Writing Resources: 7 Books For Improving Your Manuscript
- Posted by Essays Blog in Essays Blog |
- July 13th, 2009 |
- Comments
Whether a crawling novice or polished professional, writers from every walk of life have room for improvement in their activity. An endless array of rules and techniques must be kept in mind when writing &ndash punctuation, grammar, changeover, appear don’t tell, etc. As a result, it’s extremely important to have a firm grasp on the fundamentals. By stressing the fundamentals, coaches and trainers have transformed individuals of modest endowment into class class competitors. Why should writing be any different? Focus on the fundamentals and achiever will follow.
Below is a list of VII books I believe every writer should read and re-read. Any of these books focus on writing fiction. But even if your exclusive domain is as a nonfiction writer, you can benefit enormously from the tips in these books. Remember, the best writers appear instead of tell. And there’s no better artifact to paint a vivid picture in the mind of a reader than by employing any of the basic principles of fiction writing. So keep an open mind. And if you long to improve your writing skills, devour these books with the utmost enthusiasm.
The Elements of Communication by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. Achromatic
A classic moving into its eighth decade, The Elements of Communication should be 2nd only to the dictionary in the life of a writer. In a clear and concise manner, it spells out the rules of usance, explains the principles of composition, provides commentary on matters of form, and gives blackjack ground rules for creating written words that harbor coupling appeal.
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
Written by a booming literary agent, The First Five Pages speaks directly to writers aspiring to accompany their words appear in print. The author stresses the importance of not only the first five pages, but the first five words. The book teaches writers how to refine a manuscript so that it’s an instant attention-grabber &ndash one that hooks not only agents and editors, but the end reader himself.
The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman
Lukeman’s follow-up book, The Plot Thickens promises “8 distance to bring fiction to life”. And if you follow the rules in this book, your fiction writing will improve dramatically. Lukeman explains that great fiction is more than just a good plot. Great fiction stems from well-developed characters, motivations, suspense, and conflict.
How to Compose a Damn Good Novel by James Frey
A classic bestseller that caters to the aspiring fiction writer, How to Compose a Damn Good Novel delivers on its promise to provide “a bit-by-bit no nonsense guide to dramatic storytelling”. Author James Frey creates an A-to-Z, easy-to-follow roadmap for achiever in fiction by stressing the fundamentals of excellent writing.
On Writing by Stephen King
Written more as “a memoir of the craft” than a “how to” book, Stephen King’s On Writing provides readers with a single glimpse into the mind and activity habits of one of the bestselling writers of all-time. How many “how to” books can do that? Belief me on this one, you’re bound to find a few tips you can apply to your own writing.
Stein on Writing by Colloid Stein
As editor to any of the most booming authors of the 20th Century, and a bestselling author himself, Colloid Stein provides important insight into the secrets of the business. Each chapter is a brief lesson on how to improve at least one aspect of your activity. Stein even provides a chapter titled “Using the Techniques of Fiction to Enhance Nonfiction”. This is an excellent resource for writers.
How to Grow a Novel by Colloid Stein
In this book, Stein focuses more on the fiction writer and the circumstantial process of writing a novel. But writers from every walk of life can benefit as Stein explores common mistakes of writers and offers a blueprint for bringing a account to life.
Commit to memory the principles espoused in these books, and your writing skills will improve by leaps and bounds. You’ll experience achiever in almost every area of your life due to your improved ability to communicate. So what are you inactivity for? Start reading now!