Creative Writing

Prepared by Karilyn Jaap
February 2006

Materials on this subject can be found on the third floor of the library in classification PN3355. Check the USF Libraries online catalog under the subject heading, Fiction--Authorship, for additional information and titles.


GETTING STARTED  

Dictionaries
“Use words as they are used.” (I. Compton-Burnett, Mother and Son, 1955)

Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words. REF PE1460 .B785 2002.

An attempt to clarify the “merry confusion of quirks and irregularities” that make up the English language.

Dictionary of Confusable Words. REF PE1460 .U74 1988.

Defines and explains words easily mixed up in speaking and writing.

Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate. REF PE1460 .E196 1997.

“Supplies spellings, pronunciations, and definitions for interesting words that make life rewarding for readers [and] writers.”

Oxford English Dictionary. 20 v. REF PE1625 .O87 1989.

Considered the masterpiece of English language lexicography, this dictionary is the latest culmination of four centuries of word gathering and defining. It uses historical quotations to illustrate the etymology of a word.

Random House Dictionary for Writers and Readers. REF PE1460 .R28 1990.

A literary dictionary that focuses on “the nuts and bolts of writing itself.” Illustrative quotations place a word in context.

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. REF PE1625 .W36 (located on dictionary stand at back of Index Tables K and L)

Similar in presentation to the Oxford English Dictionary (above), this work tends to a North American slant. Controversial at the time of its publication (1961) for including accepted slang and using recent source material for illustrative quotations, it is still today considered the final authority on spelling, word meaning, and word division by most publishers.

Grammars and Handbooks
“Grammar, and nonsense, and learning.” (Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, act 1, scene 1)

Creative Writer’s Style Guide. PE 1408 .L4124 2002.

Subtitled “rules and advice for writing fiction and creative nonfiction,” this book addresses both grammar usage and language style. Index at the back.

Elements of Style. REF PE1408 .S772 1979.

Widely referred to as “Strunk and White,” this slim volume condenses an entire class on English rhetoric into 85 pages of succinct commands. Considered a classic.

Holt Handbook . REF PE1408 .K675 2002.

A “writer’s handbook that serves as a classroom text, as a comprehensive reference, and as a writer’s companion.” Index at the back.

Modern American Usage: A Guide. REF PE1460 .F59 1998.

Alphabetical entries list the correct use of terms as an aid to good writing.

Say What You Mean! REF PE1464 .T734 2005.

Subtitled “a troubleshooter’s guide to English style and usage,” this volume aims to introduce the novice writer to “standard written English, a variety of English used in all careful writing.” Short entries are listed alphabetically.

Writer’s Handbook. REF PN137 .W7 2003 (Index Table L).

Divided into two parts: the first, a series of articles taken from Writer magazine on the profession and craft of writing; the second, a list of prospective markets and publishers. A glossary and an index are at the back.

Writing
“If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don’t listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.” (L. Hellman, New York Times, interview, Feb. 21, 1960)

The following is a list of suggested titles on the art and craft of fiction writing. All of these books are available on the third floor of Poynter Library.

Complete Book of Scriptwriting. J. Michael Straczynski. PN1661 .S75 1996.

A Field Guide to Writing Fiction. A. B. Guthrie, Jr. PN3355 .G88 1991.

How Fiction Works: The Last Word on Writing Fiction—From Basics to the Fine Points. Oakley Hall. PN3355 .H29 2001.

Modern Library Writer’s Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction. Stephen Koch. PN3355 .K59 2003.

Narrative Design: A Writer’s Guide to Structure. Madison S. Bell. PE1417 .B397 1997.

Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose. Constance Hale. PE1408 .H299 1999.

The Spooky Art: Some Thoughts on Writing. Norman Mailer. PS3525 .A4152 S66 2003.

Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel. Jane Smiley. PS3569 .M39 Z476 2005.

Turning Life Into Fiction: Finding Character, Plot, Setting and Other Elements of Novel and

Short Story Writing in the Everyday World. Robin Hemley. PN3355 .H45 1994.

Words Fail Me: What Everyone Who Writes Should Know About Writing. Patricia T. O’Connor. PN147 .O27 1999.

Writing the popular novel: A Comprehensive Guide to Crafting Fiction that Sells. Loren Estleman. PN3365 .E73 2004.  

Indexes
“Words are but the signs of ideas.” (S. Johnson, Dictionary, preface, 1755).

LION [Literature Online] . Online: 600–1997. USF Libraries

Delivers the full-text of “over 350,000 works of English and American poetry, drama, and prose, plus biographies, bibliographies, criticism, and reference sources.” Updated monthly.  

Short Story Index. Online: 1984-date. USF Libraries Print: 1900-2004 (Index Shelf D)
Play Index. Print: 1949-2002 (Index shelf D)

Both these titles index stories (or plays) that have appeared in collections or periodicals. Updated annually; however, only the online version is cumulative.

Suggested Journals (available at Poynter Library)
“Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.” (S. Asch, New York Herald Tribune, Nov. 6, 1955)

Callaloo. Online: 1976 to date. Refereed.
Manoa. Online: 1999 to date. Refereed.
Ploughshares. Online: 1992 to date.
Prairie Schooner. Online: 2003 to date.
Studies in American Fiction. Online: 1993 to date Refereed.
Studies in Short Fiction . Online: 1993 to date. Refereed.
Studies in the Novel. Print: 1988 to date. Online: 1993 to date. Refereed.
Tampa Review. Print: #23, 2002, to date. [Published biannually by the University of Tampa, this title “promotes multidimensional relationships between new literary works and contemporary visual arts.”]
West Coast Line. Online: 2000 to date. Refereed.

PLACING YOUR WORK
“After being turned down by numerous publishers, he . . . decided to write for posterity.” (G. Ade, Fables in Slang, 1900)

Literary Market Place. 2 v. REF PN161 .L5 (Index Table L).

Annual directory of the book publishing industry. Lists prospective book publishers three ways: geographical location, type of publication, and subject. Includes such useful information as editorial services; literary agents; calendars for writers’ conferences, book trade fairs, and contests and awards; publicity; and sales. Each volume contains a detailed index.

Writer’s Market. REF PN161 .W83 (Index Table L).

Issued annually by Writer’s Digest, this useful compendium not only lists literary agents and book publishers, as does LMP (above), but also includes magazines, trade journals, greeting cards, and scriptwriting, among others. A glossary, a book publisher subject index, and a general index are at the back of the book.

A companion volume, Writer’s Online Marketplace [REF PN161 .O45; Index Table L] gives details on “how and where to get published online.”