I confessed to you yesterday that I didn’t know how to write fiction, but I have taken a BEGINNING fiction writing class. Funny, I don’t remember learning any of these lovely things.
In Other News: Writing Day 11 – It happens to every writer. There comes a time when one must buckle down and commit to learning how to hone their craft. We read writings about writing! There are hundreds of books about writing. And it’s a great idea to pick one up and see what other writers have to say.
Perhaps like me, you thought that the pocket sized version of Writing Down the Bones was adorable, and since it was about writing, that was enough to invest in it. As life would have it, I never did get through the entire book, and now the “adorable” book’s type is entirely to small for my MS eyes. This month has inspired me to get the audio version of the book. The narration is a little difficult, but I look forward to learning what it has to offer me – all of these years later.
Writing down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
by Natalie Goldberg
Here are a few more books on the craft of writing that I’ve been fortunate enough to read.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott – I specifically remember two things about this book,1. How Anne Lamott made the idea of writing a horrible first draft so acceptable that it drove the fear away, and 2. how harsh newer writers or at least the people leaving reviews were on how she wrote during her day. The way they actually did things then. For some reason, this seemed to have lessened her experience. I wonder if they realize that one day, the way they do things will be considered old fashioned.
If you want to write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland My favorite book about writing so far. Perhaps the purest. It was originally written in the early 1900’s and if you long to learn about writing, she tells you about it. Ueland encourages writers to buck self doubt and self denial about being a writer. She also expresses how important it is to take time out of busy life and allow ideas to develop. She encourages rest, play, and that writers write what they see and experience, not what they think others would want to read. Being true resonates here.
You are a Writer (So start acting like one) by Jeff Goins – The most recent book I read (listened to). Whereas the previous books that I’ve read were mostly about writing and life, this book does not miss a beat keeping up with the times. Not only is it about writing, its about how to build a platform, how to network and how to get published. Writing in this day and age is just the first step. Goins makes certain that we understand that.
There are so many more books available on the craft of writing. I learned about at least two more that I would like to read just in doing the research for this post. We should never believe we have learned all there is to know about writing. I think as long as there are writers, there will be more to learn.
