I am going this afternoon to pick up two books about writing. I'm definately going to be get the Self-Editing Book for Fiction by Renni Brown. I want to get another, but I'm not sure what to get. Anyone have any good ones they want to suggest?
Need book suggestions
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I second both of kristie911's choices. I would also add The Lie That Tells a Truth by John Dufresne and Story by Robert McKee.
Southern_girl29 said:
'Character and Viewpoint' by Orson Scott Card. 'Dynamic Characters' or 'Beginnings, Middles and Endings' by Nancy Kress.
Depends on what your goals are, I think. Are you looking for a basic book on writing? A grammar aid? Is there a particular area you're looking to polish, say, dialogue?
My personal favorite for basic writing advice, is Jerry Cleaver's Immediate Fiction. It has a punchy, tagline style that makes the important bits easy to remember but not so abrasive you feel like you're being sold a timeshare.
For a book on description -- using the techniques of showing and telling, and when to use each-- I liked Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan. Definitely a "must have" for anyone who is hearing "show, don't tell" and can't quite figure out what that means.
For dialogue, oh, it'd have to be "Shut up," He Explained by Noble. I don't usually like his books, since they often feel as if they're heavily padded and rehashed from each other, but that one was pretty good.
What? I read that section for fun, and we have two Half-Price bookstores within thirty minutes of here.
My personal favorite for basic writing advice, is Jerry Cleaver's Immediate Fiction. It has a punchy, tagline style that makes the important bits easy to remember but not so abrasive you feel like you're being sold a timeshare.
For a book on description -- using the techniques of showing and telling, and when to use each-- I liked Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan. Definitely a "must have" for anyone who is hearing "show, don't tell" and can't quite figure out what that means.
For dialogue, oh, it'd have to be "Shut up," He Explained by Noble. I don't usually like his books, since they often feel as if they're heavily padded and rehashed from each other, but that one was pretty good.
What? I read that section for fun, and we have two Half-Price bookstores within thirty minutes of here.
I definately need something for showing vs. telling. I seem to have trouble with that the most when I write my first draft.
I really liked Word Painting, what can I say? She gives lots of concrete examples, and has a very fluid, very easy to read style. The one that really sticks out is her comparison of her first attempt at describing a character versus a more polished one.
I also have the Noble book on the subject ("Show, Don't Tell") but I didn't particularly find it useful. It's one that I felt was a bit rehashed from a couple of his other books.
I also have the Noble book on the subject ("Show, Don't Tell") but I didn't particularly find it useful. It's one that I felt was a bit rehashed from a couple of his other books.
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My all-time favourite writing book is "Techniques of the Selling Writer" by Dwight Swain. It's beautifully written and really gets to the heart of a lot of important matters that many other writing books gloss over. I read it twice in the first two days I owned it, and have read it right through about three more times in the two months since then.
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Telling Lies for Fun and Profit and Spider Spin me a Web by Lawrence Block were both great. I liked the former the best.
I hated Scene and Structure, by Bickham (his ego . . .), but learning about scene questions and structuring was useful.
On Writing by Stephen King was a terrific take on being a writer and the realities involved.
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman is great for beginners.
Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury is good if you can blow past his ego. (And I am a die hard fan!)
I hated Scene and Structure, by Bickham (his ego . . .), but learning about scene questions and structuring was useful.
On Writing by Stephen King was a terrific take on being a writer and the realities involved.
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman is great for beginners.
Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury is good if you can blow past his ego. (And I am a die hard fan!)
I was a bit disappointed with Block's books, actually. I liked that they were part of the workgroups he runs -- they had a great 'seminar' feel to them.
But I didn't really feel as if I got much out of the second book that I hadn't already gotten out of the first.
But I didn't really feel as if I got much out of the second book that I hadn't already gotten out of the first.
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My most dog-eared writing book is A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves. It has 365 daily writing prompts and 12 essays on different aspects of "the writing life."
How to Write Almost Anything Better by Arthur Herzog comes to mind when I read your original post. It's a thin little thing, but IMO packed with good information.
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They have to order Self-Editing for me, so I picked up King's book. I've read it before and loved it. I can be an impulse buyer when it comes to books, so I also bought The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel. I haven't started it yet, but it looks to be ok. I can't wait to get Self-Editing though.
On the other hand, I bought my daughter, who's 3, Charlotte's Web. She loves the movie, so I thought she might like the book. We're going to start reading it tomorrow.
On the other hand, I bought my daughter, who's 3, Charlotte's Web. She loves the movie, so I thought she might like the book. We're going to start reading it tomorrow.
I have to put in another vote for On Writing, it has a lot of extrempely applicable wisdom in it.
One that I have found interesting is 20 Master Plots, it doesn't t ry to outline your book for you but gives you an idea of what kind of structure is effective for the type of book you're trying to write.
One that I have found interesting is 20 Master Plots, it doesn't t ry to outline your book for you but gives you an idea of what kind of structure is effective for the type of book you're trying to write.
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