Library Notes
Betty Moore
Resources about Writing
Some say that everyone has a book inside them waiting to be written. Maybe this is the time yours has been waiting for. Rowan Public Library has a number of helpful resources for writers, whether they are looking for ideas to get started or have manuscripts ready to submit.
Books for inspiration such as Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within,” “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott, and “Writing as a Road to Self-Discovery” by Barry Lane discuss elements of the writer’s craft as well as what it takes to be a writer.
Others, such as “Grammatically Correct: The Writer’s Essential Guide to Punctuation, Spelling, Style, Usage, and Grammar” by Anne Stilman and the classic “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White, focus on the nuts and bolts of the writing process.
Browsing through the 808’s on RPL’s shelves will help writers learn about many formats and genres, including memoirs, novels and short stories, plays and screenwriting, magazine articles, and religious, travel or science writing. The titles alone highlight the wide variety of available resources and interests: “Write the Story of Your Life,” “Write Up the Corporate Ladder,” and “The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics.” RPL even has “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Well!”
Once a manuscript is complete, a writer usually begins looking for an agent, editor or publisher. “Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents 2009” is a good place to start. “Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye” by agent Katharine Sands gives tips on pitching your book plus getting an agent to notice your work.
“Writer’s Market” lists book publishers, magazines, and literary agents and includes interviews with successful writers. It also has a wide variety of information such as tips on writing query letters and a freelance rate chart. Similar sources are “Poet’s Market,” “Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market,” and “Christian Writer’s Market Guide.” “Literary Market Place 2009” is the directory of the American book publishing industry with industry yellow pages.
The North Carolina Writers’ Network has prepared a helpful little book whose huge title tells its contents: “North Carolina's Literary Resource Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to Grants and Fellowships, Retreats, and Residencies, Literary Magazines & Small Presses, Independent Bookstores, Writing Markets, Literary Reference Materials, Writers Groups & Organizations, Agents, Critiquing Services and much, much more.” Their website is www.ncwriters.org.
RPL also subscribes to “The Writer,” a monthly magazine offering “advice and inspiration for today’s writer.” A special section in the June 2009 issue focuses on writing for children. Their website is www.writermag.com.
BookPage, the free monthly book review periodical available at RPL, includes a column, “The Author Enablers,” that offers the inside scoop on writing and publishing.
Free the stories within you using writing resources at RPL.
