These sites offer a smorgasbord (love that word) of writing tips, advice and inspiration. So grab your dinner plate and dig in!

Handbook of Rhetorical Devices

Creative Writing Prompts

Writing Time

40+ Tips to Improve Your Grammar and Punctuation

Oration. Recitation. Rhetoric. At one time these were the foundations of a classical literary education, an education that not only prepared you to write and communicate -- but taught you how to think. This style of learning, however, has largely gone the way of the top hat. But is it time for rhetoric to make a reprise? We had a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with Harvard Professor James Engell, author of The Committed Word: Literature and Public Values, who revived the study of rhetoric at his university after a 60 year hiatus -- and who argues that a classical literary education is critical for today's communicators.  Continue reading...

Professor James Engell, who we interview in this week's "Word Count" feature, recommends these books on rhetoric and oration:

The Art of Public Speaking By Stephen Lucas

Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student by Edward P. J. Corbett

Analyzing Prose by Richard A. Lanham

Lincoln, Douglas, and Slavery: In the Crucible of Public Debate by David Zarefsky

Norms of Rhetorical Culture by Thomas B. Farrell ("Not for the absolute beginner but tremendously rewarding.")

Visual Thesaurus subscriber Debbie Shults is a veteran Sarasota, Florida, teacher, literacy coach -- and now blogger -- who we recently interviewed about her work defining a "new literacy" at her middle school. She graciously contributed the following article:

Middle school students have gained a great deal of notoriety for being difficult to teach. And while it is true that middle school is the New York City of the teaching profession, ("If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere."), veteran middle school teachers know that middle school kids are exceptional learners.

 Continue reading...

Here's the latest look at real-life copywriting in action, thanks to Sarah Williams, the head of Wordsmith in England. After we interviewed her a couple of months ago about her innovative "method acting" approach to copywriting, as she calls it (check out our interview with Sarah here), we thought to ask Sarah if she wouldn't mind sending us actual case studies... we could study! Here is this month's:  Continue reading...

Journalist Amy Gahran of the blog Contentious shares her secret for getting people to read your blog: "Strategic commenting." As Amy explains, "If you view your blog as part of a public conversation, rather than a mere publication, then an easy way to attract more interest and interaction becomes obvious." Read her post here.