Nancy Friedman, naming and branding expert and contributor to our Candlepower column, wrote an entry on her blog about "how to write like Stephen King and other tricks they don't teach at those fancy-schmancy writing workshops." She suggests you check out these websites:

Everything You Need to Know about Writing Successfully--in Ten Minutes. "It's from Stephen King, so it's gotta be true, right?"

Random Book or Story Title Generator: "Six titles per click, so you can go crazy and name your entire oeuvre."

How not to write for technology users, "a grumble for common-sense error messages from deep within the belly of the beast (IBM)."'

Cliche Finder: "More than 3,300 cliches served, from 'Dumb as a stump' to 'Water over the dam.' "

Sentence Diagramming Guide, "modestly subtitled 'One Way of Learning English Grammar' and patiently explicated by the saintly Eugene R. Moutoux."

Chris Lehman, the ground-breaking principal we interviewed for our recent "Teachers at Work" feature, recommends these blogs on progressive education:

Will Richardson's Weblogg-ed

David Warlick's 2 Cents Worth

Bud Hunt's Bud the Teacher

Christian Long's Think: Lab

In our recent "Word Count" column, we featured Pam Nelson, veteran newspaper copy editor and author of the Triangle Grammar Guide blog. Last we she recommended blogs, this week she recommends this invaluable -- and exhaustive -- list of grammar and usage websites. Go Pam!

Capital Community College's Guide to Grammar and Writing

Jack Lynch's Guide to Grammar and Writing

The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

The Tongue Untied, a guide to grammar, punctuation and style for journalists

Nancy Friedman, the naming and branding expert who contributed our "Candlepower" feature this week says, "here's a clutch of useful and entertaining sites about readin' and writin'. 'Rithmetic I leave to others more qualified." She writes:

Writerisms and Other Sins: A Writer's Shortcut to Stronger Writing was first posted in 1995, but it's as relevant as ever. Author C.J. Cherryh defines "writerisms" as "overused and misused language"--and the examples are fresh and memorable. Includes the definitive guide to never mistaking "who" for "whom."

Give What Should I Read Next the title of a book you enjoyed and it will suggest others you should try. Differs from Amazon Recommendations because it's based on books you've actually read and liked, not books you may have bought for others--or bought and returned.

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Veteran copy editor Pam Nelson, who we feature in this week's "Word Count" column, suggests these blogs on copy editing and language:

John McIntyre's You Don't Say

Bill Walsh's The Slot

Andy Bechtel's The Editor's Desk

Pam Robinson's Words at Work

Here are a few favorite blogs of dictionary editor Erin McKean, who we interviewed in this week's "Behind the Dictionary" feature. Make sure to check her own blogs, one on language called Undefined, and one on sew-it-yourself dresses called A Dress A Day!

Cat and Girl, "off-kilter comics"

Cool Tools, "just what the man said"

Crabwalk, "a writer for the Dallas Morning News daily paper"

Heaneyland!, "my friend Francis's blog, mostly puzzles, comics, and wry daily observations"

Language Hat, "a linguistics-in-action blog"

43 Folders, "productivity blog; fun tricks to do stuff faster"

This Is Broken, "Mark Hurst's blog showing examples of bad design and interaction"

Toothpaste for Dinner, "another off-kilter comic"

Check out these blogs on linguistics, language and, as one writer put it, "other geekery."

Tenser, said the Tensor

Language Geek

Lexical Matters

Café Mo