I love writing but I hate the grammar and punctuation part of it! This is definitly my weakness in writing.

A tip though: at Wal-Mart they sell the quick reference guides for different subjects and there is one of this type of thing. It has been really helpful to me so far!

Lindsay
www.narratedbylindsay.blogspot.com

I like:
The Little, Brown Handbook - good, easy to read, quick reference
The Scott Foresman Handbook for Writers - A little more in depth but still very readable
The Chicago Manual of Style - In depth, has answers the others don't cover.

My favorite is Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual. It's a tiny little book with formatting directions for APA, MLA, and Chicago/Turabian, as well as grammar, clarity, mechanics, research sources, and a handy little grammatical terms widget that explains what everything else means. I looooove this little book!! In fact, I need a new copy of it, because I spilled a Coke on mine :(

thanks for the suggestions :) I will look to see if they have them in my library...


Lindsay
www.narratedbylindsay.blogspot.com

'The Elements of Style', by William Strunk, Jr, can also be found online: http://www.bartleby.com/141/

A really helpful guide for me on not only grammar, but also word order and phrasing, is 'Self-Editing for Fiction Writers', by Renni Browne and Dave King.

'The Elements of Style', by William Strunk, Jr, can also be found online: http://www.bartleby.com/141/

i'm not sure that's the current version, 4th ed. ... i think it might be one of the older ones, which wouldn't be completely relevant to today's writing world...

LOL i'm with you on the bad grammer and spelling bit. I keep getting told I come up with good exciting plots and if i'd finish one a number of my freinds have volenteered to be my private editors to make sure that it is at least readable before i send it anywhere.. But thats not going to happen because "I" never end up likeing where my book is going so i stop scrap it and restart another one. LOL i know horrible way to write.

i'm not sure that's the current version, 4th ed. ... i think it might be one of the older ones, which wouldn't be completely relevant to today's writing world...

It probably isn't, but I keep it handy for the grammar points. And because I don't need to check it out from the library this way.

I'm not sure what edition my Strunk and White is, but the edges of the pages are yellow...

I find it useful for higher level suggestions about style, but it doesn't contain much of the nitty-gritty of SPAG. For that I use the other references I mentioned, along with the Internet.

I couldn't agree with you more. I also has a little pocket editing and grammar book I found it very helpful. I've also used the site maia mentioned above very useful

And because I don't need to check it out from the library this way.

i can't imagine anyone who's writing seriously not having this 'bible' on a shelf next to their writing place... why go to the library,when you can get the latest 4th ed. for less than 5 bucks, on amazon...

Because I've already read it and can find it online :D. I acutally don't have any writing books in my house on a permanent basis. Maybe I should, but if I did I'd take something like the 'Writer's Guide to Self-Editing', which is specificly working with fiction.

each to his own, but all the professional writers and even all the very popular ones i've known have kept standard reference books handy... and s&w, being a compilation of basic rules 'n regs is considered as much a de rigueur reference as a dictionary and thesaurus...

that said, i don't keep any 'writing books' either, nor do i ever recommend them, if by that term you mean books by writers or self-appointed writing gurus on how to write this or that...

hugs, m

Eats, Roots and Leaves is more of a humorous jab at bad grammar, but I think it's well worth the read and is probably pretty helpful, too.

i wouldn't recommend it as a guide... only as a fun read...