Resources for Writers: General Resources
CREATIVITY
Aliventures (including blog)
The Midnight Disease by
What underlies the human ability, desire, and even compulsion to write? Alice Flaherty first explores the brain state called hypergraphia - the overwhelming desire to write - and the science behind its antithesis, writer's block. As a leading neurologist at a major research hospital, Flaherty writes from the front lines of brain research. Her voice, driven and surprisingly original, has its roots in her own experiences of hypergraphia, triggered by a postpartum mood disorder. Both qualifications lend power to Flaherty's riveting connection between the biology of human longing and the drive to communicate. The Midnight Disease charts exciting new territory concerning the roles of mind and body in the creative process. Flaherty - whose engagement with her patients and lifelong passion for literature enrich each page - argues for the importance of emotion in writing, illuminates the role that mood disorders play in the lives of many writers, and explores with profound insight the experience of being "visited by the muse." Her understanding of the role of the brain's temporal lobes and limbicsystem in the drive to write challenges the popular idea that creativity emerges solely from the right side of the brain. Finally, The Midnight Disease casts lights on the methods and madness of writers past and present, from Dostoevsky to Conrad, from Sylvia Plath to Stephen King. The Midnight Disease brings the very latest brain science to bear on the most compelling questions surrounding human creativity.
Call Number: 808.0019 FLAISBN: 0618230653Publication Date: 2004-01-06
Unless It Moves the Human Heart by
Multiple award-winner Roger Rosenblatt has received glowing critical acclaim for his exceptional literary works--from the hilarious novels Lapham Rising and Beet to his poignant, heartbreaking, ultimately inspiring memoir Making Toast. With Unless It Moves the Human Heart, the revered novelist, essayist, playwright, and respected writing teacher offers a guidebook for aspiring authors, a memoir, and an impassioned argument for the necessity of writing in our world. In the tradition of Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, Rosenblatt's Unless It Moves the Human Heart provides practical insights and advice on the craft, exquisitely presented by one of contemporary literature's living treasures.
Call Number: 808.02 ROSISBN: 9780061965616Publication Date: 2011-01-04
Kicking in the Wall by
"I would go as far as I could and hit a wall," said musician and memoirist Patti Smith. In response, playwright Sam Shepard advised, "When you hit a wall, just kick it in." Writing teacher Barbara Abercrombie's powerful writing prompts give us just the push we need to do it. Like a workout with a top trainer, her exercises warm up, stretch, and build creative muscle. 'Kicking In the Wall' includes quotes from famous writers to accompany the exercises, as well as real-world examples of completed exercises by the author's students in the UCLA Extension Writer's Program. Though Abercrombie says readers need only commit to five minutes per exercise, she writes, "I've seen novels, memoirs, and many essays get started in those five minutes, and a lot ended up being published." Her playful method is essential fuel for writers trying to get off the starting block, persevere through challenges, and cross their personal creativity finish lines.
Call Number: 808.3 ABEISBN: 9781608681563Publication Date: 2013-05-07
GENERAL RESOURCES
Author Media Web Design & Marketing
Behind the Name : the etymology and history of first names
Canva.com Free graphic designing
Hiveword : Writers Knowledge Base
Internet Archive incl. Wayback Machine
Publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/
The Review Review [of Literary Magazines]
Shaw Guides Guide to Writers Conferences & Writing Workshops
CLASSICS
Bird by Bird by
For a quarter century, more than a million readers--scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities--have been inspired by Anne Lamott's hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anne's father--also a writer--in the iconic passage that gives the book its title: "Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'" An essential volume for generations of writers young and old, Bird by Bird is a modern classic. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition will continue to spark creative minds for years to come.
Call Number: 808.02 LAMISBN: 0385480016Publication Date: 1995-09-01
Writing Down the Bones by
Natalie Goldberg's word-of-mouth hit has sold well over half a million copies. Goldberg, who has conducted writing workshops for both beginners and professionals all over the United States, sees writing as a practice that helps us comprehend the value of our lives. With insight, humor, and practicality, she inspires writers and would-be writers alike to take the leap into writing creatively and well.
Call Number: 808.02 GOLISBN: 9780877733751Publication Date: 1986-10-12
FOR FUN
Indiebound A Community of Independent Local Bookstores
Shaw Guides Writers Conferences and Workshops
Storium The Creative Writing Game
Threepanelbookreview.tumblr.com [must be on Tumblr]