Books on Writing

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Shellby85
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Re: Books on Writing

Post by Shellby85 »

Thanks heaps I've bookmarked this page to go over also :-)
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ALRyder
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Post by ALRyder »

Good to see that helped, and that I'm not the only one who had to search something out to make outlining easier. I don't know if anyone looked, but there's also an article on there pertaining to this specific thread "Books on Writing"
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thsavage2
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Post by thsavage2 »

Another shout-out to King's On Writing. I don't think he sounds pretentious at all; in fact, I thought his style was very conversational and engaging and also really, really funny, which I was not expecting. He seems like he'd be an awesome guy to hang out with. He is also very direct and honest about his substance abuse, without trying to make the reader pity him or come off as the tortured-artist type.

I'd also recommend Verlyn Klinkenborg's Several Short Sentences About Writing. It's sort of like a thesis, but written in the format of verse, and it's very lyrical. He has some very interesting ideas about writing, which I found most applicable to literary non-fiction, but his techniques can be used on any type of writing. He's not for everyone, and there are definitely things I disagree with in there, but overall it is very good. And the sentences at the end are funny and helpful.
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Carla Hurst-Chandler
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Post by Carla Hurst-Chandler »

I have also read Klinkenborg's book and agree completely :D
“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.”
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Vimtuous
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Post by Vimtuous »

The best one I've read is Probably Ann Lamont's Bird By Bird. She talks about one of my favorite concepts, which is the idea of the Sh*tty first draft. It's a good encourager to just get the writing down on paper and worry about how pretty it will be after you do that.
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Carla Hurst-Chandler
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Post by Carla Hurst-Chandler »

Yes..once you get used to the idea that everyone's first draft (even Hemmingway, Steinbeck and King;s) is complete sh it and that there are many many re-writes before a manuscript is polished...well, you have it licked!
“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.”
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ipekbunsal
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Post by ipekbunsal »

Creative Writing by Stephen May is amazing. It has exercises you can do in it, and it gives you the best advices.
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annareads
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Post by annareads »

Gonna throw in yet another word for Stephen King's "On Writing." It's fantastic, informative, and entertaining as anything I've ever read.

As a grammar nerd, I also love "Eats, Shoots & Leaves." It makes punctuation accessible and it's so witty! Love it." For unpretentious and entertaining writing tips, I also enjoy "Adios, Strunk and White." I was wary at first when our teacher handed it out, because it sounds kind of freewheeling and disrespectful, but it's SO entertaining, unpretentious, and useful! The tools in there actually immensely helped my writing. There's also "How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One," "Writing With Style," and I could go on... Some of those tend towards the dry side though. I like to be entertained while indulging in my grammar nerd reading too :)
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Post by SharisseEM »

I've read and done the exercises in Break Into Fiction. I've also read Make A Scene, Reader's Digest How To Write and Speak Better and various other writing books. I'm waiting for my next pay to get 'On Writing' by Stephen King since it's so highly recommended. Looking forward to reading it since it's helped so many of you!
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Carla Hurst-Chandler
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Post by Carla Hurst-Chandler »

SharisseEM wrote:I've read and done the exercises in Break Into Fiction. I've also read Make A Scene, Reader's Digest How To Write and Speak Better and various other writing books. I'm waiting for my next pay to get 'On Writing' by Stephen King since it's so highly recommended. Looking forward to reading it since it's helped so many of you!
On Writing was one of the finest books I have read on the subject! You'll LOVE it.

-- 09 Nov 2014, 13:30 --

I've just finished Eats, Shoots and Leaves; have to add this one to my personal library! Excellent.
“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.”
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Skillian
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Post by Skillian »

Stephen King's On Writing was definitely enjoyable in regards to learning more about him and his life and writing. Obviously Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird needs mention, I love her. If you liked King's and how he put all that personal stuff and honest thoughts in here.... you will like Bird by Bird too. I also enjoy The Portable Writer's Conference, and I usually make sure to get The Writer's Market Deluxe edition every year. Obviously for the up to date publisher, journal, and magazine listings, but also for the articles. I've read probably fifty books about writing, and for the most part they all say the same things in different words. I naturally have William Strunk's Elements of Style (even though it is cut and dry it holds just what is necessary which sometimes is exactly what I need), and while it isn't on writing but for writing I also have Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. hmmm... How Fiction Works by Oakley Hall is OK. Most books on writing are kind of just OK to me, because they have become completely repetitive in my mind, and it has been a long time since I've come across one suggesting or touching on anything new.
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Post by rosscn55 »

Stephen king's on writing is amazing, entertaining, and helpful.
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Post by Amheiser »

I also liked Stephen King's "On Writing". It was very interesting to read about how he goes about his writing. I also like a book my daughter had for a college course which was called, "Writing down the Bones". That book also gives good ideas about how to go about writing. I also found something called "The Snowflake Method" on the internet. It is very helpful information on how to write a novel.
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