Writing Resources...

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/art-of-writing/

Some book/resource suggestions on writing:

For scriptwriting, there are a slew of resources (more than there ought to be, actually), the main ones being from the following list of authors:

Robert McKee: http://www.amazon.com/Story-Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting/dp/0060391685/ref=sr_1_1/104-8212026-2838337?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190412510&sr=1-1

David Trottier: http://www.amazon.com/Screenwriters-Bible-Complete-Writing-Formatting/dp/1879505843/ref=pd_sim_b_1/104-8212026-2838337?ie=UTF8&qid=1190412510&sr=1-1

Syd Field: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/104-8212026-2838337?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Syd%20Field

Linda Seger: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/104-8212026-2838337?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Linda%20Seger

Blake Snyder: http://www.amazon.com/Save-Last-Book-Screenwriting-Youll/dp/1932907009/ref=pd_sim_b_4/104-8212026-2838337?ie=UTF8&qid=1190412510&sr=1-1

William Goldman: http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Screen-Trade-William-Goldman/dp/034910705X/ref=sr_1_1/104-8212026-2838337?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190412734&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Which-Lie-Did-Tell-Adventures/dp/0375703195/ref=sr_1_2/104-8212026-2838337?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190412734&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/William-Goldman-Four-Screenplays-Essays/dp/155783265X/ref=pd_sim_b_3/104-8212026-2838337?ie=UTF8&qid=1190412734&sr=1-2

J. Michael Straczynski: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Scriptwriting-Michael-Straczynski/dp/1582971587/ref=sr_1_1/104-8212026-2838337?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190412317&sr=1-1

Michael Hauge: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/104-8212026-2838337?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Michael%20Hauge

Viki King: http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Movie-21-Days/dp/0062730665/ref=sr_1_1/104-8212026-2838337?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190412614&sr=1-1


Final Draft is the main screenwriting software program - recently updated. MovieMagic's Screenwriter is another good software formatting program.

For lyric writing (used only as a guide to various formats/song structures, and as a way of showing fine-tuning) is Sheila Davis' "The Craft of Lyric Writing". Remember... lyrics are not poetry... though lyrics can be very poetic, and poetry can be very lyrical.

For poetry, Ottone M. Riccio's "The Intimate Art of Writing Poetry":
http://www.amazon.com/Intimate-Art-Writing-Poetry/dp/0595093809/ref=sr_1_1/103-4950877-7108657?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190479905&sr=1-1

For novels, "The Weekend Novelist" by Robert J. Ray (there are two editions, and they are very different from each other, so make sure to get the original early edition):
http://www.amazon.com/Weekend-Novelist-Robert-J-Ray/dp/0823084507/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-4950877-7108657?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190479738&sr=1-1

James Frey's "How To Write a Damn Good Novel":
http://www.amazon.com/Write-Damn-Novel-Step-Step/dp/0312010443/ref=sr_1_30/103-4950877-7108657?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190478820&sr=1-30

James Zinsser "On Writing Well: 30th Anniversary Edition": http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548/ref=sr_1_6/103-4950877-7108657?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190478692&sr=1-6

Stephen King's "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft":
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Stephen-King/dp/0743455967/ref=pd_sim_b_4_img/103-4950877-7108657?ie=UTF8&qid=1190478820&sr=1-30

There are many other (probably better) choices for novelists, but there is also a LOT of dreck out there. It seems EVERYONE has written a "how-to" book for novels and short stories. And 90% of them are written by people who couldn't write a novel or short story, so they wrote a how-to book instead (so true... too true).

Of course, the indispensible books for your desk (along with a good dictionary): Strunk & White's "Elements of Style"; Norman Lewis's edition of "Roget's Thesaurus in Dictionary Form"; the "Rhyming Dictionary by Clement Wood"; Ray Bradbury's "Zen in the Art of Writing"; and, of course, the Ralph Keyes's book "The Courage To Write: How Writer's Transcend Fear".

I'd also add "On Being a Writer" edited by Bill Strickland (a decent collection of essays/interviews/articles by various famous writers about being a writer and the writing process -- includes Hemingway, Steinbeck, Faulkner, Vonnegut, Capote, Carver, Bradbury, Jong, Robbins, Rod Serling).