Raving

Writing Books Part 4

Here is my fourth installment on the writing books I have read. As I’ve warned you before... if the book is so hideous I want to sue to get my money back, I will not list it here. I don’t want to give the perpetrator any publicity at all. If your favorite book isn’t listed, I might not have read it yet. Go to my contact page and leave me a suggestion if you know of a good book.

This installment is on
Books on the Craft of Writing. NaNoWriMo is over. Boohoo! After allowing the dough to rest, we must punch it down and make a book out of it. It might be worth reading some of these titles before attacking the behemoth written in November. Reward yourself. Read a book by one of your favorite authors and then one or two of these craft book and study how your favorite author reels you in. See how you can add more of that in your own work. GOOD LUCK!
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Writing Books Part 3

Here is my third installment on the writing books I have read. Note that if the book is so hideous I wanted to sue to get my money back, I will not list it here. I don’t want to give the perpetrator any publicity at all. Obviously, if you favorite book isn’t listed, I might not have read it yet. Go to my contact page and leave me a suggestion if you know of a good book.

This installment deals with
books on editing. The end of NaNoWriMo is only four days away. Until then, all critics must stay locked in their boxes. However, after a break in December, most wrimos will want to start the arduous process of editing their first draft. These books will help you do that. If you are not yet finished with you NaNo novel, don’t look at these until you have! Read More...

Writing Books Part 2

Here is my next installment on the writing books I have read. Note that if the book is so hideous I wanted to sue to get my money back, I will not list it here. I don’t want to give the perpetrator any publicity at all. Obviously, if you favorite book isn’t listed, I might not have read it yet. Go to my contact page and leave me a suggestion if you know of a good book. This installment deals with books that are on the life of a writer. These could and do cross over to the inspirational side as well.

Books on the Writing Life


Terry Brooks

  • Lessons from a Writing Life (2005) This book is very similar to Stephen King’s and Anne Lamott’s and, in fact, quotes both. I found it very easy to read, good info and some great illustrative autobiographical vignettes. It contains a slightly different perspective on publishing and includes lots of praise for his mentors at Del Rey. I found it personally interesting because he was a lawyer and went through what I am going through now. The day job just doesn’t cut it anymore no matter how professional or tenured you are.
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Inspirational Writing Books

We are less than halfway through the month of November and that mean less than the halfway mark for NaNoWriMo. Yes, Thanksgiving no longer dominates this month. Many of my Wrimos have asked me for advice on writing books. I have read dozens... literally. So I went through my annotated bibliography and will start uploading my reviews. This is just my personal opinion so don’t whine if you don’t agree with my assessments. Try a few and if we have similar tastes... or the exact opposite... then this list should help you. Today’s list will include writing books that have inspired me (or not but sit in that classification). Over the next few weeks, I’ll add my reviews on books in the following categories: Writer’s Life, Keeping a Notebook, Editing, The Craft of Writing and Genre Specific Books. I have already written a review of Jeff Vandermeer’s book on the business of writing here. ENJOY! Read More...

NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo occurs every November. It’s when 200,000 people from all over the world take on the challenge of writing a 50,000 word (175-page) novel in thirty days. It’s an anti-contest writing contest because there are no judges, the prizes are lousy and new and old writers alike bash out surprisingly good books in an absurdly short amount of time.

I have been doing NaNoWriMo since 2003. I have won all seven years and am hoping to make this year number 8! I have been a Municipal Liaison (ML) officially for four years and two unofficially before that. I owe NaNoWriMo so much. I don’t just mean seven bad first drafts and the wonderful camaraderie of my fellow wrimos. I mean the boost in confidence in my ability to write fiction.

The most common fears that hold back would be writers (as highlighted in almost every writing book such as this one by Ralph Keyes) include the fears that you’ll never finish, that you will finish, that you only have one in you, that you will be too lonely doing it, that you will become an alcoholic/drug addict, that you won’t be able to make a living, you’ll run out of ideas, you’ll suck, the rejections will crush you… the list goes on. The advantage with NaNoWriMo is that you blast through most of them in 30-days and you don’t have to pay shipping or handling or have your credit card available. Read More...