So, I figured since I'd like to use some of the books on writing that I own to help us develop our skills, I should probably name them and tell you exactly why I like them! Most of these books I found at writer's conferences, but I recently stumbled upon the breathtaking array of books on writing at my local bookstore! That's a good place to check for some of these titles =D
Seize the Story~ Victoria Hanley: This was a really great book, and a quick read, too. I haven't had much time to do the exercises (summer goal) but I liked her approach and appreciated the examples she used.
Wild Ink~ Victoria Hanley: The sequel to Seize the Story! This book focused less on exercises and more on how to choose your genre and where to look for publishing opportunities.
The Write-Brain Workbook ~ Bonnie Neubauer: One of the most fun books I've ever had--EVER. It's composed of 366 exercises and meant to be done in a year's time. Some of the prompts are short and don't give much wiggle room, but some can be expanded on and may even end up in a new book! I'm absolutely loving this book and would love to post a couple of the prompts on here in days to come.
Writing the Breakout Novel ~ Donald Maass: This is a helpful book with a lot of questions to ask yourself about developing your character, villian, secondaries, and storyline. I haven't worked in it in a LONG time, and am just starting to read through it again. Some of the examples used have profanity and other issues, as a heads-up; aside from that, it's a really great resource.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers ~ Renni Browne and Dave King: A helpful little workbook dealing more with mistakes writers often make than with developing character, etc. Again, it has issues with language, which is actually sad considering that it's a good book otherwise.
These are just a few of the books [on writing] which I own and enjoyed working through.
My question for YOU is: which books (if any) do you find helpful in developing writing skills?
~Elisabeth
5 comments:
Uhm... I had a list... but I forgot it. D:
I got a toooooooooooooon of books from the library on writing, but I don't remember what they're called now. I shall have to go back and find them again and write the titles down instead of trying to remember them in my horribly forgetful head. xD
SO MANY. Actually most of my writing help comes from writing blogs by now. One book I've found awesome so far is ... uh ... oh dear, I forget the name XDD Give me a second ...
No, I forget ;___;
Oh noes D: There was one book on dialogue that you said you really liked... I'm still waiting to borrow that one, by the way XD My dialogue needs CPR.. Hey! Post idea =D
The first book I read on writing was Gail Carson Levine's /Writing Magic/. Before that I thought it was cheating. XD
But anyway. I loved that book. In fact, I just put it on hold from the library again recently, and then I shall not neglect to tell you exactly what I think of it. :]
I read a book about character archetypes October 2009, but I can't recall what it was called or who it was by. Victoria someone, I think. Or something. It was helpful, but kind of boring, so I just read the examples of characters in modern art. I liked reading the storylines of movies and books and stuff. I probably totally missed all the great things it could have taught me. Oops. XD
PIPPIN! *glomps* Yus, you must do that when you get it from the library. I shall add more books to the list =D
I found another book under my bed :$ It wasn't one I especially liked, but it did have some good tips. And I forget its name. I'll check on that and add it to the list on the side later XD
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