Following is a list of online resources I often use.
Common errors in English is a site that I keep readily available while I’m writing. It helps me with things like lie/lay/lain/laid, which I can never seem to remember, or how about ensure/insure/assure? Browse though it; you may find something you’ve always wondered about.
dictionary.com & thesaurus.com – These are two great sites. Go here to look up a word and you’ll find a whole lot more, from the visual thesaurus to the translator to a crossword solver, and even more in between. These rate the “Hey, Honey! Come look at this” award.
yourdictionary.com – This online dictionary isn’t bad. It comes with the usual bells and whistles and then a few things more. Worth checking out. Scroll to the bottom of the home page and you’ll find wildcard instructions for when you don’t know exactly how to spell the word you’re looking for.
Date & Time.com – This is one of those links I keep handy. If I have my coming-of-age character kicking a can down the railroad tracks on July 14, 1962, and it’s a Saturday morning, I’d better check to be sure that date was actually a Saturday.
Sun and Moon data – If he’s kicking that can down the railroad tracks at 3:30 in the morning, what is the status of the moon? Is it visible at all? What time will the sun rise?
Random Name Generator – An interesting place to scan the US Census data for names. Put in the number of names you want to see and then the obscurity level, and bingo, you have a nice list of new character names, or, as the site suggests, random names you can give to that special someone you meet at the bar.