Books on writing

MarkyMarc · Dec 17, 2011

Although I am quite sure there have been multiple threads on this topic, the search function returns a broad selection of threads when I use keywords: books, writing, style, voice, etc. as you could understand. I am fairly new to writing, in the sense that I have been off and on over the years without ever taking a serious approach to learning and expanding. What are your suggestions on books about the craft (i.e. style, voice, etc.) I have Steven King's On Writing ordered and on the way, and would like suggestions on other "must reads" on the subject.

Thanks!
MarkyMarc

CrastersBabies · Dec 17, 2011

Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing
Chuck Wendig's 250 Things You Should Know About Writing
Burroway's Writing Fiction

I get a lot out of Nancy Kress' how-to books as well.

While I have Gardener's Art of Fiction, I don't find it nuts-and-bolts enough for my taste. I need something more tangible. It is a lovely read, though.

LJD · Dec 17, 2011

try: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175801
and: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230120

I like James Scott Bell's Plot and Structure.

Grunkins · Dec 17, 2011

I'm a fan of William Zinsser's "On Writing Well." It's about non-fiction but all the principles apply to fiction as well (you'll want to interview your characters after reading it too).

Crasters mentioned John Gardner, I like his "Art of Fiction", but I adore his "On Becoming a Novelist." It's more about the writer's mind than on actual writing but you will get pumped to write as a result of reading it.

MamaStrong · Dec 17, 2011

I'll have to go downstairs and find them. I have a few that I bought but haven't had the time to seriously sit down and open them. I'm working on end of the year cleaning and setting up my writing studio.

Carlene · Dec 17, 2011

I still like Gary Provost's "100 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Writing."
It's a paperback, very inexpensive and I read it over and over again - lots of good stuff in there.

Carlene

Gillhoughly · Dec 17, 2011

You may want a refund on King's book. I found most of it to be self-indulgent and useless autobiographical angst and what little he has on the actual craft of writing to also be wholly useless.

You learn by doing. That's called the BUTT IN CHAIR method. Two hours a day, every day, butt in chair: write. If that's too much work, then you don't want it enough.

Much better books:

Lawrence Block: Writing the Novel from Plot to Print.

Lawrence Block: Telling Lies for Fun and Profit

Writing a Thriller by Andre Jute (rules apply to all books)

And just about anything else in the 808 section that doesn't have King's name on it.

But since you're new to writing it means you've got due diligence to put in on the craft.

This means that for every book you plan to write you have to read at least 200 other books.

Not just books on how to write. Books.

Doesn't matter which ones. Read the whole darn library. Ray Bradbury did.

The library should be your new 2nd home and you should have your card worn out from use before next fall.

You can't learn to write or be even an adequate writer until you sample how at least 200 other writers have tackled the craft.

Laura J · Dec 17, 2011

I just bought Bell's Revision & Self Editing, thanks to the recommendations on here. It looks amazing, though I'm not quite ready for that yet. I wanted to have it handy.

I also just got (thanks to free shipping offer, I had to add another book) The Writer's Compass by Nancy Dodd. Looks interesting. I'm very visual and there are charts, story maps and word webs for organizing ideas into a novel. That sounds like me. I also like how she has a lot of questions to ask yourself along the way. That is helpful.

I have Story Engineering by Larry Brooks (my first book, I loved it) I took so many notes. It was a little confusing, with plot points, pinch points, hooks, but I think I could go back now and really learn. I'm a plotter.

I may check out the Gardner book. I don't have anything inspirational. Thanks for the thread links too. Though, I am trying to stop buying writing books. This is totally new for me, so I feel I have a lot to learn.

Gillhoughly · Dec 17, 2011

Also:

Learn Writing with Uncle Jim

Holly Lisle's Writing Course

The Snowflake Method

The Craft of Writing - SWFA

Plot a Novel in 5 Steps

There is no right or wrong way to learning this craft. You use what works best for you.

Deleted member 42 · Dec 17, 2011

There's an entire category of writing-related books in the AW Amazon bookstore.

SaronaNalia · Dec 17, 2011

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0061357952

How Not to Write a Novel. I found it funny and easy to read, and it makes it easy to see the mistakes you've been making.

Linda Adams · Dec 17, 2011

Also:

The Novel Writer's Toolkit by Bob Mayer

The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass

dangerousbill · Dec 17, 2011

MarkyMarc said:
What are your suggestions on books about the craft (i.e. style, voice, etc.) I have Steven King's On Writing ordered and on the way, and would like suggestions on other "must reads" on the subject.

It seems that every author with two books out, writes a book on how to write. Only a few are useful, because they usually describe that author's way of writing. The chances that your best writing MO will be be same as any other author's is small.

Rather than recommend books, I'd suggest that you spend no more than a quarter of your writing time reading books on how to write. Writing books are one of the many faces of the Procrastination Demon.

To hell with it. Here's my recommendation: I'd check Holly Lisle's website, where you can get lots of good advice for free.
http://hollylisle.com/

BethS · Dec 17, 2011

Someone mentioned Gary Provost. He's good. I have his Beyond Style: Mastering the Finer Points of Writing, which was quite revelatory for me when I was first starting out. It's out of print, but you might be able to find a used copy.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne and Dave King, is excellent.

Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Don Maass. I like it better than the book of the same name.

Character and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card. He really breaks down POV.

