Some Books and a Course That Can Help You Improve Your Writing
As promised in an earlier blog post, here is my comprehensive book list (along with a really good course) that can help speed your growth into a writer to be reckoned with. Now, these are my personal choices, and a lot of people might suggest well-regarded books like Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. But as the title suggests, this is more a memoir about King’s journey as a writer, and, well, somewhat less about the actual craft of writing. While it is definitely worth reading to see how King toughed it out and eventually become the blockbuster best-selling writer he is, my list is more about books that are aimed at teaching you the craft you need to get better.
A caveat: while the books here can help you a lot, you should also be reading a lot of fiction. When I was writing Stoker Rules, I read King’s Salem’s Lot something like 8 times in a row. Read in your genre and out of it. This helps you get a feel for how other writers solved the problems you’re facing when you sit down in front of your laptop.
Okay, before the book list I need to suggest an online course that is excellent. It’s called How to Write Bestselling Fiction by James Scott Bell. You’ll be seeing Bell’s name a fair amount in this blog entry, because he has written some create books on the craft of writing. This course sums up a lot of his best ideas and techniques and is a great introductory course for improving your skill. You can find it here: https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/how-to-write-best-selling-fiction.
Okay, let’s get going on the list itself. All of these can be easily found on Amazon.
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Even Need, by Jessica Brody
I think the subtitle is a bit inaccurate, but that aside, this is a superior book. It transformed the way I plot out my fiction and turned me from a pantser (writing without little or no outline) to a dyed-in-the-wool plotter. Jessica Brody brilliantly adapted this from Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need. The novel version adapts Snyder’s 15 beats (or plot points) and applies them to writing a successful novel. Some people grouse that it’s formulaic, and my retort is yeah, in the same way a blueprint for a house is formulaic, too. Try building a structurally sound house without one. Anyway, I was a pantser for my first three novels, and the problem with that is you face a lot of revision once you are done. The Save the Cat structure cuts down (IMO) on the revision process and makes it easier because you are revising discrete beats that fit into a modular structure.
My next book, The Tide Pool, is a Young Adult novel, so you can damnwell be sure I am reading Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel: The Ultimate Guide to Writing a YA Bestseller. Because I am.
Write Your Novel From the Middle: A New Approach for Panters, Plotter and Everyone in Between, by James Scott Bell
Another book about structure, by James Scott Bell, who has written several really good books on the craft of writing (search for Bell on Writing on Amazon). Bell has some great ideas here, several of which can be added to the Save the Cat structure, if desired. My favorite is the Mirror Moment, in which the hero reflects on what he or she has become at the midpoint of the story. I’m going to mention a few other Bell titles in this list but I think I read about ten of his books when I was in my self-imposed “remedial fiction writer school.” He’s that good.
Creating Characters: The Complete Guide to Guide to Populating Your Fiction, by Writer’s Digest Books
Writer’s Digest is the magazine that got me into writing back in the late 70s and their line of books on the craft of writing are excellent. This one helped me beef up my characterization for Stoker Rules a lot. It’s got essays on characterization by many different writers, including Nancy Kress, Elizabeth Sims, Orson Scott Card, Chuck Wendig, Hallie Ephron, Donald Maass, and (he’s everywhere!) James Scott Bell
Creating Dynamic Dialogue: The Complete Guide to Guide to Populating Your Fiction, by Writer’s Digest Books
Writer’s Digest comes through again, this time with a book on crafting one of the most important aspects of your fiction. Agents and editors often page ahead in the manuscript to see how well the writer handles dialogue before they decide to read the rest of the manuscript. This is another collection of essays on writing good dialogue by bestselling writers like Nancy Kress, Elizabeth Sims, Steven James, Deborah Halverson, James Scott Bell, Donald Maass, Cheryl St. John, and many others.
Show, Don’t Tell: How to Write Vivid Descriptions, Handle Backstory and Describe Your Characters’ Emotions, by Sandra Gerth
Early on in their writing journey, authors will hear that inevitable phrase “show, don’t tell” and wonder what the heck that even means. Even experienced writers can fall into this trap. While writing Stoker Rules, another author who had read it said I do too much telling rather than showing, so I used this book to identify instances of that, and I am a little embarrassed to say I did it a LOT. So I am fixing all that.
Telling: Mimi was angry.
Showing: Mimi slammed her fist on the counter. “What do you mean by that!”
It’s a short but powerful book that can really help your fiction. Highly recommended.
The Screenwriting Blue Books, by William C. Martell
Now you might think that books on writing good screenplays are of limited use to novelists, and in this case you’d be wrong. I forget where I heard about William C. Martell’s legendary Screenwriting Blue Books series (19 volumes in all) but wow, am I ever glad I did. Not all of the books translate into good techniques for novelists, but many do. It’s important to note that these books were self-published and contain some typos and grammatical errors. Just ignore those and gather up the abundant gold nuggets of writing advice in these books!
The Mental Game of Writing: How to Overcome Obstacles, Stay Creative and Productive, and Free Your Mind for Success, by James Scott Bell
Well, here’s the winner of the longest subtitle! Of all the excellent books in Bell’s Bell on Writing series, this is the one I keep coming back to over and over again. For one thing, I am a hypnotist by trade and Bell believes very strongly in allowing your subconscious mind to get involved in the process, which is great. This book is about creativity and cultivating the habits and more importantly, the mentality of a working writer. I liked this book so much that I bought it on Kindle and on audio, so I can listen to it in my car and then refer to it later on my laptop. There is just so much good stuff in here.
Well, those are my go-to books on writing fiction. They can accelerate your progress. If you would like to get personal, hands-on coaching for a lot of the big stuff required for good fiction writing, I am happy to help in that area. Check out my Editorial Services page by hitting the blue button below!