Recommend some good guide books on writing...

Post Reply New Topic

Do you like any of those "how to write a book in 30 days" type of planners?

I basically know the plot of my story and most of the central characters. My biggest problem is when writing it out and having to write certain sentences or paragraphs to get from one situation to another. Any books on resolving that issue?

What other kinds of good books on writing do you like? Any good ones out there advising on science-fiction writing?

How NOT to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them--A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman

This is a very funny and informative book that uses excerpts from rejected manuscripts as examples of what you should not do when writing a novel.

As for your problem progressing through your novel, if you have some general idea of where your book is heading, you might try writing non-linearly (skip ahead, fill in the gaps later).

Most writing books are useless. Why? Because the author expects you to follow what worked for them. You are an individual; you may need to tweak what they've done, but they don't give you enough information to let you do that.

One writer, Holly Lisle, offers books that stand out. (I am not including a link; I am an affiliate, but if you google her name and find them yourself, I'll get nothing, so I have no motivation for this recommendation.) She explains the process she uses, and the reasons for that process. There is another set of books, available through Holly's bookstore, that is pretty helpful, as long as you don't get too hung up on the details. The Two Year Novel series by Lazette Gifford walks you through the process of creating a novel in two years. Not as flashy as 30 days - but much more likely to work out if you stick with it.

for wrtiters block, I recomend "the artists way" it changed my creative life for the better, but HOW to write a book, I need to know that myself

A book that I recommend (though I have admittedly not followed) is Walter Moseley's This Year You Write Your Novel. Moseley, who happens to be Bill Clinton's favorite novelist, has written a how-to book on writing that is very easy to read, very short and to the point, and full of examples. I consider it a valuable source.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer