 | Webster's II New College Dictionary
Buy new: $18.94 / Used from: $10.78 Actually, any main stream dictionary is needed. I just like thie one best.
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 | Roget's International Thesaurus, Indexed, Sixth Edition Revised & Updated
Buy used from: $5.97 There is none better, but see my next listing.
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 | Merriam Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $0.35 Roget sometimes has more than you need, or want to dig through, so I pick up this much simplier tome.
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 | The Chicago Manual of Style
Buy new: $30.75 / Used from: $24.49 Okay, it's not cheap so buy it from Amazon. If you are writing fiction this is a book you must have. Your ability as a writer will be measured against what's in here. Believe me.
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 | The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law by Norm Goldstein
Buy used from: $0.04 Do not attempt to write non-fiction without this book. This is especially true of feature and news articles.
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 | The Associated Press Guide to News Writing by Rene J. Cappon
Buy used from: $0.78 This is out of print so either buy it used or get Brad Kalbfeld's book. The AP Guide is not a handbook, but a serious look at what good news writing should entail. If your fiction ever refers to printed media, this book will help. In The Unlikely Agent, the columnist, Ned Breaker was built from the don't do's in Cappon's book.
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 | Punctuation Plain & Simple (Plain and Simple Series) by Edgar C. Alward
Buy new: $11.66 / Used from: $1.65 Maybe some folks are born knowing when to use a comma, semi-colon, or colon, but I wasn't. Okay, I was a CPA, not a journalism major in college. By last count the little bookcase has held over fifteen books like this. So far I choose Alward and Alward's work as the most up to date and friendly to use.
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 | The Writers Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon
Buy used from: $20.25 This is my sleeper. It's not that well known nor used, but it's worth having for quick fixes. Want a facial expression for the waitress who plays a bit but crucial role? McCutcheon will have it. Also, his foreign speech and names will save hours of digging.
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 | The Elements of Style (4th Edition) by William Strunk
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $7.02 Even though some of their ideas are out of date and it's not always the most readable book in the owrld, it should still be there. If it's not, people will wonder about you.
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