The Review Club Forum How about a little help?

Hi guys:

 

I'm hoping you can provide me with some ideas for writer's reference books. What do you use to learn craft? Write query letters? Find publishers? Anything that relates to how to better your writing I'd appreciate hearing about.

 

Thanks,

 

Julie

Julie,

 

Books I have read,

 

Strunk and Whites, The Elements of Style,  (of course.)

Dwight Swains, Techinques of the Selling Writer. (A little dry, but he's a teachers-teacher)

Donald Maass, How to writer the Breakout Novel. (NYC  Literary Agents Perspective)

Stephen Kings, On Writing. (Ho hum but interesting from a commercial appeal)

James Scott Bell, Plot and Pacing.  (I found his to be very useful.)

2007 Writers Market (lastest edition, a little pricy)

Publishers Weekly Review, (I visit their web site to see the latest free articles.)

www.duotrope.com, (A web site that list a varety of publishers and what they are looking for, even short stories and magazines.)

www.preditorsandedtiors.com  (A webe site that list scams and any complaints filed against agents and publishers.)

www.writersbeware.org  (another web base information site for scams against writers.)

www.sfwa.org (the web site for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.  Its free to browse.   Packed with lots of useful information.   Sample contracts for agents and pulishers, articles on writing, home of Writers Beware, articlecs by the members, query's do and don't, and how to format for submissions, lots of really good information.   There sister site is the Mystry Writers of America. www.mwa.org

 

I am looking for a query and synopsis book myself...anyone got any idea's.  The Writers Digest one forget about...its trash.  I think its called 50 ways to stop rejections, or something like that.  

 

Nick.

PS Julie, your on my next review list as soon as I finish with CC.

Nick:

You're wonderful. Thanks forthe list. I'm trying to develop a working reference library, and those are great suggestions. Thanks so much.

Julie

 

I currently only write short stories, so my list is biased. I have a gigantic list of books, but I'll mostly recommend the ones I use regulary,  work through or think are good:

 

Craft:

• Shaping the Story: a Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Short Fiction,  Mark Baechtel (despite the step by step in the title in my opinion its one of the best books for short story writing and offers a process perspective - I prefer this to Burroway and worked through both)
• Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft ,Janet Burroway (the standard, the disadvantage is it lacks a process perspective, the actual sequence of going from gestation to final product, its implied but the excercises dont help that in the way Baechtel does. verbose and windy in places but overall very good)
• Elements of the Writing Craft Robert Olmstead (theres lots of master prose examples which you imitate and work your way through, for writers of all levels. This is old school learning, by imitation and in my opinion more natural. Look up a technique, get a master prose example, get a sentence of commentary, and then imitate it. )
• Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular: An Informal Textbook Rust Hills , this is mostly theory, very opinionated but theres a lot of good insight in this. "Rust's Law" about selecting view point is insightful and unique in this book.
• Breathing Life Into Your Characters: How to Give Your Characters Emotional & Psychological Depth Rachel Ballon, a psychologist gives advice on creating characters. began with it and looks good.
• What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers (2nd Edition) Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter, really a great book. Does not waste time on theory and very practical. Useful for when you get stuck in a piece, and need to open a piece up. Shows for example twenty ways to open a story, shows a good revision process, how to get at what the stories about. Packed with excerices covering everything from journaliing to finding out the theme and having your characters write letters. Very good book.
• Making Shapely Fiction Jerome Stern (more of a reference but the advice is not so typical and cliched as most handbooks and insightful- another that Burroway recommends)
• The Modern Library Writer's Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction (Modern Library)  Stephen Koch, just excellent and common sense.
• The Sincerest Form Nicholas Delbanco, recommends imitation of master story tellers with some good excercises to learn and master those techniques. I confess I only worked two chapters in this but it might be worth flicking through from a library.

Editing/ Revision

1. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print Renni Browne (cranky and opinionated in places, rewrites parts of the Great Gatsby, but sound advice and short and sweet. Good excercises.)
2. Revising Fiction: A Handbook for Writers David Madden - a huge handbook or reference, look up a problem of question such as "Are you exploting all the advantages of First Person perspective?", and you get to see what a master author did and get some commentary nd how they revised for effect. Very comprehensive.
3. Revision: A Creative Approach to Writing and Rewriting Fiction David Michael Kaplan - i refer to this regulary. He doesnt take a mechanical approach and covers gestation which is the key part of the process. Lots of useful tips.

 

Process / Time Management

• A writers Time: A guide to the writers process from vision through revision Kenneth Atchity, really good, has great tips about managing time as a writer and keeping a project on track through linkage and stuff.
• WRITE TO LEARN 8TH MURRAY 2005 Donald M. Murray, what I find useful here is the process and tons of tips about getting the writing going (basically summarizes lots of tips from Hemmingway and many others), recovering a bad draft, layering revision etc. That stuff is pure gold and easy to look up in this book. He has another book in The Craft of Revision.
• From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction Robert Olen Butler , an unusual book from a Pulitzer Prize winner? that advises not to write until you have "seen" the book. Theres a lot of sense in it, and combining this with "A writers time" that uses a card system similar to Olen and plenty of gestation is probalby a good mix. I must say I find the imaging process he uses difficult and it wasnt for me but its worth to lend out and flick through.

Reference

• Fiction Dictionary, Lois Rosenthal (for looking up those terms)
• Illustrated Oxford Dictionary (Dk Illustrated Oxford Dictionary) Christopher Davis (visual dictionary)
• Roget's International Thesaurus, 6th Edition Barbara Ann Kipfer
• Oxford Dictionary of English (Dictionary)  Catherine Soanes (I think this is a Brit dictionary) but I use Websters too.

