Thursday, January 23, 2014

How to Write: Helpful books that will assist you in writing

Saturday at Samuels Public Library we will be having our Local Authors Fair. To get you in the mood, here are some books that you might want to pick up while at the fair. Each book below will help you start (or even finish) whatever masterpiece you have been working on.

Maybe you should write a book by Ralph Daigh – Daigh gives all would be writers a kick in the pants to start writing their books. He takes the mystery out of the publishing process and shows you the pertinent steps you need to take in order to get your work into the editors' hands. His sole motivation is to help as well as encourage you to get your book in print. Any excuse that you may have regarding your marital, social or educational status in writing doesn't hold water with this man. Included in this work are profiles of authors he knows that share with you their experiences.

You can write a Mystery by Gillian Roberts - Have you ever thought about writing a mystery, and gave up the idea because you didn’t know where to begin? Now is your chance to write the mystery of your dreams. You Can Write a Mystery, written by Gillian Roberts, author of the Anthony Award-winning Amanda Pepper series, will help you start your mystery, and guide you through to the end. With this book you'll learn how to build your story from the ground up, based on what Roberts calls the "Seven Cs." Examples and exercises will help you complete your story—filled with cliffhangers, intriguing characters and hooks. This book offers practical suggestions for handling problems likely to arise during the writing process.

Writing a Thriller by Andre Jute – Aimed at the new writer, this book shows how perseverance, command of certain learnable techniques and determined practice can enable them to write successful thrillers. It covers choosing the initial theme of the story, the creation of the characters, detailed plotting, research, cutting, rewriting, writer's block and how to find and keep a publisher. This edition has been revised throughout and includes a new chapter on using history in thriller writing. This book demonstrates how to borrow and adapt from history and what conclusions to avoid. Andre Jute has written 19 novels, with nearly 100 editions in English and translations.

Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction by Patricia Highsmith – In this book, she analyzes the key elements of suspense fiction, drawing upon her own experience in four decades as a working writer. She talks about, among other topics; how to develop a complete story from an idea; what makes a plot gripping; the use (and abuse) of coincidence; characterization and the "likeable criminal"; going from first draft to final draft; and writing the suspense short story. Throughout the book, Highsmith illustrates her points with plentiful examples from her own work, and by discussing her own inspirations, false starts, dead ends, successes, and failures, she presents a lively and highly readable picture of the novelist at work.

How to write a book proposal by Michael Larsen – How to Write a Book Proposal is the resource for getting your work published. This newly revised edition of the Writer's Digest Books classic outlines how to create an effective, nonfiction book proposal in a clear, step-by-step manner. Author Michael Larsen also provides insider insights into the publishing industry as well as a plethora of newly updated information. You'll also find complete guidelines to becoming an effective self-promoter.

The Craft of Writing Science Fiction that Sells by Ben Bova – Ben Bova, best-selling author and six-time Hugo Award winner for Best Editor explains step by step all the elements you need to write professionally selling science fiction. Bova was editor of both Analog and Omni magazine, two of the best-ever markets for short fiction, as well as a best-selling novelist -- so nobody knows what sells better than Ben Bova. The book breaks down every aspect of writing and analyzes it in depth, including with complete example short stories that he examines for how they tick. The book targets science fiction in particular since it's one of the hardest genres to write, but his explanations are applicable to fiction of any genre. This is a must-read for anyone trying to break into the professional science fiction writing field.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Poetry by Nikki Moustaki – Discover the poet within! You've read poetry that has touched your heart, and you'd like to improve your own writing technique. But even though you have loads of inspiration, you're discovering that good instruction can be as elusive as a good metaphor. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Poetry will help you compose powerful, emotion-packed poems that you can be proud of. You'll learn simple explanations of poetry building blocks such as metaphor, imagery, symbolism and stanzas; steps to the poetic process; easy-to-follow guidelines for writing sonnets, sestinas, narrative poems and more; fun exercises to help you master the basics of poetry writing; cliches and other poetry pitfalls to avoid; advice on writers' conferences and workshops; tips on getting your poetry published; good poems that will inspire your own work; strategies to beat writer's block.

More books that are similar to this are:
Structuring your Novel by Robert C. Meredith
How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II: Advanced Techniques For Dramatic Storytelling by James N. Frey
How to Enjoy Writing: a book of aid and comfort by Janet Asimov
How to Write a Play by Raymond Hull
Writing for the Joy of it: a guide book for amateurs by Leonard L. Knott  

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