CINE:3361 Screenwriting: Short Form: Online Resources
Finding the Details
As a creative writer, your research interests may be anything! Included below are just a few online resources to get you thinking. If you have a specific topic in mind and need help generating ideas on establishing the details - contact a librarian!
- Fiction Writer's Guide to Reality: Government Information Resources that Provide Facts for Your Fiction"This newer adaptation of the site ["Writer's Guide to Government Information", Cornwall, 2017] organizes posts by how they contribute to creation of characters, settings, plots and themes."
- CIA's The World Factbook"The World Factbook provides basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, environment, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 266 world entities."
- Google Maps Street View"Street View stitches together billions of panoramic images to provide a virtual representation of our surroundings on Google Maps. Street View's content comes from two sources - Google and contributors. Through our collective efforts, we enable people everywhere to virtually explore the world."
- YouTubeYouTube can be useful for capturing dialects, images, and experiences from the point of view of real people doing real things.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsThe Library of Congress digital collection is much more than just books! The digital collections include digitized writings, images, sound recordings, maps, sheet music, and web archives that encompass historical events from the U.S. and the world. Digital artifacts can be searched, browsed, or filtered based on subject, format, or collection.
- New York Public Library - Digital CollectionsBrowsable digital collections include over 880,000 manuscripts, prints, photos, posters, maps, and recordings. Early American writings, gay and lesbian history, and book art are just some of the collections that are available for research. Within the collection are digital items from specialized library branches, including the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Science, Industry, and Business Library.
Other general ideas:
- Local libraries and historical societies
- Museums and archives
- Local and national newspapers
- Student newspapers
- * Google and Google images (or other search engines)
Online Resources about Writing
- Writing Creative Nonfiction"This article identifies the techniques of creative nonfiction, defines the various types of creative nonfiction, provides some guidelines, and lists several popular books and several resources to help the aspiring writing learn the art and craft of writing creative nonfiction."
- StudioBinderWriting-specific archive with tips and tricks, covering topics such as structure, writing for genre films, and realistic dialogue.
- Writers Guild Foundation Resource CenterHere, you can find information and sources to help you navigate the craft and business of screenwriting.