A Novel Approach (To Me)

WRITING FICTION by Janet Burroway

The 8th edition of this book by Janet Burroway is a handbook that should be on every aspiring writer’s shelf.  It’s often used in creative writing courses and takes you from intial thought to the final draft.  It’s an easy to follow guide to writing fiction.  One caution: it’s a university text so, although it’s very easy to use and follow, it’s expensive to purchase.  It’s well worth every penny spent on it.

WRITING IN GENERAL AND THE SHORT STORY IN PARTICULAR by Rust Hills

This is a practical guide to writing short stories that explains all the essential techniques of fiction.  It is understandable and useful to both the aspiring and the seasoned writer alike.  Rust Hills packs a lot of great information in a very small book.

READING LIKE A WRITER by Francine Prose

Understanding the tricks of the masters can help you understand how their work has endured. This book inspires you to pay attention to words–the raw material out of which all literature is crafted.  There is a philosophy in the writing world that every great writer is first a great reader. This book teaches you how to slow down and read like a writer.

THE FIRST FIVE PAGES by Noah Lukeman

The difference with this book is that it isn’t written by a writer, teacher or academic.  It’s written by a very successful Literary Agent who shares his advice on how to stay out of the rejection pile. He argues that your first five pages determine whether the Agent asks to read more, or rejects it outright. There is no attempt in this book to try to teach you how to write. Instead, he teaches you how to identify BAD writing and eliminate it from your manuscript.  His advice is centred on common mistakes that, if you address them, can remove excuses for Agents and Editors to send your manuscript back to you in its SASE.

ON WRITING by Stephen King

This book is not really about the mechanics of how to write or how to stay out of the rejection pile once you’ve completed your novel. It’s a memoir from arguably one of the most successful writers today–and it’s a tough-love lesson for aspiring novelists.  He talks about the writing life and about the craft.  He uses real examples to illustrate his thoughts on style, plot and character. He leaves you with some very distinct lessons on what it means to be a writer. It’s a terrific book and a necessary read for aspiring authors.