Feb 12, 2011

What do you recommend

Please recommend ONE book on writing.

FYI: I'll be purchasing one of these with the Borders gift card that has been taunting me since Christmas. I figure I have enough unread books to last me until next x-mas so I'll go self-help this time around.

So gimme your picks.

More music:


Free books: including I am Number Four!
The super sweet, super Scottish Mia is having a Valentine's Day contest/shindig involving giveaways of hearts and books and fun. Check her out. And her blog.

11 comments:

  1. Are you kidding me? I get to be the first one to say ON WRITING by Stephen King? I bet you have that one already. Best book ever.

    You know what I like, too, for simple nuts-and-bolts exercises and inspiration? It's geared toward kids, and I use it for my writing students, but I LOVE it: SPILLING INK by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter.

    That said, my personal strategy is to read lots of stuff by the people I think are the greatest writers. It's like listening to music by artists that I love (and I think we have similar tastes there, too).

    You know what writing is so deliciously rich it makes me want to cry? Insanely good, it's like brain chocolate...

    EAGLE OR SUN by Octavio Paz

    Very short, poetic, short stories. Some of the most brilliant writing ever (lots of writer friends of mine get PISSED off at me when I sing the praises of Paz).

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  2. Ha! I just took my kids to Borders last weekend with our Christmas gift cards. It was so fun!
    I received On Writing by Stephen King for Christmas. It was not only entertaining, but a great overview of how Steve writes. It's not exactly a step by step, but so fun to read as well as informative.

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  3. Elana Johnson recommended Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. I read it and enjoyed it. It's for screenwriters but is good for plotting a book. And Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell is really good. I own it and have referred back to it many times.

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  4. I'll give you four of my favorites also:
    ALONE WITH ALL THAT COULD HAPPEN, David Jauss
    HOOKED, Les Edgerton
    SEVEN STEPS ON THE WRITERS PATH, Nancy Pickard and Lynn Lott
    CHAPTER BY CHAPTER, Heather Sellers

    I have so many books on writing I'm practically my own writing store :)

    .......dhole

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  5. Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury <3!!!

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  6. I have to say I'm getting some great prompts that improve my story from Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook.

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  7. Oooo, I can't wait for I AM NUMBER FOUR film this year. Love the cast in it!

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  8. Poops. I have no idea in terms of writing books. I've heard the Stephen King one is FABULOUS but all I ever read are grammar books from the library (don't ask me why, I tend to violate all the rules within minutes of learning them for the sake of rule breaking). Ummm. So. Yea...

    Also. OMG YOU SAID SHINDIG. I LOVE YOU FOREVER FOR SAYING THAT.

    <3 <3 <3

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  9. I'm no good at this game.

    Although.

    I'd probably consider (in addition to what's above) Writing to Sell by Scott Meredith. (I think that's what it's called.) It's geared a bit more for commercial writing and publishing.

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  10. I'll third the Stephen King recommendation. I also liked Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.
    And you probably have Elements of Style by Strunk and White, but if not, pick it up. It is small and cheap and fabulous for an aspiring teacher of English to own.

    Happy shopping.

    Shelley

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:D