I’m sure there have been plenty of posts regarding what style books to read for fiction, but I can’t find them. Can you point me to a list of recommended books on editing your own work?Or we could start a new list here.Also, please rate the books, 0-5, they recommend?I Have "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" I'll give this a 5.
Books on how to edit your writing.
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I love "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers." "The First Five Pages" by Noah Lukeman's good also. I had an agent recommend "The Complete Guide to Editing Your Fiction" by Michael Seidman. I bought it, but to be honest I haven't read it yet. It's a little redundant to the other 2 with Seidman's added insight. If I had to choose 1 of the 3, I'd buy "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers."
Thanks Erin, I looked it up "The First Five Pages" on the web and it looks pretty good. I'll get it right away.
I have both of those, too.
Noah Lukeman offers a free e-book of his "How to Write Great Query Letter"
Noah Lukeman offers a free e-book of his "How to Write Great Query Letter"
Wow, this thread has been an unexpected affirmation of the books I've got now. My hand's resting on "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" at this moment, and "The First Five Pages" is on interlibrary loan request 
Thanks for the Lukeman link, by the way; when I found the resource at Amazon, they wanted 50¢ for the "free" book!
Thanks for the Lukeman link, by the way; when I found the resource at Amazon, they wanted 50¢ for the "free" book!
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"Self-Editing" and "First Five Pages" are both great. I'd rank Raymond Obstfeld's "Fiction First Aid" alongside them.
It's billed as being for mystery writers, but Chris Roerden's "Don't Murder Your Mystery" is an excellent guide to all the common mistakes that mark work out as amateur - or just plain annoying. It lists the top 40 reasons for rejection, and illustrates them with examples from mystery writers' first books. It showed me one or two embarrassing mistakes I'm guilty of! (Er, not including ending sentences with a preposition...)
This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put
*makes note of books being touted*
My copy of John Gardner's The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for the Young Writer is threadbare and held together with rubber bands.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0679734031/?tag=absolutewritedm-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0679734031/?tag=absolutewritedm-20
Yes, one of the best book on writing. Not all that strong on editing and revision, though...
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Viewpoint and Characterization by Orson Scott Card is pretty good.
I'm reading Donald Maass's How to Write the Breakout Novel, (or some such title) right now and it is impressing me enough I might actually buy my own copy. Don't tell my hubby who is not overly thrilled with the growing stacks of books around the house.
I'm reading Donald Maass's How to Write the Breakout Novel, (or some such title) right now and it is impressing me enough I might actually buy my own copy. Don't tell my hubby who is not overly thrilled with the growing stacks of books around the house.
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I haven't read a lot of books on writing, so I can't say if it's original or not. What it is is crystal clear. He has a gift for analyzing things and expressing them very clearly. So clearly, you almost are tempted to say, "Yeah, I knew that." It seems so obvious, so right. I think it will help me a lot with my revisions.
Re: Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel
I learned a lot from that one. As Amazon points out, the book covers:
* create a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place (this didn't really apply to me)
* develop larger-than-life characters (this was great advice- my characters were beige)
* sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish (this made me realize I didn't have much of a plot or any tension at all)
* weave sub-plots into the main action (I'd done this so it was good to confirm)
* explore universal themes that will interest a large audience of readers (this helped me define what my book was really about, allowing me to really focus the action on the theme)
I learned a lot from that one. As Amazon points out, the book covers:
* create a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place (this didn't really apply to me)
* develop larger-than-life characters (this was great advice- my characters were beige)
* sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish (this made me realize I didn't have much of a plot or any tension at all)
* weave sub-plots into the main action (I'd done this so it was good to confirm)
* explore universal themes that will interest a large audience of readers (this helped me define what my book was really about, allowing me to really focus the action on the theme)
Thanks everyone,
Running to Powells to get "First Five Pages" before all the used ones are all gone. I hope I can get through it. I have at least 20 Grammar and style books at home that I couldn’t get past the first chapter. “Self-Editing …” is the first one I’ve ever read cover-to-cover and will probably read again.
Running to Powells to get "First Five Pages" before all the used ones are all gone. I hope I can get through it. I have at least 20 Grammar and style books at home that I couldn’t get past the first chapter. “Self-Editing …” is the first one I’ve ever read cover-to-cover and will probably read again.
Sorry, didn't read your request until this morning. I haven't seen the bridges shirt for awhile.
I did get a copy of "First Five pages" for $8, hardback, and I've already marked up three chapters. "The First Five Pages" is a slap you on the back of the head style were "Self-Editing..." is a kinder approach.
I did get a copy of "First Five pages" for $8, hardback, and I've already marked up three chapters. "The First Five Pages" is a slap you on the back of the head style were "Self-Editing..." is a kinder approach.
I'm on Chapter 4 of "The first Five Pages" and I think my head is going to explode. Between my grammar books, “Self-Editing…” and this book the list of stuff I have to keep in mind is huge. It now takes a week to check one sentence.
I have to check it for: grammar, spelling, strength, clarity, alliterations, continuity, voice, on and on and on. I was hoping this would get easier.
Maybe I should just stay a hack.
Whine, whine, whine and more wine.
I have to check it for: grammar, spelling, strength, clarity, alliterations, continuity, voice, on and on and on. I was hoping this would get easier.
Maybe I should just stay a hack.
Whine, whine, whine and more wine.
Has anyone looked at Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing by Claire Kehrwald Cook? Is Self-Editing better? I can't afford to get too many of these, although I'd love to!
You can get the books used at Powels. They are cheap and in really good shape. I suspect most people buy them and never read them. I got "Self-Editing..." for $6 and "The First Five Pages" for $8 (don't tell the authors).
The only book I've paid full price for is Thoothpastes' book, $17.00, choke.
The only book I've paid full price for is Thoothpastes' book, $17.00, choke.
I ordered "Self Editing.." yesterday, along with another book on developing story ideas aimed at scriptwriters.
But the killer for me is postage. Man, unless you want an option that takes weeks, Amazon's choice of international courier is expensive. It basically doubles the price of everything, but it still works out better than anything I'd source here and for convenience is worth it.
I find that a handful of boosk have now become like my Bibles, and I have a commitment to re-read a chapter of one or other each night ongoingly. "Crafting Scenes" by Raymond Obstfield, for example, gets a real going over.
Such incredible insight in these books for what is really a very low cost.
I’ve gota tell ya I'm not liking "The First Five Pages". The book "Self-Editing ..." is much clearer with better examples and exercises. I feel like I’m getting hit on the head with a ruler for even trying to write when I read “First Five Pages”.
I checked Line by Line out of the library and found it to be very helpful. It was great. Check it out first. I like both of these books, really, so you can't go wrong with either one.
I love David Madden's "Revising Fiction: A Handbook for Writers" I've read it several times and I use the table of contents as a checklist.
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