Writing Resources

This forum is for picking apart tricky issues facing any authors in the community. Word choice, action scenes, dialoguing, or plot development. If something isn't working for you, put it up here and see what your fellow community members can make of it. Try to keep examples short and to the point as much as possible.

Writing Resources

Unread postby bibliophile20 » May 24th, 2008, 3:24 pm

Alright, people. While Wikipedia, and the Wikimedia Project in general, are a wonderful resource for fact-checking, there are many more resources for writers online aside from them. So... let's share. I'll get started with my references, and, as people add more, I'll add them in the appropriate area (so we don't have to go chasing all over the thread to find useful references)

Detail Reference

Online Conversion; need to know how many inches to the kilometer? Or ounces to the ton? If it can be measured and stamped with unit of measure, the site can convert it to a related unit.
http://www.onlineconversion.com/


How Stuff Works; fairly self-explanatory.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/


National Library of Medicine; useful for anything related to the human body, within reason.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/


TimeAndDate; need to check what day of the week August 10, 1873 was? Need to see when the full moons will be in the year 2072? How long is it between January 14, 1992, and September 24, 2016? What time will the sun rise for the next month? When will the moon rise?
http://www.timeanddate.com/


TV Tropes Wiki; a fun wiki, that offers a humorous and often insightful perspective on common fictional tropes.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage


Lock-picking 101; how to pick locks. A forum for this intriguing hobby.
http://www.lockpicking101.com/


Greg Miller's Guide To Lock Picking for Beginners; this is a site for those that are interested in how to actually pick locks, not just portray it accurately in their writing, but he has some valuable advice and detail on his site.
http://www.gregmiller.net/locks/


The Box o' Truth; testing common gun myths and questions with real live firepower! If you've got guns in your universe, and you're looking for realism in your writing, this is a must read site.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/theboxotruth.htm


Detail Oriented LiveJournal Community; a place to ask others various and sundry research questions. (courtesy of Silverblade219)
http://community.livejournal.com/little_details/


Ask A Historian LiveJournal Community; a place to ask historians history questions. (courtesy of Silverblade219)
http://community.livejournal.com/askahistorian/


How to destroy the Earth;
Destroying the Earth is harder than you may have been led to believe.

You've seen the action movies where the bad guy threatens to destroy the Earth. You've heard people on the news claiming that the next nuclear war or cutting down rainforests or persisting in releasing hideous quantities of pollution into the atmosphere threatens to end the world.

Fools.

The Earth is built to last. It is a 4,550,000,000-year-old, 5,973,600,000,000,000,000,000-tonne ball of iron. It has taken more devastating asteroid hits in its lifetime than you've had hot dinners, and lo, it still orbits merrily. So my first piece of advice to you, dear would-be Earth-destroyer, is: do NOT think this will be easy.

<snip>

This is a guide for those who do not want the Earth to be there anymore.
That pretty much sums it up.
http://qntm.org/?destroy


Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics; they even have a rating system detailing how good or bad some particular movies are in terms of their physics.
http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/


The Biology of B-Movie Monsters; been enlarged or shrunk? That's okay! Just read this article and you'll know what you're now physically capable of! Covers a variety of topics regarding the physics and biology of monsters in B-movies, and some A-movies, too.
http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/21701757/



Language


The Phrase Finder; more or less, a dictionary of phrases, idioms and sayings. Handy, especially if you're looking up stuff about Shakespeare, as he added more phrases to the English language than even the Bible.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html


Latin-English Dictionary; fun toy; use it to have a character mutter in a language that no one else is likely to understand--or perhaps translate what those omnipresent monks are chanting during the movie climax.
http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/Latin/


Dictionary of English Slang; a very handy resource, especially for writing in the Potter-verse; with this, one doesn't have to have Ron and Harry repeat the same four or five curses again and again; even in America, we alternate between different four-letter words! That being said, alot of what is in that site is very rude and profane due to its nature. You have been warned.
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/index.htm


The (Very) Best of British; the American's guide to speaking British. Similar to the Slang site, but this deals more with cultural differences and different word usage.
http://www.effingpot.com/


Hagridizer; makes normal text into Hagrid-speech. A valuable tool for those writing Potter-fic and wanting to include Hagrid, but can't due to his... unique accent.
http://rephrase.net/box/hagridizer/


Dialects and Accents in Harry Potter; a handy series of notes and points about the various accented characters in the Potter-verse. Has notes on Hagrid, Stan Shunpike, Madame Maxine and Fleur, Krum, Winky, Dobby and Kreacher.
http://manu86.livejournal.com/25048.html


HP_Britglish; the memorable entries section of the HP-Britglish LiveJournal Community; handy reference.
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori ... _britglish


A list of free text to speech software that can help writer’s spot errors in there work.
http://www.dyslexia.com/helpread.htm (courtesy of shootme)



Name Generators


Seventh Sanctum; has name generators for currency, for nations, for angels, for ships, for "Questionable Anime Attacks". They have links on the right to other, similar generators, some on-site, some off-site. Very useful
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/


Behind the Name; a massive database of first names, searchable for names, meanings, popularities, namesakes and more. Very useful if you're building a group of characters around a theme--it has a whole section for that. Worth checking out is the Random Name Generator; you can specify by which cultures to draw from.
http://www.behindthename.com/


Fantasy Name Generator; some others have linked to this already on other threads; I'm just being a completist. It's just a generator, but what a generator!
http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/


20,000+ Names from Around the World; Truth in advertising, here; this place is organized by Culture, with male and female names for each; worth checking out is the "Special Categories" which have themed lists.
http://www.20000-names.com/index.htm


Chris Pound's Name Generation Page; haven't really used anything from here yet, but, by the looks of things, could be lotsa fun!
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~pound/


Last Name Meanings Dictionary; a wonderful resource for writers, especially since most generators just give first names; organized alphabetically and by a selection of major cultures.
http://www.last-names.net/


Names by Chinaroad; don't be fooled by the doggies; this place is insane! They've got close to a hundred categories, ranging from Names of the Pacific to Nature Names, plus an entire page of links to other generators!
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/Names.htm


Serendipity; a fellow named Manon made this site, and it features a bunch of awesome name generators, for people, places (the Place Name Generator is helping me build my D&D world), and things. Most entertaining generator? The "Marie-Suezette Generator". Quote: "Instantly create an obnoxiously romantic original character."
http://nine.frenchboys.net/



Worldbuilding Advice


Fantasy is Not For Sissies--Real Rules for Real Worlds; ten rules and a mini-rant on the nature of magic in well written fantasy.
http://hollylisle.com/fm/Articles/rules ... ntasy.html


Worldbuilding--Rollicking Rules of Ecosystems; notes and points on the nature of ecosystems large and small.
http://hollylisle.com/fm/Articles/rules ... stems.html


Limyaael's Fantasy Rants; a wonderful, if occasionally extremely sarcastic, series of rants on various fantasy cliches and tropes, and how to avoid them.
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memori ... filter=all


Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions; a very handy series of questions and points to consider when building a fictional world.
http://www.sfwa.org/writing/worldbuilding1.htm



Writing Advice


Science Fiction Workshop Primer; a series of points and issues that often creep up in writing.
http://www.sfwa.org/writing/turkeycity.html


The Medicine Wheel; a series of essays, thoughts and ramblings on writing, the writing process, the creative process, characterization, editing, fandom, and being a writer. (courtesy of Silverblade219)
http://www.themedicinewheel.net/diaryentries.html


Lira Snape's Writing Help Links; a bunch of writing-related links. Mostly advice and essays on how to write various portions of the narrative; characterization, point-of-view, proper grammar and more. (courtesy of Silverblade219)
http://lira-snape.livejournal.com/12817.html
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby bibliophile20 » May 24th, 2008, 3:24 pm

Reserved for overflow
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby unknown231 » May 24th, 2008, 5:16 pm

http://www.themedicinewheel.net/diaryentries.html
Musings on Writing by minisinoo.

http://community.livejournal.com/little_details/
A place to ask other writers for research questions

http://community.livejournal.com/askahistorian/profile
A place to ask for historical details

http://lira-snape.livejournal.com/12817.html
A list a links for writing tips. Haven't really looked through it yet but it is long, so we probably some overlapping with this thread.

(can we sticky this thread so it doesn't get lost later on?)
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby bibliophile20 » May 24th, 2008, 10:43 pm

Thank you for the links, they have been added to the list, and, per your request, the thread has been sticky'd.
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby unknown231 » May 25th, 2008, 10:30 pm

Thank you. I found a few more links

http://www.unfitforsociety.net/resources.htm
Resources for Writers

http://www.keleka.net/deepbackground/re ... edical.htm
Medical Information. The main site is an X-Files research site, though this page should be good for when you need to hurt a character in other situations.

http://www.archetypewriting.com/index.html
The Fiction Writer's Guide to Psychology

http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm
The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test

http://rachelmanija.livejournal.com/541123.html
a three-part essay on post-traumatic stress disorder

http://moonmip.livejournal.com/33690.html
Writing Resources (with Meta)

http://www.geocities.com/chronicles_sgc ... ssary.html
Military Glossary

http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/?p=890
Advise on rewriting

http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/
Advise on Story Craft
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby shoootme » October 26th, 2008, 5:17 pm

A list of free text to speech software that can help writer’s spot errors in there work.

http://www.dyslexia.com/helpread.htm
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Psalm Of Fire » December 16th, 2008, 3:28 am

And now my single greatest contribution to the viridian forums:

http://www.writingexcuses.com/

It's a 15 minute podcasts (for each one) covering the following topics:
* Bonus * Business * Characters * Editing * general * Genre * Guest * Horror * Howard * Humor * Ideas * Liner Notes * Live * magic * News & Reviews * Other Podcasts * Plot * Q&A * Scenes * Sci-fi * Setting * Stacy * Style * Submitting * Uncategorized * World Building * Writing Prompt

It's with three authors, one a Cartoonist, one a Fantasy Author, and the other a Horror Author. I have found them to be knowledgeable, balance, and very funny. Very very helpful! Enjoy! (I know I did)

I think they have something like 40 podcasts so far.
"That didn't make me cry. I'm just shedding manly tears over something completely unrelated and super masculine. Like an explosion. An exploding robot. An exploding robot that's on fire. DON'T LOOK AT ME!"
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Psalm Of Fire » March 6th, 2009, 2:10 pm

I've found something else excellent: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/hph.html

This is a reference for physics and perception. Really good stuff, you can jump in anywhere to learn, though knowing some algebra is recommended, but not necessary.

