Would you like to improve your writing skills? Whether you are a beginner or an experienced writer, here are some resources to help you. I created this list based on the common errors I've seen in the stories that aren't validated. Please note that the following list is by no means exhaustive. I'll gradually add more links in the future. Feel free to contact me if you have any interesting web site to share.

Table of Contents

Spelling
Grammar
Verb Tenses
Characters & Characterization
Plot
Writing Process
Proofreading
Useful References

Last updated: August 12, 2011

Spelling

Breath vs. Breathe
Its vs. It's
Lets vs. Let's
Than vs Then
There vs. Their vs. They're
You're vs. Your
Could of/Should of/Would of vs. Could have/Should have/Would have
Other Common Errors in English Usage (excellent web site)
The Commonly Confused Words Test

Grammar

I vs. Me
Who vs. Whom
Capitalization in Titles
Quotation Marks in Dialogue
How to Use Apostrophes
How to Use English Punctuation Correctly
Comma Use
General Rules for Capitalization
Conditional sentences (if-clauses, main clauses)

Verb Tenses

Verb Tense Consistency
Exercice in Verb Tense Consistency
Sequence of Verb Tenses
Past Participles
Sequence of Tenses

Characters & Characterization

How to Avoid Making a Mary Sue
The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test
The Mary Sue Manual
Three-Dimensional Villains: Finding Your Character's Shadow
Fiction Writing Exercises: How to Write a Complex Villain
2D and 3D characters
Random Name Generator (you can choose Chinese, Japanese, Korean or other origins)
The EPIGUIDE.COM Character Chart for Fiction Writers
How to Use Daily Rituals to Strengthen Characterization

Plot

Story Starters
How to Plot a Novel
Create a Plot Outline Easily with What If? and Why?
Plot Your Stories
Plot Scenario Generator
Random Plot Points: your character in a sticky situation

Writing Process

Point of View: General
Description, Dialogue, Narrative: Finding a Balance as You Write Your Story
Participles: Bothersome Verbs to Avoid
Passive Verbs: Avoid Them
Writing Dialogue with Good Tension
Using Flashback in Fiction
Write Mind Movies
Optimum Scene Length
How to Finish a Work In Progress
Ten Things You Can Do in the Middle of Novels

Proofreading

Editing Checklist
When do you hit that return key, and why?
How to Proofread
Top Ten Proofreading Tips
Proofreading for Common Surface Errors: Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar
Editing and Proofreading
Ten Mistakes Writers Don’t See (But Can Easily Fix When They Do)

Useful References

Verb Conjugation
How to Run a Spell Check in Word 2007
Free Online Spellchecker
The Free Dictionary
Thesaurus
Rhyming Dictionary




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