Clipmate,
the popular clipboard extender holds hundreds of clips, across
reboots, with powerful editing, re-formatting, combining, change
case, drag and drop, etc. It has many Internet features - save
and revisit web pages, launch URLs , even view HTML tags as actual
HTML, and even includes a spell checker!
ClipMate can copy any
number of clips, of any length, select those you want to join
together, and paste the entire group at once. It can save each clip
in any number of "collections" and can modify a clip
after it's been stored, delete from stored collections, and access
any clips you've trashed in the past two weeks! Order from: http://www.thornsoft.com/index.htm?referrer=SimonTeakettleInk Please
note that this is not an advertisement, but an honest endorsement of
a product that has been making my life easier for many years.
It's won all kinds of
awards, and has been tested with over 30,000 items.
BOOKS by
Barbara Florio Graham:
NEW: Suggested
by Rachel, in Mrs.
Ward's class in Delaware: Internet
Resources on Citing: The Trademark of a Good Writer, from
Marcaria.com, a leading international brand protection company that
specializes in global trademark and domain name registration.
URL SHORTENERS: http://tinyurl.com/
http://bit.ly/ http://ow.ly/url/shorten-url
A free calendar to help you pitch ideas for
specific holidays:
www.directcontactpr.com/files/files/Publicityplan2010.pdf
|
NEW: Writers
Boon is a free directory providing assistance in publishing and
marketing. It promises top-notch experts, the best DIY tools &
apps, and useful how-to guides. Bobbi has just been added as one of
their experts in Book Marketing. |
|
Before you enter a contest, read this warning
from Hope Clark, at Funds for Writers.
Also, read this warning from
Writer Beware, about contracts from magazines. It contains an
excellent definition of "derivative works." |
DICTIONARIES
The Random House Word Menu offers a
reverse-dictionary, thesaurus, almanac and a collection of
glossaries. It's at: www.answers.com/library/Word%20Menu
VISUAL THESAURUS: http://www.freethesaurus.org/visual-thesaurus
QUOTATIONS: http://www.brainyquote.com/
HELP WITH SPELLING & GRAMMAR:
www.myspellit.com
THE TEN MOST MISSPELLED WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE:
ecstasy, embarrass, exhilarate, harass, hypocrisy,
indispensable, liquefy, rarefy, sacrilegious, supersede
All Experts (volunteers answer grammar, usage and
spelling questions): http://tinyurl.com/2vp4pk5
Style guides and more from the Australian College of Journalism: http://tinyurl.com/ko3pf5m
A useful style guide for students: http://www.wgu.edu/info/college-students-guide-citation-styles
Guide to grammar and punctuation:
http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/teacher-resources/guide-to-grammar-and-punctuation/.
With more than 1,000,000 human-edited definitions, Acronym Finder is
the world’s largest and most
comprehensive dictionary of acronyms,
abbreviations, and initialisms. Combined with the
Acronym Attic, Acronym Finder contains more
than 5 million acronyms and abbreviations. New! You can also search
for more than 850,000 US and Canadian postal codes.
Convert Word docs to clean HTML: http://word2cleanhtml.com/
AskNumbers.com will
calculate all kinds of conversions, not just the obvious ones, such
as weights and measures, but things like viscosity and and fuel economy.
A
comprehensive resources site: http://100kresources.com/
RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS:
http://www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/student-copyright/
http://www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/student-plagiarism/
Creative Writing Courses for Beginners: https://bit.ly/2rwguUw
ALSO SEE: RESOURCES
re PUBLISHING
ALSO SEE: RESOURCES
re CREATIVITY
ALSO SEE:
RESOURCES for ENTREPRENEURS
CANADIAN
LIBRARIES DATABASE
More than 90 Canadian Libraries with purchasing
power, covering all provinces and territories,
available in both database format (EXCEL) and in
Word, with addresses in block format
so you can print labels immediately. See full
description by clicking above. Only $35.
INTERVIEW
TIPS & A SHORTHAND METHOD FOR WRITERS
Capture all the details and every quote by taking
notes with a type of shorthand
that's easy to decipher later. This 9-page
handout contains a shorthand method based on
Speedwriting, adapted by Barbara Florio Graham over
many years as a professional
journalist. Tips on how and when to use a tape
recorder are also included. $10. postpaid.
USEFUL SITES for Research,
Copyright Info, etc.
(See separate pages for Copyright
Resources, Marketing Resources)
Librarian's Internet Index:
http://tinyurl.com/nuwfub Searchable, annotated subject directory
of more than 14,000 Internet resources selected and evaluated by
librarians for their value to users of public libraries. Entries
organized into 14 main topics and nearly 300 related topics.
U.S. Facts, including census numbers, geography,
statistics, etc. at: http://factfinder2.census.gov/
USAfacts.org is a
new site providing federal, state and local information from 70
government agencies.
