.com
http://www.bravehost.com
http://www.freewebs.com