Designed by Lawrence K. Lo, this Web site is meant to serve as "an introduction to writing systems, which hopefully will tantalize the reader into searching for more information." Lo offers visitors a brief overview of several topics related to linguistics (both modern and historical) in sections devoted to writing systems, sounds and phonetics, and historical linguistics. In the writing systems,...

The official NaNoWriMo site, which we featured in the 11-07-2014 Scout Report, is an indispensable resource for both new and experienced writers. Since then, they have added a Young Writers Program, which budding novelists under 18 and educators should be sure to check out. Freelance writer Chris Baty declared November as National Novel Writing Month in the fall of 2000. Since then, the number of...

The Online Writery at the University of Missouri, Columbia, is a student-oriented writing and learning environment that includes both communication and information resources: e-mail, access to two MOOs , writing resources, teaching resources, and paperless papers. It is a place to write and read and talk, a place to learn stuff. It is a resource you can use whether you are writing for a class or...

The experience of war has proved to be a wellspring of literary expression, both lachrymose and intently reflective, something that is evident in the works of such masters as Remarque and Hemingway, among others. Keeping that in mind, the National Endowment for the Arts (in coordination with all four branches of the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense) has created this novel literary...

No doubt some of our faithful Scout Report readers have an interest in reading historic documents, and perhaps a few have some family items written in an ancient and formidable hand that they might need some help reading. If so, this nice online tutorial on palaeography (or the practice of reading old handwriting) from the National Archives (in conjunction with the School of Library, Archive and...

Wondering where to break a URL at the end of line, whether the ban on splitting infinitives still stands, or how many spaces to put after a period? The answers are here. While certainly not a comprehensive guide and not organized in a particularly helpful way, The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) FAQ nonetheless answers some of the questions that commonly vex writers and editors. What's more, the...

William Strunk's timeless guide to using the English language has been electronically published by the Bartelby Project. Strunk's work includes sections on Elementary Rules of Usage, Elementary Rules of Composition, A Few Matters of Form, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and Words Commonly Misspelled. Although written with educators and students in mind, this guide will benefit anyone who...

This site, provided by Writers Write, Inc., hosts a wealth of information for practicing or would-be writers, publishers, and editors. The main Writers Write site contains numerous writing resources, including guidelines to paying and nonpaying online publications, writing and publishing news, message boards, and job listings.