Books on Writing

[SeanDSchaffer]

I have a couple questions, if I may, concerning books on writing and publishing.

In my home library I have found three books--two on writing and one on publishing--that I was wondering 1) if anyone here has heard of them? And 2) if you have heard of them, are they good resources for writers?

The reason I ask these questions is that they were given to me by well-meaning family members who themselves are not writers and never claimed to be.

The books are listed alphabetically, by title, below:


1) How to Write Almost Anything Better
by Arthur Herzog.
Copyright 1987 by Arthur Herzog.
ISBN: 0-8062-3047-9.
Publisher: Carlton Press, Inc.

2) Starting From Scratch -- A Different Kind of Writer's Manual
by Rita Mae Brown.
Copyright 1988 by Speakeasy Productions, Inc.
ISBN: 0-553-05246-2.
Publisher: Bantam Books

3) The Book -- From Manuscript to Market
by Leonard G. Winans.
Copyright 1941 by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.
I cannot find an ISBN anywhere on this volume; In fact, if I remember correctly, the book may be Out-of-Print.
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers


The reason I put this question here instead of Bewares and Background Checks is simply that these are not Publishers or Agents, but rather books on writing and/or publishing.

Has anybody here read them, and if so, are they good resources for writers?


I appreciate any and all responses I may get to my questions. Thank you.

[moblues]

Sol Stein's "Stein on Writing."

This cat is the best in the biz.




Mike

[Jamesaritchie]

I think the first two are very good resources for writers. Both are written by very well known and highly published writers, and are, if nothing else, very different sorts of reads.

I've seen the third, and I believe I even read it many years ago. If it's the book I'm thinking of, much of the information in it is highly dated, and I believe you'd be much better off finding a more recent book on the subject.

But I'd definitelty recommend reading the first two cover to cover. They may or may not help you, it's impossible to say whether or not any book will help an individual writer, but both Arthur Herzog and Rita Mae Brown have been around the block more times than a New York Taxi with an out of state fare. You could do much worse than read what they have to say.

[Jaws]

I recommend

Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel
(multiple editions available, originally published in 2001)

as having both a lot of good writing advice and a lot of wisdom on the publishing industry. The latter is also useful even for nonfiction writers. [Disclosure: Don is a friend and professional colleague of mine, as we have in the past and continue to jointly represent several authors—Don as agent, me as counsel—but I'd recommend his book anyway.]

For all writers, you can do a lot worse than

George Orwell, The Collected Essays of George Orwell (Penguin, various dates and slightly different editions)

if only to admire the proper use of passive voice! Actually, though, Orwell's thoughts on writing and literature (particularly in "Why I Write," "Politics and the English Language," and "Inside the Whale") will help one at least be more aware of pitfalls.

[GPatten]

If I may add with my limited knowledge on writing:

To start off with, I would suggest, Stunk and Whites book on the Elements of Style, The Chicago Manual of Style, Roget’s international Thesaurus, and a big dictionary the kind you would find in a library. It sure is nice to have these popular reference books.

There are many more. Perhaps Writers Market, www.writersmarket.com The Howdunit Series -- Cause of death (A writers guide to death, murder, and forensic medicine by Keith D. Wilson, MD.) and I think even The writer’s complete crime reference book by Martin Roth. The list goes on and on.

I lack the books on how to write. I’m rather embarrassed that I don’t have any of those. Those of you who are able to belong to a club on writing where you can receive help are lucky, that’s always a good thing. I have none unless I drive to the big city and I can’t do that.

[Tirjasdyn]

If you need structure: First Draft in 30 Days by Karen Wiesner. It's basically a writing schedule layed out for you, that will get a working first draft done in 30 days with an outline format. I'm working through it now with my current novel. I really like it.

Writing the Breakout Novel is great but skip it and get the Workbook version (same author) I found that much more helpful with much of the same info.

[Cabinscribe]

I never heard of #s 1 and 3, but I did read #2 many years ago and found it helpful then.

I concur with Moblues, that the Sol Stein book is the best I've read so far.

One thought though, and this is just an opinion based on my own experience ....

Be careful about spending so much time finding and reading books about writing that you neglect to write!

Good Luck!

[Medievalist]

If I may add with my limited knowledge on writing:

To start off with, I would suggest, Stunk and Whites book on the Elements of Style, The Chicago Manual of Style, Roget’s international Thesaurus, and a big dictionary the kind you would find in a library. It sure is nice to have these popular reference books.


Unless you're getting paid to write or edit by a publication that requires you to use the Chicago Manual, skip it. It's overkill, and expensive, and your local library will have it. Look for Strunk and White, not Stunk (probably the poster was typing too fast), and get it from a used bookstore or library; you're probably going to want an earlier edition rather than the current one. I'd skip the thesaurus; get a copy of an unabridged dictionary, my preference (this is a religious issue) would be the American Heritage Unabridged; there's a CD-Rom version of the entire thing, with hypertext links and audio pronouncing every word, for Windows users. Or you can use it for free here:

http://www.bartleby.com/61/

Spend some time on Bartleby; lots of free usage and writing reference books there--enough that you might not spend a dime.

