Writers Online Services
Arvon Foundation
The celebrated Arvon creative writing courses cover four and a half
days and range from Novel Writing to Starting to Write.
Some grants are available. (http://www.arvonfoundation.org)
BBC Writers' Forum
There are pages of advice
and plenty of contacts.
The site provides useful information on writing for radio and TV as
well as guidelines on submitting material in their WritersRoom.
Book 2 Book: Book Info
Useful up-to-the-minute book trade news site and
directory from the UK www.booktrade.info
Book Forager
Branching Out, a UK librarians' site, offers highly innovative way of
finding the book you would like to read, using the happy/sad,
conventional/weird and other spectrums. www.branching-out.net/forager/index.htm
Book Reader
Rudenko's freely downloadable software enables you to reformat text
documents, whether they are e-books or any other downloadable text,
according to your own preference. Useful if you have impaired vision or
are just suffering from eye-strain. Also Autoscroll facility.
http://www.rudenko.com/
Fiction Plus
Subscription site which also offers to put publish short stories up to
2,500 words online.
www.fictionplus.co.uk
Murder Files
Expert researcher offers research service on British murders. www.murderfiles.com
New Writer's Guide
Newly set up site offering new writing guides on writing poetry,
stories, letters and books, which are emailed to you as e-books .
www.newwritersguide.com
Online Originals
The original and still one of the very best e-book publishing websites.
Careful selection of high quality writing is made by fellow-writers before
the books are added to the elegantly-designed site:
http://www.onlineoriginals.com
The Published Writer
An American site offering an Internet directory of writers, editors,
publishers and literary agents, with everything from poetry to Greeting
Card writing (in ten parts!) http://www.thepublishedwriter.org
The Publishing Training Centre at Book House
UK official publishing training centre which also offers
well-regarded
distance learning
courses
on proof-reading and editing. www.train4publishing.co.uk
Rare Books
International UK-based service for finding difficult-to-locate books. www.scfordham.com
Screenwriting
Alex Epstein’s site about his book offers many tips for the aspiring
screenplay writer, including a screenplay evaluation service at www.craftyscreenwriting.com.
Secret Attic
New site run by a group of writers and artists which offer regular
competitions.
www.secretattic.com
Shooting People
UK filmmakers network for members which offers daily bulletins for
filmmakers, screenwriters and for casting. Also has own list of
short guides to aspects of making films. www.shootingpeople.org
Watch File
Database containing names and addresses for the rights-holders
for the work of writers and artists housed in libraries and archives in
the US and the UK. Primarily for scholars, but useful if you are
trying to track down a copyright-holder.
http//.tyler.hrc.utexas.edu/
Write Movies
Site conducting worldwide search for new storytellers and showing you
how to do it. Maintains that 98% of screenplays fail at the very
first idea stage. www.writemovies.com
Writers Beware
Run by the Science Fiction Writers of America, this site offers sound
practical advice about how to avoid scams practiced on writers by phony
agents, publishers and editors. The specific alerts, which focus on
the US, include some hair-raising stories. www.sfwa.org/beware/
Writing Contests
Site which lists a large number of American writing contests, with
entry details. http://www.writingcontests.net/index.htm
Zoetrope Studios
Set up and funded by Francis Ford Coppola, this 'virtual studio' offers
an innovative approach to the film world, but also includes short stories
and novellas. Typically, if you make a submission you have to read
two others of the same length. http://www.zoetrope.com/
