It’s 11 am. My office window is wide open. The cool air chills my warm skin after a workout on Wii Fit. I lean back, kick up my feet onto my desk, and grab Stephen King’s On Writing. Immersed in this prolific writer’s memoir, something in the back of my mind niggles me to awareness of the quiet. The stillness draws my attention like a bellowing foghorn. Car and trucks and milk tankers typically rush by at 45 mph this time of morning, but not today.

It’s Labor Day. And few laborers are out an about. I should be working on one project or another, but no. I’m going to rest from my labors and enjoy the peace, the calm, the quiet that will be shattered tomorrow morning by the big yellow kid transporter that rumbles by at 7:26 am, signaling the end of summer and all its fun. Time to get to work.

How did you spend your Labor Day?

This week I’m giving you a list of my favorite “Help Me Write” tools. These are books or other sources I turn to when I’m editing or writing. I hope you'll find them helpful, too.

Top-notch fiction articles from top-notch writers, editors, and agents—beats Writer’s Digest hands down for content, and it’s FREE: http://www.christianfictiononlinemagazine.com (Technical editor is Yours Truly!)

Sample documents for writers: http://scrivenings.com/resources/sample-documents-for-writers

How to write nonfiction proposals: http://www.stevelaube.com/How%20to%20Write%20a%20Non-fiction%20Book%20Proposal.pdf

Fabulous workshops and lecture packets filled with everything you need to write the next best seller; best bang for your $20 bucks: http://www.margielawson.com/

How build and write a novel that is sure to break out of the pack: Writing the Breakout Novel (book and workbook) by Donald Maass

Not only a great how-to-write book, but how to break into the industry and build a career in writing: Writing for the Soul by Jerry B. Jenkins

Create a believable and memorable plot: Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell

Beyond a dictionary and thesaurus—helps you determine the precise word: Flip Dictionary by Barbara Ann Kipfer

I could list many, many more books and Web sites, but I don’t want to overwhelm you. What I have offered is a small sampling of resources that address the various aspects of writing, including self-editing and a bit of the business side of the biz.

What are some of your favorite resources?