Beryl Singleton Bissell, whose Backstory we featured on Friday, is the author of the critically acclaimed The Scent of God. We asked her about the books that have most influenced her writing life. She graciously wrote us the following:

I am a huge lover of books and have many favorites, but for inspiration the following have had the greatest impact on my life as a writer.

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As a child, my favorite pastime was sitting under the Ping-Pong table, over which I'd draped a cloth tent, reading. When puberty hit, I sequestered myself in my room, preferring to read about others' lives rather than living my own. Entering a cloister when I was 18 put a real crimp in my reading activities. Our reading was limited to lives of the saints and books on prayer or asceticism. The monastery library, however, held an astounding collection of Stoddard's Lectures. I read the entire series, traveling round the world with Stoddard on early 20th century journeys. When I left the monastery I crashed the local library and seized every book the staff recommended.  Continue reading...

Think you know books? Test your smarts with the "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" game! Listen to the opening lines from novels, poetry, even children's books, and see if you can guess the title or author. Check it out here.

A few weeks ago I received a call from a marketing manager of an event planning company. She was obviously frustrated. Her email promotion of a leadership seminar had failed miserably. Time was running out before the event date. She needed answers fast. So she asked if I would review the piece and get back to her with recommendations.  Continue reading...

These newspaper and magazine copy editors blog about usage, style, grammar, punctuation and, most importantly, how to avoid language-related pratfalls:

The Cranky Copy Editor

Words to the Wise

Words at Work

Engine Room

Interested in writing television scripts for dramas and sitcoms? Before you pack up for Hollywood, check out these books :

Writing TV Sitcoms

Successful Television Writing

Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box

The Understructure of Writing for Film and Television