Blogger: Michelle Ule
Janet’s traveling to various publishing houses this week; so I’m filling in for her while she’s in all-day meetings.
Last week I wrote about the genres you should read as a writer (all of them); this week I’ll talk about specific craft books that help me. I’m a novelist, but still some of these resources would be helpful to nonfiction writers as well.
The book I use more than any sits next to my computer screen: the Flip Dictionary.
It describes itself perfectly: “For when you know what you want to say but can’t come up with the word.” It’s an exhaustive version of a thesaurus, and you don’t have to know your exact word to use it. For example, I’m writing about a cavalryman, but I can’t remember the name of his type of horse. So I look up horse and the Flip Dictionary gives me a page full of suggestions.
Perfect.
If you’re writing nonfiction and find yourself using the same words over again and again; the flip dictionary serves as a thesaurus.
Early in my writing career, I explored books on craft, and apparently I live in a writing corner of the country because our library has a lot of them in the 808 section. I’ve read almost all of them now, and purchased several that speak to my own particular writing weaknesses.
As an unpublished writer, I learned a lot from Noah Lukeman’s The First Five Pages. He gave me insight into what an editor looks for and how to strengthen my manuscript. I’ve also used some of his ideas at work. Lukeman, who is an agent in New York, also wrote the fascinating The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life.
Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Albert Zuckerman includes a detailed discussion of what went into turning the original draft of Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth into a best-selling book. I hadn’t really thought about the components of a best-selling book before, and while it’s still a lightning strike most of the time, really big novels do have some things in common.
Like many, I’ve enjoyed Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird–particularly her injunction to just write it down, anything, particularly when you don’t feel like writing and aren’t sure you’ll ever be creative again.
Stephen King’s On Writing also is a favorite–probably because of the behind-the-scenes stories about his massive best-sellers. His wife, Tabitha, fished his first novel, Carrie, out of the trash and ordered him to submit. In gratitude when it sold big, he ran out and bought her the best gift he could find at the local drug store: a hairdryer.
For my recent birthday, my son gave me The Writer’s Devotional: 365 Inspirational Exercises, Ideas, Tips & Motivations on Writing by Ann Peters. I’ll let you know next year how it worked out!
What books do you use regularly in your writing life? Which ones have been most helpful and how? Where did you find them and what would you recommend to an aspiring writer?
Thanks for this list of books, Michelle! I’ve had Stephen King’s book for some time now, but haven’t read it yet. Now, I’m curious. 🙂
I’m reading James Scott Bell’s CONFLICT AND SUSPENSE. Love it! Also found PLOT AND STRUCTURE very helpful.
My other two favorites are STEIN ON WRITING by Sol Stein and GETTING INTO CHARACTER by Brandilyn Collins.
Not only are these books helpful for writing, I found them entertaining and inspiring. I’m always excited to write and edit after I’ve read them. 🙂
Looking forward to hearing what other books writers have found helpful!
Got to love Jim Bell–he presents a dynamic writing workshop as well. I think about his line “letting the boys in the basement do their job” all the time when I’m not writing (and letting them girls in my basement play)–even though he liberated that concept from Stephen King! 🙂
If you can get by King’s liberal use of cuss words, it’s a great book.
Cuss words? NO KIDDING!! Please, swear AGAIN on the next page…
And then the reader gets all weepy when he talks about his mom.
I’ve got to get to my bookstore and order Sol Stein and Anne Lamott. I enjoyed Stphen King’s book because he explained alot of his reasons for the way he wrote. His love and devotion to his wife is sweet and almost, well, not what I expected from him. I don’t read anything else he wrote because I prefer to sleep. And save money by turning off the lights in my house. And go around corners. And be alone. And pet my dog. And not blow my vocal chords all in one shot.
James Scott Bell is a treasure trove of knowledge. He packs so much into one page, it’s amazing.
Check Lamott’s book out of the library . . . . On Writing is the only book by King I’ve read, though I’ve been leaning toward The Green Mile because I like the movie so much. 🙂
I’ll check my “libarry” as my 9 year old says. And my 51 year old, just to be annoying.
Stephen King lives about 3 hours from me, so I might just whip up a cheesecake and deliver it. 😉
I loved “On Writing” but I don’t read his fiction, either. I hear “The Stand” is full of Christian theme, Michelle. I keep thinking I’ll try it.
Gee, I wonder if I can risk being lured into Stephen King this summer . . . Thanks for the suggestions, Sally!
“The Stand” is the best book I’ve ever read. It’s definitely worth the time invested. I’ve read other books by King, but that one is superb.
I love Stephen King’s ON WRITING, and enjoyed parts of Anne Lamott’s BIRD BY BIRD. I also liked Orson Scott Card’s CHARACTER AND VIEWPOINT — I had a particularly helpful “Aha” moment while reading this one and was able to rework some of my scenes accordingly. I have owned THE WRITER’S IDEA BOOK for several years, and it’s a great resource for practicing. I really need to beef up my writing craft bookshelf — thank you for the suggestions.
Keep a close eye on the publication date. Writing, editing and reading styles have changed and it’s important you’re getting advice from folks knowledgeable about the current market. If you read a book on writing a best-seller by Charles Dickens and applied his concepts you probably would end up with terrific characters but a manuscript that isn’t salable today. 🙁
Very true. I hadn’t thought of that — just looking at some available in my library. The idea book is just that — practice prompts. The CHARACTERS AND VIEWPONT — better check that one!
I’ve learned a lot from craft books lately. I found SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS particularly helpful. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone posts so I have more to add to my library!
Absolutely. I wrote this post at work without my own shelf of books nearby for consultation. This morning I pulled two more off the shelf that have been helpful and one was Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. The other was Hooked: Write fiction that grabs readers at the first page and never lets them go by Les Edgerton.
I love reading books on writing! Thanks for this.
Along with the books already mentioned, I’d like to give a shout out to…
1. The Art of Readable Writing, Flesch. This little book has stuck w/me for years, especially Rule #1: “Omit needless words.”
2. Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go, by Edgerton. Really powerful stuff on how to NOT have an editor discard your project in the first few pages. Advice on overall structure is excellent.
3. On Writing Well, by Zinsser. Masterful discussion of finding and maintaining your “writer’s voice.”
4. How I Write, by… Janet Evanovich. If you like her books, you’ll love this one. Fun and funny, just like Stephanie Plum (not that I’ve read any of her books or anything…)
I’m interested to discover everyone else’s suggestions! Thanks.
Crossing in cyberspace . . .
I’ve enjoyed reading books by writers about their writing life and also narrative nonfictions about what writers did to put their books together. Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles Shields tells not only Lee’s story but what went into putting together To Kill a Mockingbird. It may be discouraging to some to see how much help Harper Lee got along the way . . .
Editing and book writing has changed in the last 50 years. No surprises there. 🙁
It has changed. So a newer book, which I haven’t read is Randy Ingermanson’s WRITING FICTION FOR DUMMIES. I don’t know if it’s any good, but I do know that he is very good, in other venues, at explaining the basic needs of a novel, and how to put the building blocks together. So I think his book is probably helpful to newer writers.
Loved Zinsser’s book too. It was required reading for my writing course.
My all-time favorite is Christopher Vogler’s “The Writers Journey.” The understanding of story structure helps me in the plotting process. I’m also a big fan of Brandilyn Collins’ “Getting into Character,” Jim Bell’s and Jeff Gerke’s titles, and “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers.”
There are a lot of great books listed here. Some of my favorites are:
James Scott Bell “Plot & Structure”
Susan May Warren “Inside Out” and “Deep & Wide”
Donald Maas “Writing the Break Out Novel”
Janet always recommends Writing the Break Out Novel, but do you think it’s dated, now? (I, obviously, haven’t read it).
Nope. I think there are still things to be learned there. I know that Donald Maas has a new one out called “The Fire In Fiction” I would anticipate that is excellent as well…on my to read list.
Most Helpful and Ones I’d Recommend:
Starting out:
On Writing Well, Zinsser
Scene and Structure, Bickham
38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes, Bickham
Techniques of a Selling Writer, Swain
How to Write a Damn Good Novel, Frey
Beginnings, Middles, and Ends, Kress
Plot and Structure, Bell
The First Five Pages, Lukeman
Self Editing for the Fiction Writer, Browne and King
Moving Forward:
Stein on Writing, Stein
Word Painting, McClanahan
Writing the Breakout Novel, Maass
On Publishing:
It’s a Bunny Eat Bunny World, by Olga Litowinsky.
I read Bickham’s book and got a lot out of it as well. I started working through Plot and Structure with a particularly project in mind and got hopelessly muddled with my story. Which probably is a comment on my tale, rather than Jim’s book! I’ll return to it . . . soon. 🙂
I was going to add Techniques of a Selling Writer, but you beat me to it. It’s very dry reading and I used it to put myself to sleep for about a month, but the ideas in it are golden!
So many great book suggestions here. One that I would add is The Art of War For Writers, by James Scott Bell. I read that one recently and found it helpful.
Another one that got me thinking about deep POV was Rivet Your Readers With Deep Point of View, by Jill Elizabeth Nelson. Short but helpful.
I’m going to start my list of reads for the writer. Thanks for this topic, Michelle!
I’ve been meaning to read The Art of War for Writers. Is it actually about war or about Jim’s favorite theme that death or destruction needs to be at risk in every scene?
