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Five Best Writing Books For Fiction Writers and Why I Recommend Them
25+ years of teaching means I’ve sorted out my most useful favorites
It amazes me how few writers read and make use of how-to books about writing. A good book at the right time can change your writing forever. I’ve had it happen to me, and that’s why I always try to recommend writing books to my clients and students.
I probably have about 80 or 90 of these on my shelves (25 years of teaching writing does that), but there are quite a few that I come back again and again, especially if I’m feeling stuck or in need of inspiration or ideas.
The Emotional Craft of Fiction — Donald Maass
Actually, I recommend all of Maass’s books, but this one is my top, because I see so many writers who can’t get a grip on how to delve deeper into their characters, especially their point of view characters.
There is always too much plot, and not enough insight into who the main character is, why they behave the way they do, motivations, emotions, thoughts and decisions. The subtitle of this book is How to write the story below the surface — which says everything really. You can’t rely on action and dialogue to truly engage your readers.
