Writing Resource Links

A good writer is always a student. We study how people walk and wonder how to describe the hitch in their stride or a particular luminous shade of green in the scene. We read and re-read our favorite authors trying to dissect exactly how did they manage to make me feel/see/hear/smell the action in a spice-filled marketplace or ice-glazed forest.

A host of books and posts support the writer in their quest for perfection.

A recent post by Kate Flora gave some terrific behind the scenes insights on how sharpening description sharpens our story. Four of Kate's go-to resources are:

• John Gardner's Art of Fiction
• David Grambs' The Describer’s Dictionary
• Rebecca McClanahan's Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively
• Rodale’s Synonym Finder

If an author has over 200 books to his name with millions sold, I admit to pressing my nose against the glass to see if I can catch a glimpse of what goes in to their secret sauce. Jerry Jenkins posted eleven of his writing bibles, while the Center for Fiction provides this list of essential books, Poets & Writers kept me busy with their list.

I surveyed a number of resources for this post and wasn't surprised that three of my go-to books were frequently cited.

• Stephen King's On Writing-A Memoir of Craft
• Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
• William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White's The Elements of Style

Do you write mysteries? Then read Hallie Ephron's book, Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel. This book is exactly what you need to help you through the maze of creating great characters, sharp settings, and twisty plots. This book is structured with Do It Yourself exercises to sharpen the lessons in each chapter.

Finding what works for you is important. You know your work's strengths and weaknesses. Not all advice will resonate regardless of how lofty the expert is who expounds it and you can run yourself ragged if you try to do everything each expert suggests. For me, I find taking a step back and rewriting a troublesome passage using Lamott's technique of looking through a one in picture frame helps me break down the action into clear and concise points.

But, hey. Don't take my word for it. Check out editionguard.com for more great books for writers.

Oh, and reading writing advice books is a legitimate way to stall from doing our real work. Writing a blog about it is even better. And reading such a blog means you're clicking around the Internet and not doing one damned productive thing.

Okay. Enough procrastingating. Get back to work!