Links

Academic Writing

The Basics of APA Style
This tutorial is one of several free resources from the American Psychological Association. You’ll also find Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and model papers at APAstyle.org.

APA Documentation Guide
This handbook from the University of Wisconsin-Madison includes a clear explanation of how to create parenthetical citations and reference list entries.

APA Without Agony (PPT)
Many questions graduate students have about APA-style documentation are covered in this introduction.

APAchecklist_6th_edition (.doc)

APAtemplate_6th_edition (.doc) preformatted headings, hanging indents, and block quotations; highlight and type over existing text

Recommended APA Resources (.doc) including legal citation resources and how to use free citation makers

WritersDiet Test
Paste a sample of your academic writing into Helen Sword’s style analyzer to find out whether your writing is fit or flabby. If you tend to be wordy, this tool will help you find ways to tighten your style and heighten the impact of your writing.

Writing Like an Expert (online tutorial, Drake University)

Blogging

Heidi Cohen’s How to Create a Killer Blog: 21 Tactics Every Successful Blogger Needs provides a wealth of well-chosen resources in one convenient post.

When you need inspiration, visit Copyblogger.com, which has tons of practical advice about everything from catchy titles to 22 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue.

Blog carnivals are a good way to get introduced to new blogs on a particular topic. How do they work? Read Joel Friedlander’s post on Carnival of the Indies.

Choose bloggers you like or admire, and read them faithfully.If you think like a writer as you read, you’ll learn useful strategies like using an analogy to make a statistic understandable or illustrating a universal truth with a compelling personal story. My favorites include Leo Babuta, Joel Friedlander, Maria Popova, and Carol Tice.

Email Resources

Quick Guide to Writing Professional Emails (.doc)

Step Away from the Keyboard: How to Respond to a Rude Email (.ppt)

6 Rude Email Personalities (.ppt) (coming soon)

Kathy Towner offers practical Email Style & Etiquette advice at winblogger.com/. Find her advice about best email marketing practices at winmailusa.com.

Freelancing

Inside the Mind of a Freelancer (infographic)

Grammar

Is This a Sentence? Three Quick Tests (.doc)

Personal Proofing Checklist (.doc)

Grammar Bytes (review and practice parts of speech and grammar)

Charles Darling’s Guide to Grammar and Writing (explanations and quizzes)

Sentence Sense tutorial

Quizzes

Am I a Web or a Step Thinker? (online, self-scoring)

How Formal Should My Email Be? (online, self-scoring)

Do I Need Coaching? (online)

Do My Employees Need Coaching? (online)

Grammar Challenge: Find These Common Mistakes

• Grammar Challenge test (download)
• Answer Key (online)
• Scoring Guide: How Serious Are My Mistakes? (download)

Meet Your Four Writing Energies (download)

Writing Process

Habits of the Most Productive Writers (from Write More, Stress Less)

Meet Your Four Writing Energies (self-test)

Progress Chart

25 Famous Thinkers and Their Inspiring Daily Rituals

Publishing

Self-Publishing

Mick Rooney shares tips on finding a good author solutions provider: http://mickrooney.blogspot.com/2012/07/12-points-to-consider-when-looking-for.html

Joel Friedlander offers practical advice to help build better books: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/

Roxanne McHenry offers “A Realistic Timeline” for epublishing: http://eroxanne.com/1/ebook-publishing-timeline/

Traditional publishing

Agent Query
http://www.agentquery.com/

Chuck Sambuchino’s Guide to LIterary Agents
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents

Gini Graham Scott has an an article on “How to Get a Good Agent”:
http://www.writers-editors.com/Writers/News_Items/Agents/agents.htm

Preditors & Editors
http://pred-ed.com/pubagent.htm

Writer’s Digest Tutorial: How to Land a Literary Agent
http://tutorials.writersdigest.com/p-314-how-to-land-a-literary-agent.aspx

Literary Market Place, a standard reference guide, should be available from your local library or at http://www.literarymarketplace.com/