And now I understand how sound truly works...
"That didn't make me cry. I'm just shedding manly tears over something completely unrelated and super masculine. Like an explosion. An exploding robot. An exploding robot that's on fire. DON'T LOOK AT ME!"
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Comosicus » April 14th, 2009, 1:35 pm

On another board I'm lurking there is a very detailed thread that points to a lot of reference resources for fanfic purposes.

http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=128324
In a nutshell, this is supposed to be an index of pages containing information that could prove useful for either aspiring fanfic writers or simply people who want to know more. Contributions are welcome and so is constructive criticism.
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Lightwhispers » September 20th, 2009, 8:27 pm

Something useful I ran across on Tvtropes.org: The Big List of Booboos and Blunders.
This is a list of words that are often confused in writing, with definitions. It also lists "eggcorns", words (or non-words) that are used because they sound like the intended word.
Some of my biggest peeves are on the list, such as "loose" vs "lose", "diffuse" vs "defuse", and "discrete" vs "discreet". :grindaxe
Warning: the above may contain strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and logic (which may be unsuitable for stupid people).
-adapted from xkcd

I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I will not stop until I find out what.
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Calinero » February 12th, 2010, 12:12 am

Does anyone here know a good reference site for CSI-type investigations? At the moment, I need to know what signs would show that a victim has been smothered to death by a pillow. Any unusual markings, bruising, etc?
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Tempest Kitsune » February 12th, 2010, 12:16 am

Fibers from the pillowcase caught in the victims skin as they thrashed? Possibly skin under their nails from attempting to claw at their assailant, or more fibers from the pillow from them trying to tear it off their face? Rugburn-like patterns on their cheeks and foreheads, possibly a bit of the pillow in their mouth from biting at it in desperation? A broken nose from where the assailant pressed down too hard during the attack?

Sorry, don't know any sites, those just came to me off the top of my head.
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— Captain America

Naruto RP Character - Takuma Itsuki, Special Jounin
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Calinero » February 12th, 2010, 1:14 am

Victim was comatose at the time, so not likely to have many signs of struggle. Broken nose is possible, though, as it was done in a fit of rage. Same with fibers. I dunno, I'll find something. Thanks for the ideas, though!
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby gman391 » July 20th, 2010, 6:09 pm

Cast: Resurrection

Anyways found this on the net. Thought it would help in some cases or just make you smile
http://www.rinkworks.com/fnovel/
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."
----Jack Layton
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Thozmp » July 20th, 2010, 6:43 pm

Cast: Resurrection

Anyways found this on the net. Thought it would help in some cases or just make you smile
http://www.rinkworks.com/fnovel/
Question 33 made me laugh:
33.Is your name Robert Jordan and you lied like a dog to get this far?
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Psalm Of Fire » July 20th, 2010, 9:32 pm

I'm out of the loop, I've never read Robert Jordan before. Fill me in?
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Darkandus » July 20th, 2010, 10:11 pm

Imagine pretty much every cliche ever. You are now imagining the wheel of time series.
Spoiler: show
Image
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby MrRigger2 » July 21st, 2010, 12:03 am

And long. Too long.

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In engineering, the work is only done when there is nothing left to add. In writing, the work is only done when there is nothing left to take away.

Check out Between Magic and Mount Justice
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Satori » July 21st, 2010, 4:52 am

Also, there are hundreds of recurring characters, and about 7 dozen dangling plotlines. About half the women have names that start with E, just to help you remember better. :doh
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Kirai » July 21st, 2010, 5:33 am

I still like it.... :shy:
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Thozmp » July 21st, 2010, 9:58 am

I still like it.... :shy:
So do I, but I still gotta be honest it being almost the big book of cliches.
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Greybane » July 28th, 2010, 6:34 pm

I still like it.... :shy:
So do I, but I still gotta be honest it being almost the big book of cliches.
Concur.
Odd that. It actually worked.
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby SLAMU » July 29th, 2010, 4:28 pm

I still like it.... :shy:
So do I, but I still gotta be honest it being almost the big book of cliches.
Concur.
I disagree, not only to be contrary (although that's part of it), but I thought that alot of what Mr. Jordan wrote was somewhat innovative at the time, which was later copied by other authors. The fact that I read the books when I was 8 years old and impressionable isn't important here. Sure, it's not entirely origional, but what is?
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Darkandus » July 29th, 2010, 5:01 pm

Sure, it's not entirely origional, but what is?
The first story ever expressed using language?
Spoiler: show
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Re: Writing Resources

Unread postby Greybane » August 13th, 2010, 1:52 am

The use of words may have been original, but the idea of a story probably wasn't.
Odd that. It actually worked.
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