[cwfgal]

I'd skip the thesaurus;

I wouldn't. I use mine more than any other reference book I own. And the older I get, the more I use it. :)

Beth

[Christine N.]

LOL. I just use the Thesaurus on my word processor. It's quick and right at my fingertips.

Also... as always... Self Editing for Fiction Writers. Wonderful book.

[Medievalist]

Speaking as someone who has worked on four thesauri, here's why I suggest most writers can skip them:

Most of the recently published thesauri uses the same corpi. They just organize their entries differently.

Most word processors include a thesaurus using the same data.

Most older thesauri are likely to cause problems unless you want to sound like someone from the past; there are a number of thesauri published right up into the early 1990s that use a corpus from 1918 or 1921. Words have changed meaning since then.

[ANNIE]

I recommend

Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel
(multiple editions available, originally published in 2001)
Ah, Donald Maass, I was rejected by him. Memories. I do own the Book though.

[SeanDSchaffer]

I really do appreciate your recommendations. And I also appreciate everyone who knew about the three volumes I have in my possession.

(I have a fourth volume, but it looked to me as though it were a Vanity Press' Volume, and because of that didn't think it should be brought up. But if I remember correctly, it may have been done by the same company that did one of the first three I mentioned. I'd list it here, except I put it away last night and will have to move a bunch of stuff out of my closet to get to it again. I may still list it later for your consideration.)

I'm glad to know that the two on writing are both written by well-known and respected writers. I'll definitely be sure to read them, so that I can broaden my knowledge of the written word and the proper usage thereof.

Thanks.

:Thumbs:

[cwfgal]

Speaking as someone who has worked on four thesauri, here's why I suggest most writers can skip them:

Most of the recently published thesauri uses the same corpi. They just organize their entries differently.

Most word processors include a thesaurus using the same data.

Most older thesauri are likely to cause problems unless you want to sound like someone from the past; there are a number of thesauri published right up into the early 1990s that use a corpus from 1918 or 1921. Words have changed meaning since then.

I find the thesaurus that comes with Word fails to offer as many alternatives as does my Roget's SuperThesaurus, which I love.

Beth

[Jamesaritchie]

I'm all for skipping thesauri myself. I don't worry about out of date words. . .word meanings haven't changed all that much, and most still mean the same thing they always meant.

My problem with thesauri is that it's often very easy to tell when a writer uses one, and this is not a good thing. The dreaded "thesaurus writer" is one of the banes of reading slush piles.

When there's a word you know well, but just can't bring to mind, a thesaurus can help. When a thesaurus is used to find uncoomon words for common things, however, the result is usually less the pleasing.

Anyone who reads enough has all the words needed to write fiction.

[aruna]

Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande

[Christine N.]

Yes, James, I agree about the "thesaurus writer" but sometimes I just can't think of the word I'm looking for, but I can think of another word that means the same. And no, I don't just want to use the word I've thought of, I want that word I can't think of. Usually it's some little word, and it's just gone out of my brain. The Thesaurus really comes in handy then.

But I don't find myself using it all that much.

[Meaney]

I have read Sol Stein's "Stein on Writing" and Donald Maass' "Writing the Breakout Novel," and I found both to be outstanding and worthy reads.

I would also recommend Orson Scott Card's "Characters & Viewpoint." It is incisive yet readable and down to earth. I haven't finished Renni Browne and Dave King's "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers," but I would recommend it for the chapter on point of view alone.

[Steve 211]

Whatever books speak to you - at the level you're at now, about the genre you have in mind - are the ones to read.

Having said that, I agree with all the above. And yet one book that always makes these must-have-for-writers lists, and for good reason, is On Writing, by Stephen King.

Add in Bird by Bird, by Ann Lamott, and Telling Lies for Fun and Profit, by Lawrence Block, and you got a great set to show you what the writer's life and craft are like.

[Jamesaritchie]

The one thing I believe about how-to books is that you have to connect them to the writer. If you don't like a writer's novels, I think it's probably a mistake to rely on his how-to book. Best to pick books by writers you enjoy reading.

My top list would be:

King's "On Writing."
Bradbury's "Zen in the Art of Writing."
Block's "Telling Lies for Fun & Profit."
McManus' "The Deer on a Bicycle."
Bova's "The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells."
Card's "How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy."
Caldwell's "Call it Experience."

I'm not real big on books that try to tell me how to write. To paraphrase Donald Sutherland, "Technique I can get almost anywhere." I get all the technique I need from reading and studying good novels and short stories.

I'm more interest in the writer behind the writing. The why of writing. I want to know how a particular writer traveled a road that lead to a particular story, the why and the what, the meaning.

So, for me, it's the autobigraphy sections of such books, the reasons the writer does what he does, that has real meaning, not the technique. Technique is the easy part of writing. Knowing what to say, what stories to write, why some stories work and others don't, regardless of technique, is what interests me.

[zornhau]

Donald Maas rocks! (Tell him I said so.)

However, his book isn't exactly entry level.

Dwight Swain's "Techniques of the Selling Author" is the only writing book I still glance at from time to time. It covers everything from the suck-egg basics (e.g. grammar and voice) through to structure.