He quotes a famous Chinese general’s philosophies on war and then transposes them to making our writing/writing career more effective. He gives tips and exercises to work on, as well as great suggestions for writing a good query, things to include in proposals, etc. He breaks the book down into three sections: Reconnaisance, Tactics and Strategies. Definitely much more about writing than war. 🙂
There are so many great suggestions here–some I’ve read, others I still need to plow through, like Writing the Break Out Novel.
One book that is never far from my desk is Words You Thought You Knew…1001 Commonly Misused and Misunderstood Words and Phrases by Jenna Glatzer. It’s a neat little book that alphabetically goes through the words, and then phrases. There’s a quiz at the end too.
Michelle, I know just what you’re saying about the library. I read a lot in the 970s section of our library. I don’t think I’ve taken out books outside of that section–except for marketing research–for years.
Thanks to you and everyone else for the great book suggestions.
I’ll have to look for Glazer’s book. Sounds interesting.
I’ll add to the list three books by Roy Peter Clark: Writing Tools, Glamour of Grammar, and HELP! for Writers. Those three are within an arm’s length of me right now.
Unleash the Writer Within by Cec Murphey.
Loved it!
Michelle, you mentioned a book about Harper Lee. I’d love to get more recommendations for writer biographies (maybe in a separate post). It’s interesting to get a glimpse into their writing processes and to find out who influenced or inspired them, how they overcame obstacles, and what was going on in their lives while they were writing their books. One I enjoyed recently was “Agatha Christie: An Autobiography.”
Madeleine L’Engle wrote often on this subject in her narrative nonfiction. I’m pretty sure I’ve read a similar book about Ernest Hemingway and possibly Eluzabeth George. I thought someone wrote a book on the writing of Gone With the Wind.
I’ve read a number of author bios and they’re all interesting.
Wow, am I the only one who hasn’t heard of the Flip Dictionary before? I just added that to my list! I’d love to read about your thoughts on the writing devotional your son gave you, too. Thanks for sharing!
For basic encouragement in beginning writing, I enjoyed Marybeth Whalen’s For the Write Reason. I’m about to read On Writing Well by Zinsser, too. It’s been recommended often.
I’m also participating in Jeff Goins’ “15 Habits of Great Writers.” I love his writing style and message. I recommend looking at these posts: http://goinswriter.com/great-writers/
Oh my goodness, the Flip Dictionary exists!? I’ve been telling myself for years that I need to make something like this! That’s amazing! Now I need to go order myself a copy…..
I am not so sure I can respect a book that talks about bringing Follett’s Pillars of the Earth to blockbuster status. …That is one of the most purely awful books I’ve ever read! The characterization is anachronistic, and that’s just for starters. Actually, I’m embarrassed to admit I read it, tho in fact I quit halfway (something I never do) when I realized it wasn’t ever going to get better.
I read that book early in my reading craft books path and was surprised to learn how to take apart a manuscript and put it back together again in a more marketable manner. As I’m plotting out today with paper and pencil my next novella, I’m remembering the how of putting together a saleable story.
I couldn’t finish reading Pillars of the Earth, either. 🙂
I’ve read several of the above books, and have a pile of books to read. Loved The First Five Pages. I have On Writing, but haven’t read it yet. Loved Plot & Structure.
The Flip Dictionary looks like fun, but it seems to be out of print. Darn.
Bummer. I just bought my copy a couple years ago, I had no idea it was out of print. I wouldn’t worry about buying a used one, however!
Thanks, all, for sharing your favorite writing books.
I’ve been doing a lot of praying about how I can return to that initial joy I felt when I first began this writing journey–that freshman freshness, I guess you could call it. One of the things this post reminded me of was all those great books I used to devour back in the day. So, instead of looking for the latest greatest, I’m going back to those tried and true titles that I read a decade or more ago–only this time on Kindle where possible. First up was Debra Dixon’s Goal, Motivation & Conflict. Now Anne Lamott is kicking my read with Bird By Bird thanks to your reminder here.
Love this post and these books! Thanks so much!
I can’t leave the topic without mentioning Stephen King’s newest book 11/23/63 (I think that’s right). That book grabbed me and threw me into the plot immediately. I hate to admit this, but I couldn’t even get into his On Writing book (scene with the nanny that sat on him was where I quit), so this is my first King book. Amazing brilliant writing and the plot was, well, just wow.
I haven’t seen Jim Bell’s book Write For All You’re Worth mentioned. That was a great one, as was the Art of War (yes I got that right) by Stephen Pressfield.
Thank you for the great suggestions. I would have mentioned a couple of the several you named. I am looking forward to checking out all the others – I really appreciate it!
Carole Avila
Allison Virgin