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Glossary beginning with W

Glossary terms

Wade and Doherty Literary Agency Ltdsearch for term

General fiction and non-fiction, children's books.

No poetry, plays or short stories.

See website for submission guidelines. Email submissions preferred.

New authors welcome. No reading fee.

Founded 2001.

Synonyms: Wade and Doherty Literary Agency
Wake up Writingsearch for term

Wake Up Writing is a site that offers a free writing prompt daily. The tone may be too relentlessly cheerful for some, but others may like Katie-Anne Gustaffson's ideas and find they help to get your writing exercises started.

Wallace Literary Agency Inc.search for term
Watch Filesearch for term
Database containing names and addresses for the rights-holders for the work of writers and artists housed in libraries and archives in the US and the UK. Primarily for scholars, but useful if you are trying to track down a copyright-holder. http//.tyler.hrc.utexas.edu/
Waterstone's Guide to Books for Young Dyslexic Readerssearch for term

An excellent but little-known online guide which is enormously useful for any parent or teacher trying to find suitable books to encourage dyslexic children to read. It's available as a free downloadable PDF from this website.

Watkins/Loomis Agency Inc.search for term
Watson, Little Ltdsearch for term

Fiction, commercial women's fiction, crime and literary fiction. Non-fiction special interests include history, science, popular psychology, self-help and general leisure books. Also children's fiction and non-fiction.

No short stories, poetry, TV, play or film scripts. Not interested in purely academic writers.

Send informative preliminary letter and synopsis with return postage.

Children's authors or illustrators include Stephen Biesty, V.M. Jones, Margaret Mahy, Lynne Reid Banks, Stewart Ross.

Association of Authors' Agents

Synonyms: Watson, Little
Web del Solsearch for term

Network promoting contemporary literature in electronic media, described as 'literary arts new media complex which pushes the envelope of both definitions'. Publishes and also hosts of 25 literary arts publications. www.webdelsol.com

Web of Poetssearch for term

Audio recordings of contemporary Australian poets reading their work: www.asauthors.org/web_of_poets/

Welsh Books Councilsearch for term

Supports Welsh writing and literature. Their editorial department provides Welsh writers and writers in Welsh with advice on how to get their manuscripts published. When last visited there was little to see, as the site was in the process of being rebuilt. http://www.aber.ac.uk/~wbcwww

Which Book?search for term

Rather entertaining site which helps you to choose the right book. so if you're looking for 'no sex' or Larger than life', give it a go. www.whichbook.net/index.jsp

Whisper Poetrysearch for term

South African poetry book club site, with a lot of support for other arts, including poetry and photography, and with a lot of competitions. www.whisperpoetry.com

William Clark Assocsearch for term

General fiction and non-fiction.

Submissions page

William Morris Agency (UK) Ltdsearch for term
Worldwide talent and literary agency with offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, Miami and Shanghai. London office founded 1965.

Handles film and TV scripts, TV formats; fiction and general non-fiction.

Accepts email submissions only. Send a synopsis and three sample chapters (50 pages or fewer) to ldnsubmissions@wma.com. No reading fee.Synonyms: William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency Inc.search for term
Wisdom websitesearch for term
Site with links through Thinkers.net to writing in many categories and to notice-boards relating to them. A bit impersonal but useful stuff if you dig around. thinkers.net
Wise up to Copyrightsearch for term
Wordplaysearch for term
Excellent online screenwriting resource which offers over 40 informative essays on aspects of screenwriting from working screenwriters. www.wordplayer.com
Words Magazinesearch for term

Online magazine for writers which supports a breast cancer charity. It runs a number of competitions. http://www.wordsmag.com/index.htm

Words That Rhymesearch for term

If you're trying to find words thatt rhyme to write rhyming poetry, this site will help. http://words-that-rhyme.com/

Words to Inspire Writerssearch for term
This website offers a free sampler from the book it advertises, which is described as 'a Perpetual Calendar of classic Writing-related Quotations of Writers, Writing, Books, Literature and Publishing. http://fcsachandsonspublishers.com/
World of Poetrysearch for term

If you'd like to share your poetry and see a constantly-changing array of poems, this website might be for you. There's a free trial but annual membership costs $34.95 (£17.15). http://www.worldofpoets.com

World Poetry Directorysearch for term

Website created and hosted by UNESCO following the proclamation of World Poetry Day. Prizes, festivals, journals and associations, plus list of links to poetry websites by country (Brazil has the most with 55). http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/world-poetry-day-2012/

Worlds without Borderssearch for term

Online magazine for international literature which highlights writing in translation from around the world. Important since highlights fact that 50% of all books in translation published worldwide are translated from English - and only 6% into English. http://www.wordswithoutborders.org/

Worldwide Wordssearch for term

Topical and highly informative site which investigates new words added to British English at www.worldwidewords.org

Write 4 Kidssearch for term

Affiliated with the newsletter Children’s Book Insider, this US site offers tips for beginners to children’s writing at http://www.write4kids.com

Write Moviessearch for term

Site conducting worldwide search for new storytellers and showing you how to do it. Maintains that 98% of screenplays fail at the very first idea stage. www.writemovies.com

WriteMentorsearch for term
Writer Jobssearch for term

Writer Jobs

New site offering a chance for writers to post their details for free and employers to post their writing jobs, plus facility to post advertisements.

Writer Picturessearch for term
If you're looking for pictures of writers, this is the place to go.
Writer's Dream Toolssearch for term
Useful site which offers day-by-day calendar of events and Internet humour for free, plus a subscription service to a mass of other reference material, including a slang thesaurus, clichés, humorous quotations and a handy collection of lists. This is Larry Belling's personal collection, compiled over 25 years. www.writersdreamtools.com
Writer's Resource Centersearch for term
Business-like site created in 1993 and offering a set of resources for writers, including articles on a wide range of writing, extending from technical writing to how to compile quizzes and exercises for improving dialogue. http://www.poewar.com/
Writers Bewaresearch for term
Run by the Science Fiction Writers of America, this site offers sound practical advice about how to avoid scams practiced on writers by phony agents, publishers and editors. The specific alerts, which focus on the US, include some hair-raising stories. www.sfwa.org/beware/
writers blocks softwaresearch for term

Writer’s Blocks

Ashley Software

 

 

Writers Blocks - package

 

 

 

Free trial version available

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your ideas - Writers Blocks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writers Blocks - screenshot

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘It does exactly what it says on the tin’ is the slogan for a respected line of paint products in the UK. The same could be said of Writer’s Blocks. The title of the package from Ashley Software describes what it is all about.

Writer’s Blocks are text blocks you can use to structure your material. The ‘Blocks’ are designed to behave like the index cards beloved by generations of writers. You make your notes on the cards as you do your research and planning. Writer’s Blocks then helps you develop and organize your material to suit the needs of your work.

You can create links between blocks to provide a visual reminder that several blocks are related. Plus there are many ways to highlight blocks and help you navigate the material under construction. A Writer’s Block can be used to hold a quote, an idea, reference or character sketch.

Screenplays, speeches, and science papers can employ the software to visualise their material as they assemble the snippets or pages of text which they can paste from other files. The hard work of typing your text uses the ‘Power Panel’ which floats over the display area and is, in effect, a word-processor. Unlike paper cards, these can hold up to 32,000 characters, but only the first few lines need to be visible so you can obtain an overview. There are all the find, replace and spell checks you would like to find in a good word-processor.

There are several possible end products from all your work. You can save your blocks as a text file and then import the file into your word processor to complete the work. Alternatively, you can print out the cards to guide you through your narrative. Both outputs might prove useful.

Learning to use Writer’s Blocks

The basic commands are intuitive. The key controls are accessible and you should not be afraid to experiment with them as there is a reliable ‘undo’ button. However, you will need to use the well-structured Help files to access the subtler layout and linking functions.

If you have previous experience with a graphic design package, it helps. The columns of blocks, which can represent chapters, are the core of the screen image, but there is ‘blank paper’ round about where you can paste or ‘park’ bits and pieces. Hitting the Home button saved me whenever I lost sight of my work as I filled the screen with my ‘Blocks’.

The software is easygoing on the hardware and responded instantly to all commands on the old test machine used. It definitely helps to have a large screen. As the blocks accumulate a small screen can get crowded. So it is not ideal if you are working on a laptop.

Who is it for?

It is an excellent tool for organising plot lines. It will also appeal to those assembling any work of non-fiction which requires meticulous organisation. It would be valuable for those writing for the screen where events have to be carefully choreographed and linked to images or effects. Those assembling a thriller could easily plot it with Writer’s Blocks.

If you are looking for something that will write your novel, software is not the answer. Like any tool, it is up to the craftsman how effectively it is employed. Even if you do not follow the precise plan, you would do well to remember the words of Dwight D Eisenhower. "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but the planning indispensable".

To buy visit their site:

www.writersblocks.com

WritersBlocks offer a free trial version, so you can try it out to see if it is a tool that you would find useful before buying.

