The editors have concluded that the dynamic nature of the web precludes any effective endorsement or rating of resources, though we have commented on some of our favourites. The following alphabetical list represents interesting or useful sites we have found or that readers and contributors have recommended to us. We will review and prune dead links periodically and welcome these being pointed out. Some sites have excellent lists and other surprise features tucked away in their pages. Pages with pop-up ads are noted. In 1998 the list was longer but many of the URLs no longer exist. We have added a few current (2022) resources that didn't exist back then.

Aesop s Fables — comprehensive site with more than 600 fables, including adaptations by Ambrose Bierce.

The American English to British English Vocabulary

The editors of Bonfire are acutely aware of the adage, "two countries separated by the same language." This site will be a lifesaver for anyone who needs to understand the oh-so-subtle differences between the American and English languages. This is a 2022 replacement.

This site is a remarkable workshop experience for writers of fiction. Once you have registered on the site, you may gain access to several areas where you can give and receive feedback on short stories, novellas, screenplays and poetry. There are other film-industry related groups, but we have only looked at the writing aspect. Works are judged on relevant categories and higher rated pieces are archived for review by industry professionals. Like any such site, you get out of it what you put into it but this happens to be well run and frequented by some very talented writers. Many Bonfire contributors were people we knew from Zoetrope.

APA Style — Write With Clarity, Precision, and Inclusion: APA (American Psychological Association) Style guidelines encourage authors to fully disclose essential information and allow readers to dispense with minor distractions, such as inconsistencies or omissions in punctuation, capitalization, in-text citations, references, and presentation of statistics.

The Chicago Manual of Style — "The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice."

Free Online File Converter — an extremely comprehensive selection of target file types to select from.

Google Maps — This was not available when this list was created but has become one of the most useful tools in my box. Plug in an address or a location and select the appropriate view and you will have before you a visual of the location you are writing about. Follow a road or walk down a street. When you create a fictional location you can make it seem believable in the proper context.

Merriam-Webster Online — this online version will allow you to verify spelling, pronunciation, etymology and usage in addition to providing definitions for thousands of words.

Most of the well known dictionaries meet these requirements today. It is probably easier to put a word in your favourite search engine and select the most relevant source on the fly.

NaNoWriMo — short for National Novel Writing Month (every November). This is a great way to discipline yourself as a writer to knock out 50,000 words that could be the start of a novel in 30 days. They provide tools, structure, community, and encouragement through the year in support of this including Camp Nanowrimo events in April and July.

Online Etymology Dictionary — This is a map of the wheel-ruts of modern English. Etymologies are not definitions; they're explanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago.

The Poetry Society was founded in 1909 to promote a more general recognition and appreciation of poetry . Since then, it has grown into one of Britain s most dynamic arts organisations, representing British poetry both nationally and internationally. Today it has more than 5,000 members worldwide and has published the UK s leading poetry magazine, The Poetry Review, since 1912.

The Poetry Society — Projects

The Poetry Society — Publications

The Poetry Review

Power Thesaurus — There are several good thesauruses online but we both find this one to be simple to access and very useful.

Project Gutenberg — A collection of more than 60,000 electronic texts. The vast majority of Project Gutenberg eBooks are in the public domain in the US. A great free source for classic literature and a goldmine for writing ideas.

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers — supports published and unpublished writers of novel-length fiction. Membership limited to residents of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming (not required for annual Colorado Gold Writing Contest and Conference).

Tim Love's Literary References — poetry, prose, theory, writers' groups, writers' resources.

With not a single millimetre of wasted space, this page is packed with links to resources which writers, particularly the poet, will find informative and inspiring. Tim has marked his original work for easy spotting in the list. Follow that trail. It is worth your time to read what he has to say.

TV Tropes — An addictive pop culture reference wiki that will take you from one garden path to another exploring characters and plot devices.

Wayback Machine — Search the history of over 681 billion web pages on the Internet.

Wikipedia — "Wikipedia is an online free-content encyclopedia helping to create a world where everyone can freely share and access all available knowledge. It is supported by the Wikimedia Foundation and consists of freely editable content. The name "Wikipedia" is a blending of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning "quick") and encyclopedia. Wikipedia's articles provide links to guide readers to related pages with more information." This is Wikipedia's description of itself. The key words here are "freely editable content" and the editors represent a huge knowledge base, not always creditable. Still, it is a good starting place. As a writer, you need to develop your own instincts about any information you find.

word hippo — while Power Thesaurus is an excellent tool, word hippo is a veritable feast for the creative writer with long lists and multiple contexts.

Writing-World — much useful information from former Inkspot Editor, Moira Allen.

If you know of a valuable resource that isn't listed here, please contact the editors at:

fandango-vee@ntlworld.com