Books for prospective fiction writer?

The best books for fiction readers? You can't go wrong with Debra Dixon's Goal, Motivation & Conflict.

It didn't just make the pennies drop for me, it turned my head into a Coinstar machine

Probably been said lots of times but I'm still going to say it again:

King's On Writing.

I think you need, first of all, to look at what your weak point is, or what you're having the hardest time with.

Structure? Robert McKee's Story
Motivation? Anne Lamott, Bird By Bird
Style? Robert Olen Butler, From Where You Dream (which is not about style so much as it is about imagining; the main point of the book being that a good style comes from imagining very vividly. But no other book has improved my style more).


Look at the library or the bookstore and at least skim the books available to see whether the information would work for you. You may find some books too elementary; you may find that some books go over your head. I would especially check whether the library had the current Novel & Short Story Writers Market, because that's not really a book you want to pay to replace every year.

IMO, the best books for fiction writers are other novels. You learn more, I think, by reading and analyzing others' work than you do by reading how-to books.

That said, I really like Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, because it's honest about how hard the process can be.

- Victoria

victoriastrauss said:

IMO, the best books for fiction writers are other novels. You learn more, I think, by reading and analyzing others' work than you do by reading how-to books.

That said, I really like Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, because it's honest about how hard the process can be.

- Victoria

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Absolutely agree.

I personally think how-tos are a waste of time and money.

Even King's On Writing, which is certainly recommended reading, is recommended for the unique way King talks about writing, not for the lessons he gives. In that book, the memoir aspect is phenomenally interesting (and even a bit helpful). The how-to stuff is elementary and phenomenally basic.

Some people who would be writers need the basics though. Talent/ability isn't always equal to desire.

Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind - Living the Writer's Life. Like Bird by Bird, they concentrate less on the technical aspect of writing and more on the emotional and spiritual aspects, although Goldberg's books do contain many writing prompts and exercises.

I'd say read other novels. And short stories. And poetry. Read, read, read and enjoy.

Then look at what you enjoy, how it works, whyit works, how it might work if you wrote in that way. Read lots and lots of good writing, of all genres, because I think learning to revel in good word-smithery, passively (ie thorugh reading), leads to being better able to produce good writing.
There were novels that were complete eye-openers to me, because I'd never known or even considered it possibly that anybody could do that., could write like that. And that reading such stuff would be such a very pleasurable and exciting experience.

Poerty I think is wonderful for demonstrating how good writing is constructed - it's like writing stripped down to its bare, elegant bones, every superfluity stripped away. And still it moves and breathes and dances.

I woudl suggest Nina Cassian for poetry, Jeanette Winterson and Francisco Goldman for prose.

victoriastrauss said:

IMO, the best books for fiction writers are other novels. You learn more, I think, by reading and analyzing others' work than you do by reading how-to books.

That said, I really like Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, because it's honest about how hard the process can be.

- Victoria

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Agreed! Sometimes I read the same books over and over, because they have something I want -- such as brilliant structure, etc. But if you must read about writing, try E. M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel, or Milan Kundera's rather esoteric but really inspiring The Art of the Novel.

Penguin Queen said:

I'd say read other novels. And short stories. And poetry. Read, read, read and enjoy.

Then look at what you enjoy, how it works, whyit works, how it might work if you wrote in that way. Read lots and lots of good writing, of all genres, because I think learning to revel in good word-smithery, passively (ie thorugh reading), leads to being better able to produce good writing.
There were novels that were complete eye-openers to me, because I'd never known or even considered it possibly that anybody could do that., could write like that. And that reading such stuff would be such a very pleasurable and exciting experience.

Poerty I think is wonderful for demonstrating how good writing is constructed - it's like writing stripped down to its bare, elegant bones, every superfluity stripped away. And still it moves and breathes and dances.

I woudl suggest Nina Cassian for poetry, Jeanette Winterson and Francisco Goldman for prose.

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Congratulations on your book, and on your reading at the Hay Fetival. If I were going to be in England, I would definitely go! Alas, I will remain in California.

You honestly need both. Without a deep understanding of the craft of writing from both the level of straight-up deconstruction in a how-to book and that of the end product in famous novels. By famous novels, I mean stories that work, and that prove what you've read in the how-to novels because they are stories that last, that have reached people, and touched their lives. That is, after all, what we're going for- to convey meaning of some sort through story, and not every published novel out there does a good job of it, despite the process of passing through publishing houses.

To limit yourself by clinging to the idea that how-to novels are no good, or to struggle by reading how-to novels and not being able to apply them, is foolishness. We should be doing everything in our power to gain better knowledge of our craft, and instead of finding our way to old ground blindly, be creating works pertinent to our time and all times. It seems the greatest folly of all to shove away legitimate teachers for the sake of proving a point, that you don't need a greater understanding of your own craft before setting out to create yourself. You will touch your readers more readily if you understand what you do with your words, and move them in ways you previously only tried to in desparation.

Now, I don't mean to be harsh, I only mean to say: "GO OUT AND READ THOSE HOW-TO BOOKS!" It's not the dark side, it's ok to not resist. Trust me, you will still be you after reading them.

I would also amend my earlier post to read:

If you're a genre writer, then how-to books are probably going to help. If you write literary fiction, I'd stick with Kundera and Forster, and maybe Bird by Bird.

Oliveman said:

Now, I don't mean to be harsh, I only mean to say: "GO OUT AND READ THOSE HOW-TO BOOKS!" It's not the dark side, it's ok to not resist. Trust me, you will still be you after reading them.

