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writer's block

Need some inspiration so you can finish your novel? Or do you want tips on how to improve your writing skills? No matter what aspect of writing you are interested in, this section of inSITES will cover it.

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internet search with magnifying glassOnline Research for Writers

Part One: Introduction to Online Research

It wasn't that long ago that writers were forced to leave the comforts of their homes and search through piles of books at a library or bookstore to find the information they needed. How did we ever survive? Now you can do your research from anywhere as long as you have a computer and a connection to the Internet. Nothing gives you immediate gratification like the web.

Thank you to Armand Coutu for his "bits" of inspiration.

Susan Lee's Online Research Tips for Writers

Research is one of my favorite things to do and something I've had to do for many projects including novels and non-fiction books. Here are my tips for fast and rewarding online research for writers:

  1. Start with a good search engine. The best, in my opinion, is Google.
  2. Use the right keywords.
    • For example, let's say I want to know more about Victorian women's clothing for a historical novel. These are the keywords I would use: victorian era clothing women
  3. Check out Wikipedia, then verify the information with another source.
    • Wikipedia is a terrific place to start, but don't end there! Wikipedia is not gospel. People can write whatever they want as if it is the truth so check with another source or two before using the information for your research.
  4. Talk to people in the know.
    • If you need a medical question answered, go to a doctor or medical student forum and ask a question. If you need to know what it's like to be a die hard Trekkie, then visit a blog and find out how they talk to each other and what they say about their experiences. There's nothing like talking to (or eavesdropping on ) the experts.
  5. Search the text of a book without buying it by using the Look Inside This Book function in Amazon.
    • Most new books on Amazon have a "Look Inside This Book" function.
    • I start by searching Amazon Books for victorian era clothing women. I really didn't like the results, so I changed it up to victorian clothing women and found better results, but too many of them.
    • I narrow down the field by selecting the Art & Photography department and then Fashion department under that. Now I have 13 books which is managable, but I want the most recently published one because there are some books dating back to the 80's and I know they won't have the "Look Inside This Book" function.
    • To sort them by publication date I click on the Sort drop down box and select Publication Date.
    • One book in particular catches my attention, The Dress of Women: A Critical Introduction to the Symbolism and Sociology of Clothing. I click on the link to see more information, then click on the Look Inside This Book link under the book cover image. Here I can search the book itself with any search term I want or look at the table of contents or index for information. I'm interested in corsets, so I type in corsets. Three different pages show up. I click on the first one and hit pay dirt. Now I've found the information I want and I didn't even have to buy the book.
    look inside book
  6. Bookmark the page(s) you will reference and reference them correctly in your footnotes or bibliography.
    • In Internet Explorer 8: Click on the Favorites menu and select Add to Favorites. You may want to start a folder just for this particular research project to keep everything in one place.
    • In Mozilla Firefox (my prefered browser) Click Ctrl+D or Click on the Bookmarks menu and select Bookmark this Page.
  7. Look through images
    • Sometimes you need to see a visual representation of what you're researching. Google has a way to search just through images. Use the same keywords you would use to search for text.

Research Links by Topic

FORENSICS/MEDICINE

THE LAW

HistorY

FASHION/CLOTHING

Language

Location/Geography

Learn More

In Our Next Issue: Part 2 of Online Research for Writers: Word Nerds Unite (Grammar, Vocabulary & Dictionaries) and Story Mechanics (Plot, Characters, Outlines and Timelines)

Upcoming Writing Contests

Camber Press, Poetry Chapbook Award

Deadline: August 15, 2009
Entry Fee: $15
Web site: www.camberpress.com
E-mail address: info@camberpress.com

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Camber Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Mark Doty will judge. Submit a manuscript of up to 24 pages with a $15 entry fee by August 15. Send an SASE or e-mail for complete guidelines.

Camber Press, Poetry Chapbook Award, 1160 Midland Avenue, Suite 3F, Bronxville, NY 10708.

Gival Press Short Story Award

Deadline: August 8, 2009
Entry Fee: $25
Web site: www.givalpress.com
E-mail address: givalpress@yahoo.com

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story. The winning entry will be published on the press’s Web site. Submit a story of 5,000 to 15,000 words with a $25 entry fee by August 8. Send an SASE, call, e-mail, or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.

Gival Press, Short Story Award, P.O. Box 3812, Arlington, VA 22203. (703) 351-0079. Robert Giron, Editor.

Memoir (and) Prize for Memoir in Prose or Poetry

Deadline: August 15, 2009
Web site: www.memoirjournal.com

A prize of $500 and publication in Memoir (and) will be given twice yearly for a memoir in the form of a poem, a short story, or an essay. Joan Chapman and Candida Lawrence will judge. Submit up to five poems or up to 10,000 words of prose by August 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the Web site for complete guidelines.

Memoir (and), Prize for Memoir in Prose or Poetry, P.O. Box 1398, Sausalito, CA 94966-1398. (415) 339-4130. Joan Chapman, Managing Editor.

Full list of Grants & Writing Contests from Poets & Writers Magazine

Helpful Links for writers

Writing Books I Recommend 

Screenwriting Books I Recommend

Current Fiction Bestsellers

Current Non-Fiction Bestsellers

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Marketing for Artists CD

Based on Susan Lee's successful Marketing for Artists presentation, this highly informative CD can be viewed on your pc or printed. It includes the following sections:

Order your Marketing for Artists CD now for only $15 (+$5 S&H)

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