The World Factbook provides information on the history, people,
government, economy, geography,
communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues
for 267 world entities.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
Library of Congress:
Chronicling America, allows you to search America’s historic
newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to
find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
Online portals such as the Library of Congress,
the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and the Bureau of
the Census are virtual treasure troves. The Data.gov
website has also become a go-to, user-friendly database of
federal information. Think tanks like the
Brookings Institution (liberal) and the
Reason Foundation (conservative/libertarian) along with nonpartisan
research portals like
Pew Research Internet Project represent excellent sources for
both data
and
analysis.
Check http://www.biography.com/
if you need information about famous people, including lists and
statistics. Also, OmniBiography.com
is the largest directory of biographies available on the Web
containing information on more than 110,000 important people from
antiquity to the present time. It can be searched by name, by
country, by state and alphabetically and it includes biographies from
the most important sites on the web in all languages.
Media Law Resources, a carefully selected list: http://journalismdegree.org/media-law-ethics/
Information about composers, lyrics, etc: http://www.songfacts.com/
Quotations: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Main_Page
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES for
magazine guidelines, information about writing
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/
the inside info on problems with editors & publishers
www.writing-world.com a
huge site with comprehensive information on all aspects of writing
and publishing, created by Moira Allen, author of several books.
Gary McLean has revived his excellent world
markets' newsletter.
WorldWide Freelance is free, as is Gary's new blog.
Booksquare at http://booksquare.com/.
An informative site relating more to the traditional book publishing
industry rather than self-publishing. Carol Denbow calls it a
“what’s hot, what’s not” reference.
Write and Publish Your Book at http://www.writeandpublishyourbook.com/.
Lots of articles by published authors who promote their own books at
the end of each article, but give useful info regardless.
http://www.poynter.org
reliable information and tools for professional journalists,
including helpful newsletters, articles about writing, useful links.
Worldwide News Media Guide: more than 33,000 media outlets in 213 countries:
http://mondotimes.com/
FreelanceWriting.com
offers a searchable and sortable database of writing and poetry contests.
FreelanceWriting.com also
has a separate database which lists no-fee writing and poetry contests.
http://www.writerswrite.net/pubbrws.cfm?category=regional&payingstatus=yes
database for guidelines
Order PDF reports on writing-related subjects, including correct
manuscript format, how to form and run a critique circle, how to
identify weak writing and repair it, self-publishing versus
traditional publishing, and much more. Go to: http://zebraeditor.com/free_reports.shtml
Ruth Barringham is a writer and author from
Brisbane Australia. She runs a web site for writers at http://writeaholics.net,
and is the co-author of the popular e-book for writers, The
Wealthy Writer: How to Earn $100k+/Year Writing For the Internet.
Anne Wallingford's website, Freelancer's
FAQ, contains an excellent Work for Hire contract to use when
you hire an illustrator, designer, photographer, etc.
http://quick-brown-fox-canada.blogspot.com/
Brian Henry's site contains many resources, including contests
http://www.agentquery.com/
information about agents, editors, as well as a paid newsletter
http://www.litmatch.net/AgentBlogs.asp
agent blogs
http://www.sources.com/
Canadian sources, including corporations, organizations, agencies,
for information and interview subjects. Also see: http://www.nserc.ca/partners/chairs_e.asp
http://www.J-Source.ca
The Canadian Journalism Project, a project of the Canadian
Journalism Foundation (CJF) in collaboration with leading journalism
schools and organizations across Canada to promote excellence in journalism.
http://www.npr.org
National Public Radio offers podcasts of author interviews, book
reviews, etc.
