Hi flist! It's been a while, but I'm so excited about my latest discovery that I just had to post. As many of you are writers, you might find this as helpful a resource as I did.
I tell you - a good book is worth its weight in gold. I'll have to check out that website. Thanks for the tip. I'm so glad to hear that you're still writing and you're feeling energized.
Hi Mary. Yes, I am still writing, just not in my LJ. I owe you all an update one of these days. And since I know you've read quite a few books on the writing process, I'd love to hear your recommendations.
Nancy Kress's Beginnings, Middles, and Endings, is a wonderful "how to think about a technical problem" book.
I also loved Jane Smiley's 101 Ways of Looking at the Novel. It's very much from a literary analysis perspective, but again - following her thinking process as she reveals how she reads and writes a novel is fascinating.
I tend to read writing books so I'll feel less lonely. So most of the books on my shelf are inspirational in nature. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron was invaluable in helping me get past the anxiety of writing so that I could find the right process for me. I did the entire course as outlined in the book, but just reading it is a big help. I also like Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird and Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones when I'm feeling fragile. :)
John Gardner's The Art of Fiction is for when you're feeling very confident and very cocky - he will deflate that feeling quite quickly. :) Still, he makes some great points about sentence structure and lazy writing habits
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Thanks for the recs. *is taking notes* I remember you mentioned Julia Cameron on your LJ. That one looks particularly interesting. I will have to check these out. Thanks!
I'm so glad you found the site helpful. I wish I hadn't loaned that book out though, so I could send it to you. I think you'd like the scene tracker, and you'd be amazed at the richness of what you've written (judging from the few scenes of your novel that I've already read). One of the big benefits was that it gave me a different perspective on my writing. That was very empowering.
This sounds very interesting -- do you think after fixing some of what you identified as weaker scenes that you would resubmit your manuscript some places?
I got a couple of the books Mary recommended for Christmas last year and have only read the first chapter of Kress's. I feel like I need to write a bit more so I actually have something to problem solve.
Actually, I wouldn't resubmit a manuscript to a publisher who already rejected it (unless the publisher suggested those changes). But I would fix any identified weaknesses before I submitted it anywhere else.
And I agree with your second point, too. The advice in these books makes so much more sense when you can apply it to something you've written.
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I also loved Jane Smiley's 101 Ways of Looking at the Novel. It's very much from a literary analysis perspective, but again - following her thinking process as she reveals how she reads and writes a novel is fascinating.
I tend to read writing books so I'll feel less lonely. So most of the books on my shelf are inspirational in nature. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron was invaluable in helping me get past the anxiety of writing so that I could find the right process for me. I did the entire course as outlined in the book, but just reading it is a big help. I also like Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird and Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones when I'm feeling fragile. :)
John Gardner's The Art of Fiction is for when you're feeling very confident and very cocky - he will deflate that feeling quite quickly. :) Still, he makes some great points about sentence structure and lazy writing habits ( ... )
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I got a couple of the books Mary recommended for Christmas last year and have only read the first chapter of Kress's. I feel like I need to write a bit more so I actually have something to problem solve.
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And I agree with your second point, too. The advice in these books makes so much more sense when you can apply it to something you've written.
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