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Creative Writing Subject Guide
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This guide includes information and resources designed to aid you with research in the field of creative writing. Explore the tabs on the left or look below for information on finding books and articles, choosing which databases to search, and more. For further assistance with your research, please reach out to your librarian using the contact information in the left-hand column -- we're here to help!
Dictionaries and Thesauri
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of AllusionsCall Number: PN43 .W384 (Reference Room)Publication Date: 1999
The Facts on File Dictionary of ClichésCall Number: PE1689 .A48 (Reference Room)Publication Date: 2001
It's Been Said Before : A Guide to the Use and Abuse of ClichésCall Number: e-bookPublication Date: 2014
From the Horse's Mouth : Oxford Dictionary of English IdiomsCall Number: e-bookPublication Date: 2009
The Complete Rhyming Dictionary Revised : Including the Poet's Craft BookCall Number: PE1519 .W6 1991 (St. Olaf Music Library, Reference)Publication Date: 1991
The Word Rhythm Dictionary : A Resource for Writers, Rappers, Poets, and LyricistsCall Number: PE1583 .P65 2014 (St. Olaf Music Library) and e-bookPublication Date: 2014
The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional EnglishCall Number: e-bookPublication Date: 2012
The Insect That Stole Butter?: Oxford Dictionary of Word OriginsCall Number: e-bookPublication Date: 2009
The Oxford American Writer's ThesaurusCall Number: PE1591 .L625 2004 (Reference Room)Publication Date: 2004
Handbooks and Companions
The Cambridge Companion to Creative Writing
Available via Carleton (PN189 .C29 2012).
Also available online.
The Handbook of Creative Writing
Available online.
The Reader Over Your Shoulder : A Handbook for Writers of English Prose
Available online.
A Companion to Creative Writing
Available online.
"The Art Of" Series (Graywolf Press)
The Art of Attention : A Poet's Eye
Call Number: PN1064 .R48 2007
The Art of Daring : Risk, Restlessness, Imagination
Call Number: PS3566.H476 A78 2014
The Art of Death : Writing the Final Story
Call Number: PN56.D4 D36 2017
The Art of Description : World into Word
Call Number: PE1427 .D68 2010
The Art of History : Unlocking the Past in Fiction and Nonfiction
Call Number: PN3383.N35 B73 2016
The Art of Intimacy : The Space Between
Call Number: PN56.I6445 D47 2013
The Art of Mystery : The Search for Questions
Call Number: PN3377.5.D4 C37 2018
The Art of Perspective : Who Tells the Story
Call Number: PN3383.P64 C37 2016
Call Number: PN1042 .L66 2008
The Art of Recklessness : Poetry as Assertive Force and Contradiction
Call Number: PN1111 .Y68 2010
The Art of Revision : The Last Word
Call Number: PN145 .D379 2021
The Art of Subtext : Beyond Plot
Call Number: PN3383.S83 B39 2007
The Art of Syntax : Rhythm of Thought, Rhythm of Song
Call Number: P291 .V65 2009
The Art of Time in Fiction : As Long as it Takes
Call Number: PN3355 .S554 2009
The Art of Time in Memoir : Then, Again
Call Number: CT25 .B57 2008
Copyright and Fair Use
Creativity and Copyright : Legal Essentials for Screenwriters and Creative Artists by Call Number: e-bookPublication Date: 2019
- Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for PoetryThis code of best practices helps poets understand when they and others have the right to excerpt, quote and use copyrighted material in poetry.
Reference Databases
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowOffers full-text access to over 500 highly-regarded titles from 70 publishers. Covers every major subject in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences from the world's best publishers of reference.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Reference Online brings together language and subject reference works from one of the world's biggest and most trusted reference publishers into a single cross-searchable resource.