Confessions of a “How-To” Junkie
By Keith Cronin | October 9, 2012 |
Ever since I started getting serious about writing, I’ve been an avid reader and collector of “how-to” books on writing. While some artists cling fiercely to the notion of being “self-taught,” I’ve always felt there’s a lot to gain from exploring the opinions and insights of those who are further along in the game.
Even now, as a published author who has also been privileged to receive the coveted key to the Top Secret Writer Unboxed VIP Champagne Room (or, TSWUVIPCR)*, my appetite for books on the craft of writing hasn’t diminished. In fact, I’m currently reading three of them, including the excellent new book that WU’s own Donald Maass just released.
* While I may have been given the key to the TSWUVIPCR, what I really need is directions. So far, none of my WU colleagues has deigned to tell me where the damn place is. But I’m sure I’ll find it eventually…
So why the hunger for the how-to’s? For one thing, they help keep the tools sharp and the batteries charged. And I’ve seen repeated proof that the shopworn advice to “just write the best book you can and the rest will fall into place” really doesn’t begin to prepare a writer for the job of creating truly marketable fiction. That’s why I want to make sure I am armed with the best current thinking on what really works in fiction, as well as what doesn’t.
As I’ve amassed these books over the years, some clear favorites have emerged, most of which I’ve re-read multiple times. So I thought I’d share some of them with you, with the hope that they might prove as helpful to you as they’ve been to me.
Stephen King: On Writing
I know praises of this book have been sung previously here at WU, but that praise bears repeating. Even if you’re not a fan of King’s fiction, I truly believe every serious writer will get something out of this.
In particular I recommend the audio version of the book, which Stephen narrates himself. Listening to him, you feel like you’re just sitting down and having a casual chat with your good friend Stevie. In fact, the tone is so comfortable and conversational, I actually checked the audio book against the text of the printed version, to see if maybe Stephen was just paraphrasing for the audio version. But he’s not; the book is a testament to King’s skill at maintaining a conversational tone – one of those seemingly effortless effects that most writers soon realize is extremely hard to pull off.
But the real takeaway from the audio version is that this guy freaking loves writing. Seriously, when you hear King speak, the guy’s passion for writing is flat-out contagious (and his love for his wife is really touching). I listen to this every year or so, whenever my literary batteries need recharging.
Sol Stein: How to Grow a Novel
I like the title of this book: an acknowledgement of what a huge task it is to write – or grow – your book. But the subtitle of the book (“the most common mistakes writers make and how to overcome them”) should let you know why I love it so much: it’s about solving problems.
And Stein knows his stuff – he’s an author, screenwriter, poet, and editor, so he’s able to take a very holistic but analytical look at the whole process of creating marketable fiction. Another excellent Stein book is his own On Writing (a popular title, it seems), but of the two, I found “How to Grow” more helpful while I was working on my first piece of book-length fiction.
Donald Maass: Writing the Breakout Novel
While Stein’s book is a powerful tool for troubleshooting your writing, this book takes it to a whole new level. Believe me, I’ve read a ton of books on writing, but I can think of few – if any – that have resonated so completely, and that offer such clear-cut instructions for elevating your game. I like every one of Donald’s books, but to me this is where it all began, offering the first cohesive look at why some books break out, and what you can do to push your own writing in a similar direction.
The funny thing is, his advice is not shocking. It all makes perfect sense. But it’s like when somebody tells you that if you eat right and exercise, you’ll be healthier. That advice alone can’t change your life, but what you DO with that advice can. Same thing with Don’s book. You can read and nod your head and say, “Yeah, that’s a great idea,” or you can take the next step and actually apply what he’s advising to your own writing. I’ll wager that anybody who does take that next step will see a radical change in how others react to their writing.
Strunk & White: The Elements of Style
Most of us are aware of this literary classic, but how many have actually read it? If you haven’t, do it now – I’ll wait. Seriously, it won’t take long: the copy I currently own – a 1959 edition that belonged to my mother – is only 71 pages long. But those 71 pages can make a real difference in your writing.
I still remember my parents giving me my own first copy of this little book, with all the reverence and ceremony that some families might reserve for handing down the family Bible. Then again, given the fact that both my parents were journalists, in many ways it was their Bible. And when I re-read this book every few years, I am reminded of why.
William Zinsser: On Writing Well
This book is actually targeted at nonfiction writers and journalists, but the advice Zinsser offers is equally applicable to fiction. Like Strunk & White, his goal is to help make your writing more vigorous and crisp, by keeping you focused on what matters, and pointing out common pitfalls to avoid.
This is another one that I like to re-read before launching a new writing project. Think of it as a literary tune-up and oil change.
Anne Lamott: Bird by Bird
Because I’m so darn rugged and manly (and spend so much of my time doing rugged, manly things like kicking lumberjacks’ asses and doing handstand pushups over red-hot coals), I don’t usually make much time for reading “touchy-feely” books about writing. But this one is a notable exception. The candor and vulnerability Lamott displays in discussing the emotional challenge of trying to pursue a career in professional writing make this an incredibly refreshing read.
This book is both highly compelling and a wonderful reality check, letting you know you’re not alone in harboring the insecurities and less-than-noble sentiments that often plague those of us who are cursed/blessed with the literary calling. Seriously, if you find the challenge of being a writer sometimes leaves you emotionally raw and beaten, take heart and read this book. It’s like a much-needed hug.
Ahem – now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go drop a new transmission in a buddy’s ‘72 Trans Am, before sitting down with a brewski to watch the big game. After a few pushups, of course.
Merriam-Webster’s Manual for Writers and Editors
Over the years I’ve been surprised by how few writers I encounter who have bothered to invest in any guides on style or usage. Maybe they are intimidated by the cost (and/or the user-unfriendliness) of the mammoth Chicago Manual of Style. Or maybe they simply don’t know that such guides exist, and instead have come to rely on the convenient (but often woefully inaccurate and inconsistent) information the Internet provides.
The reality is that most of us learned the basic mechanics of writing many years (or decades) before we became “serious” about writing. So it’s no surprise that we may not have an encyclopedic grasp of punctuation, capitalization, abbreviations, style conventions for numbers, and so on. That’s where a good style guide is invaluable. It can save time, and help you add a level of polish and consistency to your writing that elevates you above The Great Literary Unwashed.
Of the style guides I’m familiar with, such as Chicago, AP and a few others, this is my favorite. It’s concise, much easier to use than Chicago, and – most attractively – it’s cheap! This particular edition is out of print, but you can find used copies in good shape for less than a dollar. A newer (and oddly, even shorter) edition is now available under the title of Merriam-Webster’s Guide to Punctuation and Style. But I’ll stick with my old edition – I’ve already flagged the pages that I refer to most frequently.
So, what’s on YOUR bookshelf?
As a how-to junkie, I have many similar books on my shelves, some of them quite good. And more are being published every year, so there’s always something new for me to explore. But so far these are the ones that have made themselves indispensable to me, so they’re the ones I chose to spotlight in this post.
How about you? What are some books that have been indispensable to YOUR writing? And why? Thanks for reading – I look forward to hearing from you!
Image licensed from iStockphoto.com
Author of the novels Me Again (originally published by Five Star/Gale), and Tony Partly Cloudy (published under his pen name Nick Rollins), Keith Cronin (he/him) is a corporate speechwriter and professional rock drummer who has performed and recorded with artists including Bruce Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, and Pat Travers. Keith’s fiction has appeared in Carve Magazine, Amarillo Bay, The Scruffy Dog Review, Zinos, and a University of Phoenix management course. A native of South Florida, Keith spends his free time serenading local ducks and alligators with his ukulele.
