The first Wednesday of every month is officially
The Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It's a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
IWSG Asks: What is your favorite writing craft book? Think of a book that every time you read it you learn something or you are inspired to write or try the new technique. And why?
As always, when asked about my favorite book, I have more than one. I mean, is it possible for any avid reader to have only ONE favorite book??
I enjoy reading writing craft books. Not only to learn something new, but I like to discover how other writers write. What's their process? How do they do it?
I'll limit this list to the books that I like to re-read. I suppose that's as good as saying they are my favorite, right?
This is at the top of my list because it's the first one that popped into my head. I learned about this book through a workshop by Debra Dixon. She was fascinating! I learned so much about conflict and really enjoyed reading her book.
Goal, motivation, and conflict are the foundation of everything that happens in the story world. Using charts, examples, and movies, the author breaks these key elements down into understandable components and walks the reader through the process of laying this foundation in his or her own work.
Learn what causes sagging middles and how to fix them, which goals are important, which aren’t and why, how to get your characters to do what they need for your plot in a believable manner, and how to use conflict to create a good story. GMC can be used not only in plotting, but in character development, sharpening scenes, pitching ideas to an editor, and evaluating whether an idea will work.
Be confident your ideas will work before you write 200 pages.
Plan a road map to keep your story on track.
Discovery why your scenes aren’t working and what to do about it.
Create characters that editors and readers will care about.
Check it out!
Here's another one I read in my early days of becoming a writer. Excellent book for coming up with character types! Organized and easy to research, also entertaining to read!
All fiction writers want to write stories with great heroes and heroines--characters who leap off the page and capture the reader's imagination. Heroic characters can be broken down into sixteen archetypes. By following the guidelines of the archetypes presented in this comprehensive reference work, writers can create extraordinarily memorable characters and elevate their writing to a higher level. Throughout the book, the authors give examples of well-known heroes and heroines from television and film so the reader can picture the archetype in his or her mind.
At the very core of a character, every hero can be traced back to one of the eight major archetypes, as can every heroine. The core archetype tells the writer the most basic instincts of heroes or heroines - how they think and feel, what drives them and how they reach their goals. Whether you are a seasoned professional or a novice, The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines will help you improve your own writing and help you create truly memorable characters.
Check it out!
As we're already talking about characters, I'll add this one, too. I was amazed by this book! So much that I couldn't put it down and read it fairly quickly. As well as helping me with my characters, I think I might have delved into analyzing my own mind with this one.
Psychotherapist Rachel Ballon teaches the reader how to use the principles of psychology to understand their characters better. Through a mix of instruction, examples, and writing and visualization exercises, readers learn how to tap into their own stories and emotions to create realistic, complex characters.
Check it out!
Once I knew I wanted to become a writer and take writing seriously, this was one of the first books I read about story structure. It was educational and easy to read. With the examples being compared to popular movies, I enjoyed learning about story writing and often re-read this book again and again. I always seem to learn something new.
Originally an influential memo Vogler wrote for Walt Disney Animation executives regarding The Lion King, The Writer’s Journey details a twelve-stage, myth-inspired method that has galvanized Hollywood’s treatment of cinematic storytelling. A format that once seldom deviated beyond a traditional three-act blueprint, Vogler’s comprehensive theory of story structure and character development has met with universal acclaim, and is detailed herein using examples from myths, fairy tales, and classic movies. This book has changed the face of screenwriting worldwide over the last 25 years, and continues to do so.
Check it out!
This is one of my favorite books to read about writing fast! Always inspiring! Before I read this book, I always considered myself a slow writer. I never realized that a writer could actually write fast. This book helps with motivation. For me, anyway. I like to push myself to keep writing and do more because of what I learned in this book.
Have you ever wanted to double your daily word counts? Do you sometimes feel like you're crawling through your story? Do you want to write more every day without increasing the time you spend writing or sacrificing quality? It's not impossible, it's not even that hard. This is the book explaining how, with a few simple changes, I boosted my daily writing from 2000 words to over 10k a day, and how you can too.
Expanding on her highly successful process for doubling daily word counts, this book, a combination of reworked blog posts and new material, offers practical writing advice for anyone who's ever longed to increase their daily writing output. In addition to updated information for Rachel's popular 2k to 10k writing efficiency process, 5 step plotting method, and easy editing tips, this new book includes chapters on creating characters that write their own stories, practical plot structure, and learning to love your daily writing. Full of easy to follow, practical advice from a commercial author who doesn't eat if she doesn't produce good books on a regular basis, 2k to 10k focuses not just on writing faster, but writing better, and having more fun while you do it.
Check it out!
It's difficult to pick just one Chris Fox book that is my favorite. He has several books that I've read and learned a lot about writing and marketing. He also has a YouTube channel where he talks about writing that I frequently watch. His series
Write Faster, Write Smarter is very inspiring!
Are you tired of writing intermittently? Would you like to install a lifelong writing habit, one that gets your butt in the chair every single day? Then this is the book for you. Lifelong Writing Habit draws on well tested neuroscience to help you install a daily writing habit that will endure for life.
It contains a simple to understand system, with actionable steps at the end of every chapter. You'll learn:
- How to install a permanent writing habit
- How to get organized
- How to set and achieve writing goals
- How to harness discipline and motivation
It’s time to make a permanent shift in your writing. Let’s get moving!
Check it out!
Happy writing!
~ Tricia
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