"Must Have" Books About Writing Fiction
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"Must Have" Books About Writing Fiction
Story by Robert McKee
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting (Methuen Film)
Amazon Price: $22.07 (as of 06/02/2012)
This is the best all-around book I have ever read on the elements of story telling. "Story" gave me the tools I need to delve deeper into character, plot, theme, and helped me see where I needed to go.
"From an instant to an eternity, from the intercranial to the intergalactic, the life story of each and every character offers encyclopedic possibilites. The mark of a master is to select only a few moments but give us a lifetime." -- Robert McKee
Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold
Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy
Amazon Price: $50.63 (as of 06/02/2012)
Although Worlds of Wonderis a book on how to write science fiction and fantasy, it's a good reference for all of us who want to take our writing to another level. Gerrold not only explains certain concepts better than anyone I've ever read (such as, "The name of the game is Hurt the Hero! Why? Because if he doesn't hurt, why should we care?"); he also philosophizes about writing. ("What you write has an effect on the people who read it. Words have meaning, ideas have consequences.")
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity
Amazon Price: $7.49 (as of 06/02/2012)
Though not strictly a how-to book on writing, Bradbury's exuberance and love of writing are an inspiration to all writers.
"Find a character, like yourself, who will want something or not want something, with all his heart. Give him running orders. Shoot him off. Then follow as fast as you can go. The character, in his great love, or hate, will rush you through to the end of the story. The zest and gusto of his need, and there is zest in hate as well as love, will fire the landscape and raise the temperature of your typewriter thirty degrees." -- Ray Bradbury
Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver
Immediate Fiction: A Complete Writing Course
Amazon Price: $6.07 (as of 06/02/2012)
"'Immediate Fiction' is the craft of story, but it's also the craft of self -- finding what you have and making it work for you. So it's immediate in two ways. What you have to create [the story] is immediate, and how you create it is immediate. You're creating immediate fiction immediately." -- Jerry Cleaver
Cleaver says the ability to write successful stories is an acquired skill, not an inborn talent, and his book will help you gain the skill you need to become a selling writer.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print
Amazon Price: $5.82 (as of 06/02/2012)
Learn how to edit your own book. Learn how to recognize scenes that aren't working and how to improve them. Learn how to improve the flow of your story, improve your dialogue, how to use beats (the bits of action during dialogue that identify your speaker and show what they are doing/thinking, and dozens of other ways to improve your novel.
Book in a Month by Victora Schmidt
Book in a Month: The Fool-Proof System for Writing a Novel in 30 Days
Amazon Price: $5.86 (as of 06/02/2012)
I am a very slow writer, but by using Schmidt's system, I am hoping to increase my output. Of course, if I just sat down and wrote, I would not need to worry about my wordcount -- it would increase all on its own!
"Book in a Month" is a hands-on manual and workbook to guide you through the writing process. Schmidt also has an online group to give you the support you need to write that book you always dreamed of.
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agent009
Nov 21, 2011 @ 11:19 am | delete
- I'll have to check these out sometime when I start writing again. Thanks for the recommendations!
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agent009
Nov 21, 2011 @ 11:19 am | delete
- I'll have to check these out sometime when I start writing again. Thanks for the recommendations!
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MB7Art
Nov 11, 2008 @ 9:29 am | delete
- Nice choice! I could add two of my favorits:
- Stephen King "On Writing" &
-John Dufresne "The Lie That Tells a Truth".
Michael B
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jplliterary
Sep 2, 2008 @ 10:34 pm | delete
- Good choices. Don't forget to include Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King.
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by PBertram
Pat Bertram is the author of Daughter Am I, More Deaths Than One, and A Spark of Heavenly Fire. Bertram's books are available from Second Wind Publishing... more »
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