I want to learn to write well. (Or should I say I want to learn to write better? write gooder? write more better?) Anyone with a third grade education and access to a Mac can write poorly, and anyone with the right connections or enough money can get published; the real challenge is to write in a way that moves the reader. The skill to move the reader is a powerful tool, and there are several well-known (and not so well-known) authors who have pulled back the curtain and allowed us to see how they go about their art; here are a few I recommend:
Books on writing I recommend:
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott is an excellent writer very similar in style to Donald Miller. (I'm pretty sure he read Traveling Mercies before he wrote Blue Like Jazz.) In Bird by Bird Lamott focuses on writing fiction, but her advice is applicable to any wannabe author. This is not an instructional manual, it is an autobiography built around how to write. Lamott's language, political views and take on Christianity will shock the faint of heart, but her advice on @#$#@#$ First Drafts is worth the price of the book for anyone who wants to become a writer.
On Writing by Steven King
I have never read a Steven King book and I have seen very few Steven King movies (the major exception being Shawshank Redemption, one of my all time favorites), but anyone who has sold as many books as King knows something about writing. This book is similar to Bird by Bird in that it is more memoir than writing guide, but it is a fascinating look at the writing process of an author who has sold over 300 million books.
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
On Writing Well is a very practical guide on how to make your writing not suck (or suck less). Zinsser hates adverbs and adjectives; he loves simple sentences and short paragraphs. Hemmingway would have loved Zinsser. I haven't finished the book, but I think my writing is getting better just by having it on my nightstand.
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss
The subtitle gives the true essence of this book, The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Truss is a punctuation snob and a brilliant writer. She is able to take the topic I hated most in school and turn it into a very enjoyable read. I think I finally will remember the difference between it's and its. A myth of publishing is that the editor will take care of punctuation. The truth is that they will fix glaring errors, but most of the grammar and punctuation is up to the writer, making this an essential book for the writer's toolkit.
Recent Comments