How to properly format a manuscript or write creatively. Tips and information within these links.
As of the date of this post all links are working. If you find one that has become obsolete let me know. I will remove it.
FORMATTING and CREATIVE WRITING:
Screenwriting lecture by Steven J Cannell (Creator of Rockford Files, 21 Jump Street, A-Team, Riptide, Hunter) http://www.writerswrite.com/screenwriting/cannell/lecture4/
Grammar check program is free for use on Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers, all others must pay https://www.grammarly.com/1
Creating a character arc http://www.dummies.com/careers/career-planning/choosing-a-career/character-arcs-for-your-childrens-book/
Short tips on writing, in general http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/64221-5-writing-tips-jane-smiley.html
Questions to ask to help develop character http://ingridsundberg.com/2014/02/24/character-questionnaire-getting-to-the-guts-of-character/
Plot development https://www.writersstore.com/character-driven-or-action-driven/
Great information on how to read other writers’ works to improve your own writing https://alaynekaychristian.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/sub-six-series-guest-blogger-marcie-flinchum-atkins-using-character-driven-picture-books-as-mentor-texts-to-improve-your-own-writing/
SUGGESTED reading list of character driven books https://alaynekaychristian.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/character-driven-picture-books-suggested-reading-list.pdf
Another article about the use of ‘Threes’ http://www.creativekeys.net/storytellingpower/article1017.html
More character driven picture books http://wwwpamcalvert.blogspot.com/2013/07/picture-book-university-character.html
Close third person http://thewritepractice.com/closer-characters/
How characters become stories https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/how-characters-can-become-stories-erika-wassall/
Things to know about your character to develop more https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/90-things-to-know-about-your-characters-before-writing/
Character development http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/the-9-ingredients-of-character-development
ProWritingAid tool to check writing https://prowritingaid.com/?ov=http%3a%2f%2fannerallen.com%2ftools-of-writers-trade-lots-of-the%2f
Word count guide for different genres http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/word-count-for-novels-and-childrens-books-the-definitive-post
Blog with word count for children’s literature plus much more information http://www.literaryrambles.com/2010/09/word-counts-for-children-books.html
More blog about word count and critique http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2011/05/wordcount-dracula.html
Blog about word count again https://theblabbermouthblog.com/2016/01/11/writing-kid-lit-word-counts-the-age-of-readers/
Blog with a wealth of information and posts about writing and publishing http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2014/06/
More useful tools for writers, some free some are paid services http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2015/04/bryan-collins/
Blog with tips for writing for children http://laurasalas.com/writing-for-children/
Writing prompts http://deathtothestockphoto.com/writers/
Free photos to your email box http://deathtothestockphoto.com/
Aids for writers some free, some MAC only, and some paid http://annerallen.com/tools-of-writers-trade-lots-of-the/
Top apps useful for writers https://www.experteditor.com.au/blog/the-top-55-apps-for-writers-in-2016/
Make characters more three dimensional http://writersrelief.com/blog/2013/11/5-ways-to-create-three-dimensional-characters/
Story development http://robsanderswrites.blogspot.com/2011/01/plot-and-story-arc.html
Get rid of passive voice https://joanyedwards.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/get-rid-of-passive-voice/
Pixar rules of storytelling http://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/03/07/pixars-22-rules-of-storytelling/
Hodge-podge of all things writing and publishing http://www.underdown.org/basics.htm
Formatting a manuscript http://www.underdown.org/manuscript-format.htm
Using flashback in stories http://kidlit.com/2012/10/31/using-flashbacks-in-writing/
An ultimate guide with infographics http://www.onblastblog.com/writers-guide/
Microsoft Word https://products.office.com/en-us/word?legRedir=true&CorrelationId=70241423-7113-4e16-9401-d495d5c8bcea
Show don’t tell http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/03/18/when-to-show-when-to-tell-and-when-to-do-a-bit-of-both/?subscribe=success#blog_subscription-2
Blog post with writing templates and other resources http://inkygirl.com/inkygirl-main/2016/7/8/free-creative-brainstorming-templates-for-picture-book-write.html?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=buffer&utm_content=buffer16aed
Blog post about weedy or less effective words https://traceymcox.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/tuesday-tip-91-weedy-weak-words-to-yank-from-your-story/?iframe=true&theme_preview=true
Descriptive word for several different items, animals and situations http://joannamarple.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Onomatopoeia-Book.pdf
Proper structure http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html
List of extremely successful authors to draw inspiration from http://childrensbooksguide.com/authors
List of 100 top children’s books http://childrensbooksguide.com/top-100
Show don’t tell https://taralazar.com/2014/09/05/three-acting-tips-for-writing-with-emotion-by-marcie-colleen/
Showing or telling http://www.thisincandescentlife.com/2015/03/how-to-tell-when-youre-showing/
More show don’t tell https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/three-tricks-for-showing-rather-than-telling/
Third person point of view http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/third-person-pov/
Surprising story arcs http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-create-awesome-scene-arcs-that-surprise-readers/
Common writing mistakes http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-writing-mistakes/
Teachers on writing lessons http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2011/02/my-january-top-ten-list-writing-lessons-and-resources
Daily writing tips show don’t tell http://www.dailywritingtips.com/show-dont-tell/
Grammatical errors…that aren’t http://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-grammatical-errors-that-aren%E2%80%99t/
Words (descriptive) http://www.dailywritingtips.com/100-beautiful-and-ugly-words/
A grammar test http://www.dailywritingtips.com/grammar-test-1/
Latin words and expressions http://www.dailywritingtips.com/latin-words-and-expressions-all-you-need-to-know/
Tips to improve your writing, by various writers http://www.dailywritingtips.com/34-writing-tips-that-will-make-you-a-better-writer/
Small but effective interjections http://www.dailywritingtips.com/100-mostly-small-but-expressive-interjections/
Software to help writers most are paid http://www.dailywritingtips.com/writing-software/
Bolstering words http://www.dailywritingtips.com/let-the-word-do-the-work/
Writing 101 for beginners http://www.dailywritingtips.com/creative-writing-101/
Writing numbers and numerals http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-rules-for-writing-numbers-and-numerals/
Cameron and Tigger the Tabby 
2 thoughts on “68 Ways to Format a Manuscript and Write Creatively”