I second HOW TO WRITE THE BREAKOUT NOVEL. It just makes so much sense. :)
And King’s ON WRITING. I also have the audio version of King’s book and it’s exactly like you said. I’ve heard him speak a few times and the man is a born storyteller.
One of my favorite writing books is Stephen Pressfield’s The War of Art. It’s essential for moving past doubt and the blank page and actually doing the work.
Also, I refer often to James Scott Bell’s Plot and Structure and Robert McKee’s Story.
This is a great list, Keith! Of course, I read all of the above you have listed, especially Donald Maass’s books. Looking forward to getting his newest!
Thanks, Jennifer. I’ve been studying books on structure recently, including the ones you mentioned and a few others. Fascinating stuff to explore, isn’t it? I gave the Pressfield book as a gift once, but I don’t think I actually read it. Sounds like I need to remedy that!
Keith,
Thanks for sharing you list. In addition to the books you mentioned I recommend Write Away! by Elizabeth George. The chapters on character development and the importance of setting in fiction have been particularly helpful to me. Thanks again for sharing your list.
Thanks, CG – that’s a new one on me!
There’s a TSWUVIPCR? Heck I didn’t even know it existed, let alone that you had the key.
You covered all my favorite ‘how to write fiction’ books, in terms of the big picture, so I’m going to add one that covers the minutiae of good writing: Woe is I by Patricia T. O’Conner. Now there’s no way to make grammar fun but this book–with chapter titles like ‘plurals before swine’ and ‘comma sutra’–is darn close.
Jeanne, if you like that one, you may also enjoy “The Dictionary of Disagreeable English” by Robert Hartwell Fiske. He’s similarly snarky, but manages to expose many common usage mistakes of which I found myself guilty.
I highly recommend ‘the little red writing book’ and ‘the little green grammar book’ by Mark Tredinnick, an Australian writer. And would like to second the recommendation of Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’. It took me awhile to grasp his concept of the little darlings because I don’t use a lot of adverbs. But then after the umpteenth time I’d written ‘time’ and ‘now’ and ‘much’ I realised my little darlings were not the same as his and I’ve been trying to kill them ever since (although like a weed they do keep popping up, ha ha.)
You’d think that, now on my fourth book, I wouldn’t need a collection of words–but I recently acquired The Emotion Thesaurus by Ackerman and Puglisi.
That’s new to me, too.
Thanks for the suggestion – I just downloaded a sample for my Kindle!
Ha, I know the feeling! But in my case I am unpublished, so the amount of ‘how to’ books on my bookshelves can make me feel a bit anxious and disempowered at times… Anyway, moving swiftly on after a couple of press-ups and beers (to feed my testosterone), you have an excellent selection there. I’d like to add just a few more (told you I’m a junkie).
Dorothea Brande’s ‘Becoming a Writer’ is an oldie but goldie, John Gardner’s ‘On Becoming a Novelist’ is a beautiful piece of prose as well as thought-provoking (and really conveys his love of words and of writing). And for discovering your own distinctive voice, no matter what genre you choose to explore, I also really like Susan Tiberghien’s ‘One Year to a Writing Life’.
Too many good ones to list them all, and even more on my to-read list that I haven’t had the pleasure of devouring yet. Here are just a few I’ve read that I really LOVE.
ALL of Don Maass’ books blow my mind. Current favorite is the fashionably spiral-bound THE BREAKOUT NOVELIST.
WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron, SAVE THE CAT! by Blake Snyder, and PLOT & STRUCTURE by James Scott Bell have all, in their own time, permanently changed the way I write my first drafts. StC, especially. I don’t think I’d be a published author today without having read it (and read it again, and read it again…) way back when.
For inspiration and positive motivation, and sometimes a good wake up call, I turn to THE FOREST FOR THE TREES by Betsy Lerner.
Thanks for sharing this! I love finding new (or new-to-me) resources.
