My Favorite Fiction Writing Books
There are zillions of books on writing, and most are listed in the catalog of the Writers' Digest Book Club. I have approximately half of them. Many of them turned out to be excellent compost. Some of them have proven useful. The following are my favorites, the best of the best, with links to Amazon where you can buy them right now:
Techniques of the Selling Writer, by Dwight Swain. OK, people, if you only buy one book on writing, this is the one! A friend of mine tipped me off to this book back in about 1990. I read the book and applied it to my writing. Then I read it again and applied it to my writing. Then I read it again and applied it to my writing. There is a lot of meat in here. Over the course of a year or so, I learned how to write. If there is any reason I'm published today, it's because of what I learned in this book. Check out the glowing, stellar reviews on Amazon. The book was written in the 1960s by a renowned teacher of creative writing, Dwight Swain. Pound for pound, this is still the best book on writing out there. And it's cheap!
Stein on Writing, by Sol Stein. I studied years ago with Sol Stein at his famous "Chapter One" writing workshop in Laguna Beach. It was a real privilege. Sol is one of the great editors and writing teachers of the 20th century, and he's been quite successful as a novelist. This book is the next best thing to sitting at the table with him and watching his green pen slice up yer perfect prose.
The Writer's Journey, by Christopher Vogler. Ever wondered what made Star Wars such a great movie? Or the Lord of the Rings? Or Harry Potter? All of these are classic examples of the Hero's Journey, made famous by Joseph Campbell. Chris Vogler is a Hollywood story doctor and he knows his stuff. You may think this is cheesy New Age shlock. Or you may think it makes perfect sense. Whatever. I think the human brain is wired pretty strongly to respond to the Hero's Journey. If you don't care to write significant, profound, deeply moving fiction, why then . . . ignore this stuff. But if you want to write better, this book can help.
Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass. Don Maass is only one of the most successful literary agents in New York. And he has some very good ideas on how to write excellent fiction. Read it.
Story, by Robert McKee. There are people who swear by McKee's method. There are those who swear at it. Frankly, he's not my favorite, but he comes highly recommended by some people I respect, so maybe he'll work for you. He is very big in Hollywood, and it's pretty hard to find a screenwriter there who hasn't plunked down hundreds of bucks to listen to the Great Man talk for a weekend. Buying the book is cheaper, and if you don't like it you can always foist it off on one of your friends.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne and Dave King. This is the acknowledged best book ever written on the fine art of rewriting your manuscript into a form presentable to even the meanest editor. You need this book if you are editing your manuscript.
Getting Into Character, by Brandilyn Collins. This is a book on how to use the techniques of "method actors" to develop your characters. Brandilyn Collins spells out seven techniques for getting inside the skin of characters, even your bad guys. Ever wonder how to identify with a serial killer? Read Brandilyn's story about the fly . . .
Plot & Structure, by James Scott Bell. This is a dynamite book on the elements of plotting and story structure. Jim Bell is one of the fiction columnists for Writer's Digest and he's a true expert on plot and story structure. He does a great job of tying in these aspects of writing to all the other things you're supposed to master, such as your storyworld, your characters, and your theme. And his first chapter was so motivational, I wanted to drop the book and go write something. Buy this puppy.
Still not convinced? Here are some Real and True Photos of a certain writer I know, Before and After she discovered these marvelous books:
Frumpy Writer Before:
Glamorous Writer After:
