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Top Reddit reviews mentioning Fiction Writing Reference books:
It wasn't 30 days but 3 months, and when reading his book I don't recall him saying no excuses. Quote from the original article regarding his book: "King likes to write 10 pages a day. Over a three-month span, that amounts to around 180,000 words. 'The first draft of a book — even a long one — should take no more than three months, the length of a season,' he says. If you spend too long on your piece, King believes the story begins to take on an odd foreign feel."
As for myself, writing isn't my full time so 4-6 months depending on life. (edited for spelling)
One of the best books I have ever read is “Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded” https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199760241/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_6MpxCb2Y2PH49
The book is easy to read and has DRASTICALLY improved my science writing. I read this book with my undergraduate lab (like 4 years ago) and still reference now in my PhD program.
I recently started making comics and my storytelling ability is still developing, so I don't have any advice, however there is an incredible book that I've found ridiculously helpful, and I think that you would benefit from. Scott McCloud Making Comics
Wrote this comment before I read through the comments, and then just copy pasted down here instead...
Might be a bit dated now, but The Elements of Style by Strunk & White was one of the first books I read on writing.
Even if some of their examples or philosophies are dated, it's a really good foundational book. Having that base can save even the most boring or uninspired stories. Good writing can exist independently of a good idea (unfortunately).
Did you edit your own work for typos or did you do a full-scale developmental edit looking for challenges in plotting, pacing, characterization, etc?
If you want to go the traditional publishing route, a professional editor isn't required (or even encouraged). In fact, in some circles, it's actively discouraged.
What you probably need is a critique partner. You also should look into beta readers you don't know. Unless your friends are also writers or prolific readers, they're likely not giving you very useful feedback from an industry perspective.
You may also find this book to be helpful: https://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yourself/dp/0060545690
If you want to learn to write well in English, this book taught me more than anything else.
I'm a fan of Pat Pattison's book "Writing better lyrics". He has some nice organizational techniques for rhyme scheme and what types of words can convey better emotion/meaning. It's fairly cheap on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779
Check this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779
Also, start doing some listening / watching / reading on the concept of Story - what makes one, what is one.
Here's a good start
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting/dp/0060391685/
Thank you so much for the kind words! If you're interested, I'm willing to read your revised beginning once you iron things out. I also write YA fantasy so this is my wheelhouse. Happy to leave notes in the text itself if that works better for you.
If I can make a self-editing suggestion... this is the best resource I've come across in a long time. It's not helpful from a dev editing perspective but it's fantastic for the mechanics that can take prose from acceptable to publishable. It focuses on the little things agents and editors will notice, the kinds of things that can help you strengthen scenes and improve voice. One of the reviews really nails it: "The authors are not trying to make you a better writer, they are trying to make you a saleable writer in today's climate."
You should check out a book on this topic. "Making comics" by Scott McCloud is a good starting place for how to structure these things:
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=making+comics&qid=1618952504&sr=8-1
Yeah, no, that's why I was wondering if you mean first editon or if he was looking for any edition. Because you can get a regular edition for less than $10.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816
It's really hard to write lyrics without a musical context - even if you try to follow (or not follow) a certain structure, until you've given those lyrics a melody (or some other musical context, like chords or a riff or a beat), they aren't lyrics, they're poetry. Even if you go into writing thinking "okay, these are gonna be lyrics this time", without some kind of musical idea to support it and mold it, it's still just poetry. Some people do have luck starting songs by writing lyrics first, and then trying to write a melody that fits them, but personally I've had much better luck starting with musical ideas (a melody, a riff, a chord progression), and a really broad topic for a song (like "this song's gonna be about heartache" or something), and then writing lyrics that fit the rhythmic stresses and topic. Even if you do successfully write a song starting with lyrics, you'll often find yourself tweaking them anyway to fit the music you end up writing (and if you don't, there's a solid chance of your lyrics turning out awkward and forced).
I highly recommend checking out Pat Pattinson's Writing Better Lyrics from your local library / buying a copy if you can - I can't overstate how much it's helped me get into lyric writing in a more intentional way.
Plenty. They just don't dig deeper enough, even with a billion dollar excavator.
The other thing the current existing writers for local dramas could have done is to, gasp, read a book on screenwriting by the likes of Robert McKee, instead of attending some dubious seminar by certain persons who can't stop posing in front of their Mercedes.
I thoroughly implore everyone to read <em>The Elements of Style</em> by Strunk and White. When writing, it's your best friend. If it were up to me it'd be handed out to every single NCO during BLC.
Here is an excerpt on the word irregardless:
>Irregardless. Should be regardless. The error results from failure to see the negative in -less and from a desire to get it in as a prefix, suggested by such words as irregular, irresponsible, and, perhaps especially, irrespective.
I do somewhat agree with you to a point. Understand that being able to write is a necessary skill for communication though. While commenting on someone's grammar in this setting is rather pointless as most people can figure it out, if you or someone you know has issues with writing there is a great book for it and it's only $5 from amazon. Probably less at your used book store.
I would recommend Strunk and White's The Elements of Style.
It's pretty much the definitive work on writing clearly and precisely.
I could do a lot of research for you and put it here, but I think it would be more beneficial for you to read a book called The Elements of Style, written by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. It's considered a great, if not the best, writing book out there, focusing a lot on style. I found a condensed version of the book as a PDF online for you. You can print it out and mark it up, or you can go online and buy the book there for a more comprehensive version. I'll put the link to the PDF and the Amazon purchase link for the 4th Edition if you want to do that too.
