Writing @ Madison Public Library

Ongoing Events

Madison Writing Assistance: General and Job-Related Writing Help

National Poetry Month (including writing workshops)

Chapters Teen Writing Club
Thursdays, 6-8pm - Pinney Library
Local author Carole Madrzak leads a writing club for teens.

First Monday, First Person
First Monday of the month - Pinney Library
Monthly writers' salon on the Monday of each month through December (excluding holidays)

Workshops and Programs

Have an idea for a writing workshop you’d like to see at the library? Email community@madisonpubliclibrary.org to tell us about it.

Local Resources for Writers

Books about Writing

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
Letters to a Young Writer: Some Practical and Philosophical Advice by Colum McCann
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose
Syllabus: Notes From an Accidental Professor by Lynda Barry
This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
Writer’s Market 2018 by Robert Lee Brewer

Also check LINKcat for Writer’s Market books for specific genres.

Online Resources

Business and Educational Writing

Business Plans Handbook Database containing actual business plans compiled by entrepreneurs seeking funding for small businesses throughout North America.
LearningExpress Library A comprehensive online database of practice tests and tutorial course series designed to help students and adult learners succeed. Includes tutorials on writing and grammar.
Writer’s Handbook Guidelines for academic and professional writing from the Writing Center at UW-Madison.
Purdue Online Writing Lab Writing resources and instructional material from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.

Creative Writing

National Novel Writing Month National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) believes in the transformational power of creativity. We provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page.
Poets & Writers Resources for writers, including selected content from Poets & Writers Magazine.
Purdue Online Writing Lab: Creative WritingResources that will help you with the basics of creative writing, including resources on writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Writer’s Digest Online home of the popular magazine dedicated to helping writers with the craft and the business of writing.

Professional Associations

There are many professional associations for writers of any genre or style. Check out a few below, or find more lists here, here, and here.

Grant Writing

Grant Writing 101: Resources for Grant Writers Informative blog post with useful links from GuideStar.

Publishing

Agent Query The internet's largest free database of literary agents.
“The Indie Author's Guide to Free Reviews” Article from Publisher’s Weekly that includes a list of places indie authors can look to for free reviews of their books.
Mad Poetry's Local Publications & Media listMadison area resource list
Poets & Writers Literary Agents DatabaseIncludes agents and literary agencies that represent poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, plus details about the kind of books they're interested in representing, their clients, and the best way to contact them.
Query Shark A blog dedicated to how to write query letters.
Writer’s Digest Online resources for writers, with a focus on writing and getting published.