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Exactly why, in my opinion, you don't need them.

But look: this is a Never-Ending Debate. I've seen it 10 or 15 times already on AW, and I've only been here two months.

I may have been too harsh above: I said that how-tos were a waste of time and money, but that's not entirely true. I just don't know if they make one a better writer. I believe that you're born with a certain amount of talent, and that talent is best maximized by reading fiction rather than by reading a writer telling you how he or she writes theirs.

There are two things we should distinguish. The writer, and his craft. While some how-to books are about better discovering yourself and bringing out your best into your writing, others are simply about how to create effective stories, to sort through the confusion and decisions to see clearly what is going on when a writer puts words on a page and ends up rendering you speechless. It allows you to see beyond the surface of writing, and see it for the depth it is, as much of a craft as is painting or carving a masterpiece from oils or stone. People are not born with talent. They are born with their identity, and to gain talent in what they love, they must learn and practice. And so I say: learn from others both directly and applicably, then go write. Your works may yet break new ground and maybe, just maybe, become timeless.

I personally don't think you should purchase any books if what you are looking for is a how-to guide on being a writer. If you are looking for books to help you learn grammar, then go with something solely focused on learning proper grammar like A Writer's Reference by Hacker or a similar book that teaches grammar in an unbiased way, but it's my personal opinion that no one should buy how-to guides to learn a craft. It doesn't matter if it's writing, pottery, art, music, blacksmithing, or any of the countless other crafts out there; I'm a firm believer in learning through a master/apprentice relationship or through teaching yourself via trial & error.

I think you should set up a master/apprentice relationship with another writer if possible. What I mean by that is find a writer who is willing to read through your stories and critique them with the intention of helping you improve. If you can meet with this writer in person it would be for the best, but you could also do a mail correspondence with them. This way, you learn the "trade" of writing the way it was meant to be learned; passed down from person to person and not from a do-it-yourself guide like Writing for Idiots (I'm not sure if this exists, but it probably does since there is an idiot's guide for almost everything these days).

celerity said:

I would also like to hear any suggestions for other books that I may have overlooked.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print

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Good to look back for referencing.

The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

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Any good style book is a must. Rec: this one or even Chicago Manuel of Style.

Novel & Short Story Writers Market 2007

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I personally think it's a waste of money to get the Market book. It's updated yearly and until someone is ready to start querying, it takes up book space on the shelf.

Now there are books that I am not sure which to get or if I should simply buy them all.

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Both series are good, similarly written, I have both sets, (Elements of Fiction Writing) and Write Great Fiction purchased over time. I really can't say which one is the better. Choose a series and go with it.

Though they won't help you write better, they will help you be a better writer: A good Dictionary, Roget's Thesaurus (I'm not keen on the dictionary format ones. I like the double set up ones with the words in the back), The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman, a good character guide book, and a formating manuscript book.

There are so many out there, it is hard to chose. Just spend an hour in the local book store and browse the writing reference area.

But the best learning tool (and others have said it here) is to read other books.

Good luck getting your writer's library going.
db

How-to

I don't think how-to books are a matter of need, but I know a fair number of how-to books have helped me considerably. Yes, I could have learned the same things by reading enough novels, and I've read novels pretty much every week since long before I was a teenager. But how-top books have nevertheless been very helpful

King's On Writing is, I think, one of the best. I disagree completely about the how-to section being phenomenally basic. The basics are there, yes, and most new writer need them. Most brand new writers, in fact, need these basics more than anything else.

But between some of these basics I found advice that may not have been brand new, but that was put in a way that made me see it in a new light. This is important. I also think the autobiography section of the book is at least as much about writing as the how-to section.

Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing is another book that helped me tremendously. I learned as much by reading this book as I have from reading anything else, ever.

I could go on and on, but I believe each writer must find the how-to books that help him the most. Because a book helps me tremendously does not mean it will help another writer at all, and because a book helps another writer tremendously does not mean it will help me.

How-to books have helped me write better. They simply have. I've have the proverbial light bulb click on over my head any number of times when reading how-to books. "Oh, so that's how you use this technique effectively!" Or, "Why didn't I see this on my own?" Or, "Huh, I never would have guessed you could pull that off, but done this way, you sure can."

Honestly, I really see no difference between a how-to book on writing, and many of the textbooks we used in college creative writing and English Lit. classes, and I know those books helped many of us.

I don't think this is really a matter of debate. Those who say how-to books are not helpful are correct. How-to books do not help them. Those who say how-to books are helpful are correct. How-to books do help them.

Many how-to books have helped me tremendously, others have not helped at all. But I'm very glad I read the ones that helped because they did help me, and they did make me a better writer.

The only way any writer is going to know whether how-to books will help him is by reading a fair number.

I will say that reading as many novels as possible, and writing as often as possible, is still an absolute requirement. There is no substitute for this. But for many of us, how-to books are a valuable and useful resource that helps us make sense of the reading and writing process, and cuts our learning curve considerably.

There are good and bad books for teaching any subject. In how-to books, there's someone there, trying to be a teacher through their writing. Not all are from good teachers, but some are.

Personally I recommend, as someone else did, Story by Robert McKee. Writers oftentimes (including myself) seem to have the parts about how to write about characters and situations and such down fairly well before they start, but true mastery is knowing how to craft a good story, and McKee does that fabulously.