http://www.ccna.ca/
Canadian Community Newspaper Association, 743 members, mostly weeklies
http://www.freelancesuccess.com
(excellent website and discussion list)
http://www.WriterL.com
(another excellent discussion list for professional writers)
http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog
(Patricia Fry's blog contains excellent advice)
Sites which list freelance jobs: www.freelanceswitch.com
www.elance.com www.guru.com
webworkerdaily.com www.freelancefolder.com
http://freepages.writing.rootsweb.com/~petersplace/new.htm
(Peter's Place Of Freelance Journalism)
http://www.anthologiesonline.com
(anthology markets)
http://www.publicityhound.com
(excellent resource for publicity and promotion)
http://www.agentquery.com/default.aspx
(advice about how to find an agent)
http://www.mentors.ca/mp_writers.html;
www.peers.ca
(for and about mentoring)
http://www.readerviews.com
(an interesting book review site)
http://therenegadewriter.com
(The Renegade Writers, which includes excellent info about queries)
General sites for writers:
www.Scriptorium.ca
http://www.aucc.ca/
Canadian universities and colleges, a source of experts in
various special fields
as well as for magazines
published by these institutions
http://newark.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/links.html
(resources for writers and writing instructors)
http://www.silverdonaldcameron.ca (inspiration
from one of Canada's pre-eminent writers)
http://www.adrianblake.com/
(Adrian offers coaching and workshops in
corporate writing)
http://www.johnwatkis.com
(John is an actor, motivational speaker, and writer who
offers great advice about public speaking; also check http://www.wellwrittenwellsaid.com/podcast.html
http://www.sharasmock.com/
(Shara's book on writing openings is a useful resource for freelancers)
http://writeaholics.net
Australian Ruth Barrington offers advice and a free newsletter
SPECIFIC GENRES
WRITING FOR CHILDREN:
POETRY & FICTION:
www.1000-poetry-and-writing-contests.com
www.thepoetrymarket.com
offers a monthly ezine; interviews with poets, publishers and editors as
well
as contest listings
FILM & TV:
Turn your book into a movie. Award-winning
screenwriter Derek Klaus can provide this service at a very
reasonable cost. Check out his website at: http://yourbookintoamovie.com
InkTip Newsletter
lists requests for specific kinds of scripts
Scriptapalooza
periodically offers a discount on their script analysis services.
The Slamdance Feature Screenplay Competition is
held every years, with a June deadline.
Information at: http://slamdance.com/writing/feature.html
SONGWRITING & LYRICS:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/
Ultimate Songwriting.com: Hundreds of pages of
advice on how to write a song, song-writing tips, ideas and
techniques. The site also has a step-by-step tutorial on song-writing
and a free newsletter.
http://www.ultimatesongwriting.com/
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OF INTEREST:
https://www.wizcase.com/blog/online-privacy-guide-steps-to-security-in-the-digital-age/
and https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/online-privacy-journalists/
and https://thebestvpn.com/online-privacy-guide/
Bubbl.us, a
web-based, free mind-mapping application for brainstorming. You can
save, edit, print, and share with others.
Content
Idea Generator: a simple Web tool to generate content ideas.
Enter your keyword and it spits out strange but useful combinations.
Song Facts: song
trivia - invaluable for puzzles and quizzes, as well as useful in
both fiction and nonfiction
Career-Changing Takeaways is a compilation of
quotes, rules, aphorisms, tips, quips, sage advice and secrets, by
marketing guru Denny Hatch. Divided into 99 different categories,
from Advertising through Writing, you'll find tidbits on creativity,
headlines, marketing, overwork, politics, and website design, to
mention just a few that will be helpful to authors, speakers, and teachers.
Order from
http://www.forcopywritersonly.com/
information for those writing advertising copy
FilmScriptWriting.com: Useful articles and tips on
script writing, including issues of content, format, and more. http://www.FilmScriptWriting.com
RoughDraft: a word processor, with special settings
for Prose, Radio Plays, and Screenplays. In Screenplay Mode,
formatting is achieved by pre-set tabs: Scene Heading (Slug Line),
Character, Dialogue, Transition, or Parenthetical. Just keep hitting
the [TAB] key until you get the setting you want, then type in your
text. A Status Bar at the bottom of the program window echoes the
current tab setting. Each document you create comes with an
associated set of smaller files, including a scratch pad for casual
notes, a library of special symbols, and a list of AutoWords. This
last can be used to store boilerplate text, such as names of main
characters, principal locations -- even DAY and NIGHT. Capitalization
of character names is done automatically. The Dialogue tab set is
selected by default, if you press [ENTER] at the end of a character
name. http://www.salsbury.f2s.com/rd_download.htm
The Writer's Guide to Holidays, Observances and Awareness Dates"
offers 1800 events worldwide --
available in print and Kindle editions from http://www.writing-world.com/year/holidays.shtml
A WRITER'S YEAR is the ONLY 365-day planner designed specifically
for writers! Plan your
schedule, track billable hours, organize tasks, and track your
progress and achievements. Each week
brings you an inspirational writing quote. Best of all, it's
FREE. Download an electronic version in
PDF or Excel, or access the print edition: http://www.writing-world.com/year/index.shtml
The
Ultimate Writing Guide offers help geared primarily to students
writing essays.
COURSES:
Open Yale Courses provides free
and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught
by
distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University. The aim of
the project is to expand access to educational materials for all who
wish to learn. All lectures were recorded in the Yale College
classroom and are available in video, audio, and text transcript
formats. Registration is not required. No course credit, degree, or
certificate is available.
The Alphasmart
http://www.alphasmart.com/Retail/
is a simple, light-weight and reliable word-processor, ideal for
taking outdoors, to a venue where you need to take notes, or when
you're traveling. No Internet, no e-mail, no CD or other add-ons.
Long battery life, good memory capacity in several different files,
easy to download to any computer program (including e-mail, your
word-processor, a database, or spreadsheet).