Reading about the craft you practice seems so natural to me that when I run into anyone with a Self-Taught and Proud badge I’m at a loss for words. No matter what craft you practice–hobby or career–how can you not read the literature?
I can’t even count all the books and articles I’ve read on writing, but King’s book is the one which stands out the most. Also, Neil Gaiman’s short-but-sweet 8 Rules summarizes nearly every text I’ve ever read on writing–in a mere 200 words.
I concur re Donald Maas’s books. I have his ‘Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook’ and use it over and over. Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ is a gem. Stella Whitelaw’s little book ‘How to Write and Sell a Book Proposal’ is the last word on how to write a synopsis (and other things), and I also value Patricia O’Conner’s humorous ‘Woe is I’ and ‘Words Fail Me’. ‘Self-editing for Fiction Writers’ by Browne and King is another one I wouldn’t be without.
Thank you for these recommendations!! I’ve read one or two of them, but I’ll definitely pick the rest up.
All great reads, Keith, thank you.
To add a few more: The Plot Thickens, Noah Lukeman, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Renni Browne and Dave King, and Thanks, But This Isn’t For Us, by Jessica Page Morrell. The last is a book about why your MS could be rejected by agents and publishers, which I found good to read BEFORE it happens.
Happy reading!
Denise Willson
Author of A Keeper’s Truth
You’ve named so many of my favorites! If there were a fire and I could only grab three writing books from my shelf, I’d reach for Donald Maass’s Writing the Breakout Novel, Browne and King’s Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, and Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! I also love Lisa Cron’s Wired for Story and Betsy Lerner’s The Forest for the Trees.
I have been lost in TSWUVIPCR since 2007. Be careful what you wish for.
Thanks for the laughs and recommendations, Keith. I’m missing two of yours, and will remedy. I’m glad to see some mentions of other faves among the comments. Pressfield’s War of Art is my most dog-eared and beaten craft book. Also loved Lisa Cron’s Wired for Story. And I’d be remiss to not mention my mentor’s book Rock Your Plot (Cathy Yardley) in spite of the fact I’ve sang its praises here before.
Remind me not to do shots with you at a lumberjack bar. I’m afraid we might be inspired to do something manly (and idiotic) like show the other patrons our digits, Bird by Bird.
Dynamite post, Keith, that stirred a bunch of meaningful responses. I will throw in one of my favs, ‘How to be a Writer’ by Barbara Baig, an ex-Harvard writing instructor. She espouses practice drills and, in the process, makes writing seem attainable for those who find the prospect daunting.
Lots of great suggestions, folks – thank you! Snyder’s “Save the Cat” series is terrific, as a couple of people have noted. And there are a few here that are new to me – just in time for adding to my Christmas list!
Great list, Keith. I’ve read/own several of those.
These are also high on my list:
PLOT & STRUCTURE, by James Scott Bell
Merriam-Webster’s THESAURUS
YOUR PATH TO PUBLICATION, by Kim Wright
I have a nice collection of books on writing, too! Some of my favorites are The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell, The Right to Write by Julia Cameron, and The Plot Whisperer Workbook by Martha Alderson.
Great ideas on listening to the audio versions and re-reading TEOS before a new project. Thanks for the nudge.
I confess I loathe how to books of all varieties, because I’d rather read fiction and there are only so many hours in the day. I don’t limit my dislike to how to write books. I’ve got a kid and have never so much as flipped through a parenting guide. Hopefully he’ll turn out ok.
Those who listen to audio books might also enjoy “The Hero’s 2 Journeys” by Michael Hauge and Christopher Vogler. I’ve got the audio CD version, and have listened to it repeatedly. It’s also apparently available on DVD.
They do a great job of explaining the differences and similarities in their approaches to using “the hero’s journey” as a structural model.
Although it’s geared more to screenwriting, I found most of what they discuss to be applicable to novel writing as well. Two thumbs up!
