Want to write a book or article of your own?  Good!  You should do it.  It provides a place for all the weird stuff in your head to go.  Here are some links to websites worth checking out.

Stuff For Writers:

The Absolute Write Water Cooler:  Go here before you go anywhere else!  Be sure to read the Bewares and Background Checks board before you send a manuscript off to ANYONE.  

Not for the timid or those who want to be coddled:  Miss Snark offers advice, tips, and lots of observations on the sexiness of George Clooney.

 Preditors and Editors:  Dave Kuzminski's comprehensive list of agents and publishing houses.  P&E includes a rating system which will tell you if an agent is a scammer or the real deal.  Search this site before you sign any contracts.

Writer's Weekly:  Another useful tool, which includes a weekly newsletter well worth subscribing to. 

Association of Authors' Representatives:  AAR is the place to go if you want to find a legitimate literary agent.  Forget anyone who says they're out there to "help out new writers."  Look here to find someone who actually knows the business and has a track record of sales to publishers you've heard of. 

The Writer's Medical and Forensics Lab:  Need a way to kill off a character?  Want to be sure that a drowned corpse really does puff up like a beachball, or need the side effects of hemlock poisoning?  It's all here, in this amazing site for writers - or anyone else - who's willing to read detailed forensic info.  Not for the squeamish, but way cool anyway.

Protect Your Stuff:  As if Anansi Boys and Stardust aren't reason enough to love Neil Gaiman, here's a great article from his blog about what writers Really Ought To Do with their property in case they die.  Run off with me, Neil, and we'll raise an army of quirky geniuses together!