 

To get you warmed up / unblocked / becoming a writer type books

• A Writer's Workbook: Daily Exercises for the Writing Life Elizabeth Gilbert (useful to  get the flow going)
• What if?(see craft books above)
• On Writer's Block: A New Approach to Creativity Victoria Nelson, (understanding what causes blocks, this and "A writes time are good combinations")
• A Writer's Book of Days: a Spirited Companion and Lively Muse for the Writing Life Judy Reeves, (good to get warmed up.I use this most days to kick a session off, and theres lots of tips.)
• Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury no nonsene advice on just writing.

 

 

Others I have and havent read but look to be good:

• Creating Fiction: Instruction and Insights from Teachers of the Associated Writing Programs Julie Checkoway
• Deepening Fiction: A Practical Guide for Intermediate and Advanced Writers   Sarah Stone
• Fiction Writer's Workshop Josip Novakovich 

 

A couple of advanced books I have my eye on to buy are:

• Master Class in Fiction Writing: Techniques from Austen, Hemingway, and Other Greats Adam Sexton
• Narrative Design: Working with Imagination, Craft, and Form Madison Smart Bell

 

Classics/ Academic

• The Rhetoric of Fiction  Wayne Booth - academic but informed I flick through occasionally to remind myself that other ages and writers have opinions other than Burroway  / Gardner.
• Art of Dramatic Writing Lajos Egri -
• The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers - John Gardner  + Moral Fiction  + On Becoming a novelist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just ask my good friend J-Kaz... :P

LL:

 

Wonderful list. Thanks. Any hints on poetry or meta-fiction reference?

 

Thanks,

 

Julie

 

 

Oh Sir Falls Down Alot....

 

You make me laugh!

Wow... yeah... Just one I'd throw in there might be the AP stylebook. It's a good all around reference. But, yeah... wow.

Hi j.k,

 

heres the stuff on poetry, meta fiction (also some books I forgot that I think are good)

 

Reference

• The Creative Writer's Style Guide: Rules and Advice for Writing Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Christopher T. Leland (a Readers Digest book and very practical covers grammar, use of italics, the different  conventions for thoughts, and a ton more).
• Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage (Oxford Paperback Reference) Robert Allen, I ordered this because so many list this as an essential resource. Personally the Websters usage dictionary irritates the hell out of me becuase you have to read through a ton of snarky commentary and then still actually figure out the word you need. But many rave over it, so hell, I followed the crowd on this one.
• How to Get Happily Published: A Complete and Candid Guide Judith Appelbaum, never read it but its mentioned lots.
• Writing Dialogue, Tom Chiarella, havent read it but supposed to be one of the best books on the subject.
• Writing Fiction Step by Step, Josip Novakovich - good excercises, only browsed it through but looked good.
  

 

Poetry

I havent read any of these, but have bought the following based on recommendations. I really dont know the best but heres a few:

• Creating Poetry John Drury. This looks practical and less pretentious of the lot.
• How to Write Poetry (ARCO's Concise Writing Guides)  Nancy Bogen, the Arco guides are mercifully slim and to the point
• In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop  Dorianne Laux
• A Poetry Handbook Mary Oliver , very slim book.
• Writing Poetry Drake, Barbara
• The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets Who Teach Chase Twitchell

Metafiction / Post modernism

I havent read or bought these but made the list as I came across them.

• Postmodern American Fiction: A Norton Anthology (Open Market Edition) Paula Geyh, was mentioned somewhere as a good place to start if youre into this form
• Constructing Postmodernism Brian McHale
• Postmodernist Fiction (Paperback) Brian McHale
• Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction (New Accents)  Patricia Waugh

 

Novels

I forgot to mention some novel books

• Structuring Your Novel Robert C. Meredith, I worked through 2 chaps and liked this, only drawbook is you need to read all the 5+ novels (grapes of wrath, ..) that he bases his method on as you are supposed to follow it - but it's worth borrowing and flicking through.
• Guide to Fiction Writing Phyllis A. Whitney, the most practical and simple novel writing book I've seen. Slim, great book, simple advice and a great suggestion of how to use a notebook, how to break your time up between research etc. Recommended by several books I read.

 

P.S. A word of advice, dont get too many craft, hand books, they'll stop you writing with all that adice. The best advice I read was from Koch who says, literally, the book, story, project teaches you to write as you write it, so just write it. Too many handbooks, references, etc are a crutch and have a real danger of producing mecahnical, formulaic, forced writing instead of authentic writing. The excercises etc are no replacement for actually writing a story. Just thought I'd save you the time and a lot of money...For me the most organic way to learn is to take a story, novel disssect it, write it out by hand if its a story, and copy its structre, try to imitate its style, length, divisions, balance: theres a danger of a shallow imitation, and losing your own voice, after all it is a copy, but it'll teach you an integrated approach to the craft, and also you'll appreciate the nuances of the craft. Most painters learn that way, copying a painting or style exactly, then assimilate it and build on it.

 

Hope that was helpful,

 

Valentim

 

LL:

I couldn't agree more about the danger of craft books. I'm actually building a reference library at my job, and need ideas for what types of reference texts various writers use. Most of the students using the library will be writerly savvy, but not too knowledgeable about publishing/query/format. I greatly appreciate your input, and do take your warning to heart.

Thanks,

Julie