© Charles Jones 2003

Visit WritersBookstall

See also: Attaché software, Muse names, review newnovelist, Storybase, Whitesmoke
Writers Free Referencesearch for term
Handy American reference site which gives links to a wide range of different information sources, from bay names to song lyrics, from daily newspapers to international postal codes. www.writers-free-reference.com
Writers Guild of Americasearch for term
Association of writers in motion picture, broadcast, cable and new media.  http://www.wga.org
Writers House LLCsearch for term
Writers House UKsearch for term
Writers' Forumsearch for term
British writers' magazine which is highly recommended for all writers. It features wide range of news and articles which help writers to improve their work and get published: www.writers-forum.com
Writers' organisationssearch for term
See also: Writers' Organisations Synonyms: Writers organisations
Writers' softwaresearch for term
See also: Writers' software
--Whitesmokesearch for term

WhiteSmoke is a tool to help you create documents and make the writing more interesting to read. The key word is ‘enrichment’-if you choose to install the toolbar that WhiteSmoke provides, this is the word that appears. Text enrichment is what the software delivers. WhiteSmoke takes your text and suggests alternative words and, where appropriate, adjectives, you could insert. The aim is to brighten up what you write. The style is international and it will accept transatlantic spellings.

It does the basics of fixing grammar and spelling rather as your existing word-processor’s spell-checker will do. It then goes beyond the checkers built into the likes of MS Word by suggesting possible adjectives to add. It takes a few minutes to get used to the colour-coding, but once you have mastered that you can change and insert words and phrases. You can invoke the checker by pressing the F2 key.

The suggestions cannot be followed without some thought. In one document WhiteSmoke offered a single alternative for the word ‘court’. It proposed changing ‘court’ to ‘woo’. This would have produced the expression ‘Chinese woo official’ instead of ‘Chinese court official’. So you must pay attention when making substitutions. This is not intended as a criticism. WhiteSmoke comes up with a lot of suggestions – some work, some don’t. It makes you think about what you are writing.

If you have to write a load of emails, there are dozens of templates provided based around a range of personal and business topics. You just select the most appropriate text, make the adjustments, run WhiteSmoke to check the document and hit Send. I found this very useful for the many semi-standard emails business requires, and I looked to see if I could edit these templates or add my own, but could not find that facility. This is designed as an office tool because it requires you to be on-line, so you will have to wait till the laptop is connected to the web before you can use the facilities.

The cost is $79.95, about £45 or €66. There is a 30 day money-back guarantee. It was easy to download and install. WhiteSmoke is quite ‘pushy’ so it is easy to find on the toolbar and screen, where it installs itself. It also behaves itself and can be uninstalled using the control panel on your PC. Only one glitch was encountered when WhiteSmoke was shut down mid-sentence but control of the cursor was quickly restored by saving the document. WhiteSmoke sulked and refused to offer any suggestions until the system re-booted but then returned to normal.

So, if you are looking for a tool to improve your productivity writing business emails and short letters, WhiteSmoke has a great deal to offer. It will provide you with templates that will save typing time and then prompt you with numerous suggestions to extend and enhance the words employed. In this context, it is easy and fun to use. However, it is not the tool to use for your novel when you have already crafted the words.

See also: Attaché software, Muse names, review newnovelist, Storybase, writers blocks software
Writers' Union of Canadasearch for term

Association supporting Canadian writers. Membership fee but gives access to other Canadian writers and has manuscript evaluation service. www.writersunion.ca

Writers, Artists & their Copyright (WATCH)search for term

Useful site which offers facility to search for copyright holders or contacts for authors and artists whose archives are in libraries and archives in North America and the UK. www.watch-file.com

Writers-Networksearch for term

Free writers community website where you can publish your poetry and get peer review, which also has 'PRO' section for $3 (£1.50) a month. http://www.writers-network.com/

Writers’ Guild of Canadasearch for term

A businesslike site for an organisation representing 1500 scriptwriters, which has a collective agreement, a script registration service and advice for new writers at www.writersguildofcanada.com

Writers’ Guild resourcessearch for term
Very useful resource section with agreements for TV, radio, theatre, radio, animation and video games. Also has useful articles on late payment of invoices and writers’ rights, and audiobooks. http://www.writersguild.org.uk/public/005_WritersGuil/index.html
Writing Basesearch for term
Thoughtful blog originally set up to provide a central point for all Jo Phillips's favourite writing sites and to allow her to share these with others. Useful pieces, including 'Everything you always wanted to know about ezines.' http://www.writingbase.blogspot.com/
Writing Contestssearch for term
Site which lists a large number of American writing contests, with entry details. http://www.writingcontests.net
Writing Short Fictionsearch for term
Wylie-Merrick Literary Agencysearch for term