I agree.
But rather than read a ton of books in your genre, or just a ton of books in general, you should also read books on craft.
Now, if you're like me, this might seem insulting a little at first. You might think, "I'm a good writer, I don't need that!" but really, you do and we all do.
See, not all books out there are necessarily well-written, and maybe while you're reading, you pick up some of those incorrect writing ticks like dialogues tags or using too many adjectives. Maybe you don't actually understand how a book is crafted as a writer, you just understand it as a reader (this was me).
Honestly, it was a hard decision to begin reading about my craft because I felt like a failure (I don't even know why!), but I am so happy I did.
The first book I read, as I have told you all is John Truby's Anatomy of Story:
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Recently, I've ordered more books on writing and they include:
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While I don't write Romance, I do have romance in my books, so I figure I'd benefit from this read! I found these on A.G. Howard's Website . I wanted something to read and I remembered she had an awesome library I could pick from.
What kind of books do you read to develop your craft?
Ooh, nice suggestions on craft-developing titles. I'm a fan of Donald Maass' "Writing a Bestselling Novel" - he has a book of tips and a book of exercises. It's a great way to combine on-paper lessons with actually trying out new techniques.
ReplyDeleteOops, I actually think it's called "Writing the Breakout Novel" in case folks are looking it up.
Deleteoohh!! I'm going to check that one out, Nicole! Thank you!
DeleteThanks for sharing these. I think I do better in a classroom setting, with an instructor helping me figure stuff out. I took a class, AGES AGO, called "The Writers Gym" which was a boon to my output as a writer. It didn't address craft so much as simply tapping into the deep wellspring of creativity within. But now, I'd like to take something addressing craft...tricky to afford sometimes, though! :-)
ReplyDeleteSome Dark Romantic
Writing classes are awesome, Mina! I just finished my Bachelors in English, but didn't take many Fiction Writing classes (because those were mostly in the Professional Writing track). The ones I did take focused mostly on poetry, which were still awesome and helpful!
DeleteI read as many books in as many genres as I can. I think the best way to learn about writing fiction is reading fiction. I learn by seeing the skill in practice, plus it's more fun that way :).
ReplyDeleteI read the Write Great Fiction series, which were good. I also liked The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile. The book is a nice size, not too long, but seems to cover a lot.
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