I like Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. In addition to the ones you and everyone else have mentioned, I’d add Story by McKee, and Screenwriting Tricks for Authors by Alexandra Sokoloff (her blog is excellent too!). Also am a fan of The Artist’s Way. Didn’t know Maass had a new book…got to get that one! Thanks for that heads up.
I particularly enjoy Annie Dillard’s “The Witing Life.” Not so much as a “how-to” reference, but as a wonderful “pick me upper” when I find myself getting bogged down in one thing or another. It’s written in short little anecdotal blurbs that cover just about any facet of a writer’s working life. (Harper & Row, 1989)
Keith!
Just get E.M. Forster. ASPECTS OF THE NOVEL. (https://ow.ly/eleDF)
Then you can put all the others away.
Except for Don Maass’ books, of course.
Forster taught in no breakout intensives at Best Western motels, nor did he have tension on every page or even a pot in every garage, but his “rather ramshackly course” is easily one of the most powerfully informative anywhere. These are his Clark Lectures at Trinity College (Cambridge). God, to have been there.
He is far-and-away the most agreeable companion you’ll find on the subject anywhere of what makes it all happen.
Even better than James Wood’s HOW FICTION WORKS (https://ow.ly/elf6M), which is also great, especially if you love Flaubert, but … Wood is no Forster. :)
-p.
@Porter_Anderson
Porter!
I’ll check those out – neither of those is familiar to me, and with that kind of endorsement, how can I ignore them?
Thanks!
I’m a book whore, and I admit it. I collect books like… well you get the idea.
I have a lot of the above mentioned, a few older ones I inherited from my dad when he passed away (some people get excited by money, silly fools), and a few I’ve scrounged off the shelves of used bookstores.
My favorites include: The Writing Life (Dillard), Bird by Bird (Lamott), On Writing (King), The Fire in Fiction (Maass), If You Want To Write (Ueland), Revision and Self Editing (Bell) , On Writing Well (Zinsser)
And, of course, The Elements of Style (Strunk and White)–which really serves to remind me of how much I can’t retain.
I’m more of a book slut, myself. But I can totally relate!
I can see my to-be-read list is about to get longer – some of these (in the post and the comments) are on my list already, but I see some new ones as well.
My current favorite is more of a how-to-prepare than how-to-write – I’m loving K. M. Weiland’s Outlining Your Novel.
My shelf runnith over too. I don’t go ANYWHERE without Stephen King’s book, its in my Top Ten Tribute for his books (including all of his MANY novels and story compilations). So OKAY, then why don’t I have the audio? So it can drone on & on when I procrastinate? Also Anne Lamott, which I love because its not so over-analytical as to make my obsessive mind obsess. The others you mentioned are ALL MUST HAVES. Strung & White OMG, Don Maass, Zinsser etc. Another fav for fun and cynicism is Ernest Hemingway (quotes about the craft, our crazy minds, silly reader knockdowns etc). others include Browne and King’s Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, and Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat, my religion, SAVE it.
Thanks for the suggestions. Stephen King’s book is one of my favorite books on writing and I never considered getting the audio version…it’s now on my birthday list. yeah, I could just buy it, but it’s even more special when it’s a birthday gift.
Mittelmark and Newman’s “How Not To Write A Novel” is a good one too. Half the time it had me in stitches, the other half hanging my head in shame.
I’m a junkie too! At least you have YOUR books on the shelf to show for it! ;)
I really like SAVE THE CAT by the late Blake Synder.
Thank you for sharing your list, Keith. I was surprised to see so many of the titles I have on my shelves. Gives me confidence that I’m headed in the right direction as a fledgling writer. I completely agree on Maass had his advice.
I also have found John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction and James Scott Bell’s Conflict & Suspense particularly helpful. And while it’s for genre fiction, Orson Scott Card’s How To Write Science Fiction & Fantasy is great. Also, while it’s not a “writing” book in per-say, Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces has really helped me as well.
Thanks again.
Best of Luck.
Many years ago, when I was taking a course on editing at Cornell, I was required to read The Chicago Manual of Style. It was so dry that I ate constantly while reading it to stay awake and probably gained 10 pounds in the process. But, in the end, I thought it had a significant effect on my writing, no so much plot and character development but clarity of thought.
I, too, think that King’s audiobook On Writing is the best on the subject of writing in the American style.
I like to read/listen to biographies of authors where the biographer describes what the author was going through when he/she wrote this book or that, especially if there’s some record of the author’s trials and tribulations. I find this very helpful.
I’ve just written a review of Scarlett Thomas’s Monkeys with Typewriters which I’ll be posting on 11th November. It’s subtitled How to Write Fiction and Unlock the Secret Power of Stories and I have to say I was quite impressed by it. What I liked especially was that she frequently used TV programmes and films as examples. Who hasn’t seen Toy Story or an episode or two of Frasier? The book is based on lectures she gives to her creative writing students and although it doesn’t cover everything and she herself recommends books like Stephen King’s and Eats, Shoots and Leaves it is a very encouraging book and she does try hard not to sell her way of doing things even though she’s more than happy to show what has worked for her in the past.
Thanks, Keith. I’m also a how-to junkie and I guess I’ve been one for so long that I started teaching workshops, too. It almost feels wrong to keep the good stuff to yourself, you know? I’ll add all these – in your post and the comments – to the list for a novel prep program I’m hosting at the end of the month in OKC. In addition to your list – and I second to read The War of Art – are the specific craft books like the Elements of Fiction Writing series including Scene and Structure. It helps when a writer is struggling with a certain element to focus on that. Thanks for the excellent post!
Goodness gracious, I can add two to the list: Victoria Mixon’s The Art and Craft of Story/Fiction two-volume set, and Flannery O’Connor’s Mystery and Manners. I also like Joyce Carol Oates’ The Faith of a Writer for a pick-me-up.
I always read “how-tos” with a highlighter in my hand. When I read Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing, I got so involved that I forgot to highlight anything! His joy and enthusiasm and passion for writing is such an inspiration.
Glad to see I’m not the only how-to junkie! Sometimes I have to force myself away and either concentrate on (gasp) actually writing, or nourishing my brain by reading more fiction.
I wholeheartedly agree about Don Maas’s series of books (and I’m so excited for his latest, which seems aimed at breaking down the barriers between commercial and literary fiction — about time!). Couple others that I’m fond of:
Stephen Minot’s THREE GENRES
Janet Burroway’s WRITING FICTION
Jerome Stern’s MAKING SHAPELY FICTION
Robert McKee’s STORY (even, and especially, if you’re not a screenwriter)
And my favorite writing prompt books:
Ann Bernays and Pamela Painter — WHAT IF?
Sherry Ellis’s compilation series NOW WRITE! (available for several genres)
Wow, what great suggestions! I must say though, I was surprised that no one mentioned my favorite writing book of all time.
The book is WRITING DOWN THE BONES by Natalie Goldberg. I suppose it was written a while back, but it is truly wonderful.
Here is my favorite quote: “Our lives are at once ordinary and mythical. We live and die, age beautifully, or full of wrinkles. We wake in the morning, buy yellow cheese, and hope we have enough money to pay for it. At the same time we have these magnificent hearts that pump through all sorrow and all winters we are alive on the earth. We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded. This is how writers must think, this is how we must sit down with pen in hand. We were here: we are human beings; this is how we lived. Let it be known, the earth passed before us. Our details are important. Otherwise, if they are not, we can drop a bomb and it doesn’t matter.”- Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones.
This was another essay to print and save, this time including the replies.
Thanks.
Funny, one of my last posts was about this same topic. Check it out: https://pilotfiction.tumblr.com/post/29261510140
Keith, I’ll have to look into some of the books you like. I haven’t read many of them. Great post as always. Cheers.