After you read that, don't stick to just that--you can branch out to other books. I haven't read much of Bird by Bird or Stephen King's On Writing, but I know there's some value in those books, or as I've heard from other writers. I've got other recommendations too if you'd like them.
Anyway, here's those links for you. Hopefully, I've been helpful.
There's three things I can recommend to help you improve your writing:
1) Get yourself a copy of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. It's old, it's boring, but it's also been the gold standard of writing aids for decades, and for good reason. It's also like five bucks, so why not?
2) Read things. If you can, read worthwhile things. Get yourself a subscription to The Wall Street Journal or something. They offer student deals in a lot of places, and their articles are normally pretty top tier. But honestly even if you can't grind through that (I couldn't at 16) just read good writing. Fiction, nonfiction, who cares? If you read enough good writing, you'll start to pick up some of the strategies good writers use by pure osmosis.
3) This one is very important. WRITE things. Then edit them. Then edit them again. Annnnd another time for good measure. Then have someone you trust (maybe your English teacher?) edit them. Writing is like any other skill. The more you do it, the better you get.
And yeah, feel free to PM me if you have more questions, but honestly the best advice I can give you besides what I already wrote in the first post is: enjoy your life. Planning for the future is great and you definitely should think about it, but don't forget to stop and have fun sometimes. School (including undergrad) is honestly half about academics and half about learning how to interact with people. Later on they'll call that networking.
Self-Editing takes some getting used to.
Two things can help.
- Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is a good book to help you get started.
- Software like Grammarly or LanguageTool is great for editing.
Last but certainly not least, you must practice, practice, practice.
There were girls that wrote like this back in HS and I always found it so obnoxious.
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Everyone that want's to get into clear and concise writing should give this book a perusal.
Strunk & White. Very short, very clear, the only grammar/composition book you'll ever need. Can't recommend it enough.
https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk/dp/020530902X
Chicago Manual of Style or Strunk & White, please
https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk/dp/020530902X
Writing Science: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Writing_Science/Fp4-7EWkvUgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=how+to+write+scientific+papers+book&printsec=frontcover https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Science-Papers-Proposals-Funded/dp/0199760241
It goes over structure of papers, paragraphs, and word choices/order. It covers a lot of material, so it is useful even if some sections may not be (OCAR structure for example).
I’m new to writing, so I purchased On Writing Well by William Zinsser. It’s very insightful for my writing itself, and the advice translates well to blogging.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548
> Until I decide to write a book after finding inspiration in the A Song of Ice and Fire and The Witcher series.
So, this gives me a bit of pause. Most of us who pick up our pens are pretty heavy readers before we get started.
That said, I would rather encourage than discourage, so I'm going to recommend a book to help get you started: Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, by Robert McKee. I only purchased this book a few weeks ago, and I have been kicking myself ever since for not getting it years ago (I've been writing on a professional level since 1999, and this book has raised my game). It's not just for screenwriting - it will give you a very good idea of how stories work on a structural and mechanical level, from plotting to character development.
Here's the buy link from Amazon Smile (which donates money from each purchase to a charity of your choice): https://smile.amazon.com/Story-Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting/dp/0060391685/ref=rvi_sccl_6/131-2124249-3477910?pd_rd_w=9Fqr9&content-id=amzn1.sym.f5690a4d-f2bb-45d9-9d1b-736fee412437&pf_rd_p=f5690a4d-f2bb-45d9-9d1b-736fee4124...
(I would also strongly recommend On Writing, by Stephen King.)
On Writing Well by William Zissner is easy to follow, informative, and succinct, and I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
The Elements of Style by Strunk & White is often recommended as the de facto grammar book, but I've never read it (though I think I own a copy somewhere) so I don't know how good those recommendations are.
I would recommend the Associated Press Stylebook as, in my experience, that seems to be the most commonly required knowledge clients expect you to know. There are often free guides available on college and university websites and elsewhere, though I'm not sure if those are published with permission or infringing any copyrights.
Other than that, I think the best resources to learn how to write well are really dependent on how you learn.
I personally excel at learning via immersion, so reading a lot and practicing writing usually has the most significant impact on the quality of my writing. (There's a marked difference in how well I write when I'm reading a lot vs. how well I write when I haven't read much in awhile.)
I think that writers who are unfamiliar with English conventions or who didn't grow up with English as their primary language could do well from immersing themselves in the type of writing they hope to emulate, i.e. if you're writing for American consumers, read the same type of content they'd be reading to try and discern what's common among each piece you read, how to craft contextual and relevant analogies and metaphors, how to alternate cadence, when proper grammar conventions are necessary and when you can get away with breaking those rules, etc.
I also think that this might be one of the rare occasions where it's worth looking into a course or tutoring to bring you more up to speed with the knowledge you lack. Maybe getting your hands on some middle or high school English textbooks could be beneficial too, especially since most online content aims to be written at a 7th-9th-grade level.
My book is very dialogue heavy. I have been told that I write great dialogue. Why would I deliberately put in less of what I'm good at?
Yes, I do have a tendency towards writing talking heads, but I highly recommend this book for fixing that: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Browne/dp/0060545690
Hey, I had a similar problem and got the recommendation to get this resource. It's got great examples to support otherwise straightforward rules for editing for the current market. My editing has improved tenfold since I started working through the book, so I can't recommend it enough.
Good luck!
Read On Writing. It's my favorite King book, by far. He talks about his addiction, kicking it, then getting hit by the drunk driver and how scared he was to even take pain meds.
And Tabitha there by his side the whole time.