Stein on Writing and How to Grow a Novel, by Sol Stein. The first one in particular was a great help to me.

The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. A great book for understanding the underlying structure and archetypes of story.

Between the Lines: the subtle elements of fiction writing, by Jessica Page Morrell

The Art of Fiction, John Gardner

MarkyMarc · Dec 17, 2011

Thank you for your replies! I will be checking out the books suggested. I understand that reading a book on writing does not make you a writer, however, I believe, as with anything worth doing in life, understanding the foundations and theory of an art is important and fun to learn, and will aid in the development of making it your own.

smellycat6464 · Dec 17, 2011

dangerousbill said:
To hell with it. Here's my recommendation: I'd check Holly Lisle's website, where you can get lots of good advice for free.
http://hollylisle.com/

^that

Ms Lisle is amazing! Im too poor to purchase some of her famous online writing classes. but she has A LOT of info and free courses available on her website. she is very trustworthy and sends out the occasional email with forwarded questions, and recent personal experience. she's a very down to earth and honest person, so i trust the info on her site

also, i wouldn't totally ignore steven kings "on writing a memoir of the craft" but i think its definitely worth a rental and scan. just pick it up from your library, and glance at the "on writing" section (most of its a vulgar biography that is not slightly interesting) but he makes several good points on adverbs, passive voice, plot structure. very basic, but i found it to be good groundwork. and i really liked the core message, which was "if you want to write. write." not gonna lie, that book was one of the several factors that made me go "ok, let's do this thing!"

but I too am a big follower of the butt in chair method. you cant learn to swim by reading a book, you need both instruction AND practice. one or the other aint gonna cut it

Mclesh · Dec 17, 2011

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Funny and good advice. I read it while going through a little bit of writer's block, which she has a very effective remedy for. I recommend it.

Orianna2000 · Dec 17, 2011

I have a whole shelf of one of my bookcases dedicated to writing books, and they're piling up on the floor now, too. Yes, you have to practice writing daily, and yes, you have to read novels to get a feel for how it's done. But if you don't at least know the basic rules, you'll be fumbling in the dark.

My favorites---the ones that were extraordinary, or that I reread every time I start writing a new novel:

Thanks, But This Isn't For Us by Jessica Page Morrell
Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
The Mind of Your Story by Lisa Lenard Cook
Dialogue by Gloria Kempton
Dynamic Characters by Nancy Kress
Description by Monica Wood
Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman
Between the Lines by Jessica Page Morrell

bearilou · Dec 18, 2011

In addition to Donald Maas, Larry Brooks and Christopher Vogler and the links Gillhoughly listed:

Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain

Screenwriting Tricks for Authors (and Screenwriters) by Alexandra Sokoloff

Nail Your Novel by Roz Morris

Write to be Published by Nicola Morgan

The 90-Day Novel: Unlock The Story Within by Alan Watt

seun · Dec 18, 2011

Gillhoughly said:
You may want a refund on King's book. I found most of it to be self-indulgent and useless autobiographical angst and what little he has on the actual craft of writing to also be wholly useless.

You learn by doing. That's called the BUTT IN CHAIR method. Two hours a day, every day, butt in chair: write. If that's too much work, then you don't want it enough.

Much better books:

Lawrence Block: Writing the Novel from Plot to Print.

Lawrence Block: Telling Lies for Fun and Profit

Writing a Thriller by Andre Jute (rules apply to all books)

And just about anything else in the 808 section that doesn't have King's name on it.

But since you're new to writing it means you've got due diligence to put in on the craft.

This means that for every book you plan to write you have to read at least 200 other books.

Not just books on how to write. Books.

Doesn't matter which ones. Read the whole darn library. Ray Bradbury did.

The library should be your new 2nd home and you should have your card worn out from use before next fall.

You can't learn to write or be even an adequate writer until you sample how at least 200 other writers have tackled the craft.

I agree with all of this apart from the stuff about King (to which I give an intelligent and mature reply of pfft). If you want to write, then read, read and read some more.

Ken · Dec 18, 2011

... another vote for "On Writing Well," and also for "Art of Fiction."
(Will have to check out some of these other recommendations.)

Mackenzie · Dec 18, 2011

I love Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. My shelf also includes several other books mentioned here on the craft, as well as Plotting & Writing Suspense Fiction by Patricia Highsmith (she wrote Strangers on a Train, among others), Ralph Keyes' The Courage to Write, Smith's The Writer's Little Helper, McClanahan's Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively, The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing, and Stuart Voytilla's Myth and the Movies. The latter is a great book about archetypal plotting in screenplays, but highly applicable to novel writing.

BethS · Dec 18, 2011

Gillhoughly said:
You may want a refund on King's book. I found most of it to be self-indulgent and useless autobiographical angst and what little he has on the actual craft of writing to also be wholly useless.

You know, I felt the same way about that book. I found it useless, and was mystified at the way all my writing friends raved over it.

But we all learn in different ways, so...<shrug>

BethS · Dec 18, 2011

Mclesh said:
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Funny and good advice. I read it while going through a little bit of writer's block, which she has a very effective remedy for. I recommend it.

Love Bird by Bird. It's not so much a craft book as it is a book about the writer's life, but there so much in it that's sharp and funny and true.

Graz · Dec 18, 2011

Techniques of the Selling Writerby Dwight V. Swain

Not only does he explain the "rules", he also explains why

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