Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine My Writer's Bookshelf

I want to be a writer. Make that an author. No, make that a published author. Okay, go all the way and make that a published, best selling, world famous, author.

Well maybe that’s just a pipe dream, but it’s my pipe dream dammit!

So how can I make my dream come true? To start with I can learn from the pros. So here’s a list of the books on my shelf that I’m using to help me make my dream come true.

1. On Writing Well – William Zinsser – This book is the desktop guide that should be required reading for anyone who writes anything. It covers all types of writing, from the personal letter to the novel and everything in between. Follow Dr. Zinsser’s simple rules and your writing skills will improve immensely.
2. How to Write a Damm Good Novel – James N Frey – A step by step guide to constructing a novel. The how’s, and more importantly the why’s, of what sells and what doesn’t.
3. Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words – Bill Bryson – Having trouble figuring out the difference between who’s & whose, or their, there, & they’re? This book explains it all and much more.
4. Weird and Wonderful Words – Erin McKean, Editor – Ever wonder if ‘freck’ is really a word? It is but what does it actually mean? This book answers that question and more.
5. The Playful Way to Serious Writing – Roberta Allen – The bane of every writer’s existence is the blank page. This book provides insight into a very creative way to fill those troublesome pages.
6. What If? Writing exercises for Fiction Writers – Anne Bernays & Pamela Painter – Learning to write requires practice. This book provides tried and true methods for practicing the writer’s craft.
7. Essentials of English, a practical handbook covering all the rules of English grammar and writing style – Hooper, Gale, Foote, & Griffith – This popular manual covers the rules of English grammar and sentence structure, punctuation, word usage in correct context, and how to adapt your writing style to different formats.
8. Prose Style, a handbook for writers – Wilfred Stone and J G Bell – This is the classic book on writing that covers everything.
9. The Writers World – Elizabeth Janeway, Editor – Insights from some of the most popular writers of the 20th century.
10. bird by bird – Anne Lamott – One writer’s tale of self discovery.
11. Sleeping Dogs Don’t Lay – Richard Lederr & Richard Dowis – the rules of grammar and sentence structure for the grammatically challenged (Me)
12. The Nature of Narrative – Robert Scholes & Robert Kellogg – The history of the written word.
13. Self Editing for Fiction Writers – Renni Browne & Dave King – A complete guide to the mechanics of turning a manuscript into a published novel.
14. The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction – Barnaby Conrad & the Staff of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference – Characterization, Plotting, Writing, and Selling, tips from the Pro’s
15. Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy – Crawford Killian – the difference between SciFi/Fantasy and everything else… The first chapter of this book is the only realistic description I have ever read about the publishing process for a first time novelist.

Thanks, AQ!

Two others that I like are:

The Company of Writers - by Hilma Wolitzer (a thoughtful treatment of the work of writing)

and

The Right to Write - by Julia Cameron (affirming without being sappy)

On a tangent, Creative Design by Edward de Bono is a great book to give tips on generating and sustaining ideas!

Although I do sometimes take onboard other peoples advice I've never really considered reading up on 'how to write', I just kind of did it.

Now I know what will be on my Xmas present wish list! Thanks Chuck!

Heads up Chuck - pop quiz!

Has reading these books changed the way you read? Do you see different things now? Enjoy stories more or less?

Some authors have said that you learn to write by reading other authors. Do you think you've gotten more out of these analytical/how-to books than from novels (or non-fiction, or poetry, etc.) themselves?

Cramer you ask the best questions!

Funny how I don't get the best answers....

just kidding! I'm sure he's thinking long and hard about his response.

Actually Cramey, (and Binger), Reading is the first thing each of those books will tell you to do... but at the same time I now find myself thinking about how the story was constructed as I read and not just enjoying the story itself.

I find myself being much more analytical of everything I read now. I look at and think about, things that I never paid any attention to before; everything from sentence structure and character dialog to foreshadowing and plot devices, where in the past I just enjoyed the story.

Surprisingly, I enjoy reading more than I did before (and I never thought that could ever be possible).

P.S. sorry for the delay in answering, but yesterday was the first time in months that I didn’t even look at this board.

Don't apologize AQ! I was just trying to supply a clever response to Harbinger's post! (that's "clever" as in "smart ass")

I'm surprised that The Art of Fiction by John Gardner isn't on anyone's list. It's the only how to book I've ever read that I couldn't put down.