The Writer's Resource Folder

[Glenburne]

So you've been writing for a while, and there's a book that changed how you created short stories. Or maybe you're just beginning to write, and you've been relying on an article about poetry that recently caught your eye. Perhaps you don't like writing, but you do like to read, and you know of an author who wrote some great advice for developing writers.

If you fit into any of those categories, this is the thread where you belong.

BarbarianKing has suggested that we put a thread in The Professor's Writing Club that is reserved for writer's resources. I know there have been books and articles that have impacted my writing a great deal, and there are other people here who can tell similar stories. So if you can think of a great book or article on writing--perhaps even a website or free online course--then post the links below.

I'll start with the supreme writer's guide of all time (okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much)--Flannery O'Connor's book of essays, Mystery and Manners. It's not a how-to guide, but it made a huge difference in my writing when I was a teenager, mostly in keeping it from going in the wrong direction. If you want to know what not to do, this is a great book. O'Connor puts a lot of thought into what it means to be a Christian writer, as well.

 

[Miss Freckles]

Cool thread!

So far, the only self-help book I found helpful has been Stephen King's On Writing. It's half autobiography, half writer's 'toolbox', and the best thing about it is there are not many points he makes but those he does are valid and applicable to basically every genre. He also ties everything in with his own work and development, so very credible, and it includes a long list of book recommendations (fiction only, I think).

 

[Copperfox]

There's a Facebook group of potential interest to all Narnia lovers, called something like "Reading For Imaginative Readers." But you can't contribute to it unless you can first persuade TWO THOUSAND other Facebook users to join. This is an effort to build the reading market for all authors who participate. They have every right to run the group that way if they want to, but I just do not have time to chase down two thousand people to join them.

 

[Narnia_bookworm]

I took a Children's Literature course at college in December 2012. The required text book was Writing Children's Books For Dummies.Writing Children's Books For Dummies is a really helpful book. It gives you easy tips and is written in an enjoyable way to understand how to perfect your book for publication.It's not complicated in understanding what the steps are for publication, nor does it talk down to you as if you're an idiot like the title suggests. It also gives you tips on the way your characters should speak, and what is suitable for each level of children's books.Since Children's books is the genre I want to focus on, this book was very helpful to me.

 

[The Spanish Inquisition]

I recommend "how not to write a novel". it's hilarious and very useful

 

[Glenburne]

Another good one is The Art and Nature of Fiction: Notes on the Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner.