Inspiring Writing Books

I still have far too many writing books on my shelves, many of which date to when I first started writing and most of which remain largely unread. I've already given away several over the years and I expect a few more can go at some point. Apart from Stephen King's On Writing (which is still with daughter!), there is one print book that will always have a place on my shelf and in my heart - Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande.


Becoming a Writer

Dorothea Brande's famous book, first published in 1934, has stood the test of time and was greatly influential in making me begin to think like a writer. Both inspirational and practical, her psychological approach to being a writer and her methods have been copied and modernised by others over the years, but Brande's book is still one I like to dip into now and then. I'm still trying to follow her advice to harness the unconscious and to write anything at all before starting the day properly.

Two very different e-books have come to my attention recently and I downloaded both as I was intrigued by their premise - and promise! I've dipped into them and certainly intend reading from start to finish as I can see they will be very useful in helping me move on with novels in a more organised fashion (hopefully).

Write your Novel from the Middle

Written by James Scott Bell, Write Your Novel from the Middle promises a new approach for pantsters and plotters. So far, it's making sense and I'm aiming to put some of his ideas into action to help me move on with my current novel. I like the fact it applies to every kind of writer and the examples he uses from books and films appear to bear out his theory.

2K to 10K

The title of this e-book, 2000 to 10000 (or 2K to 10K) by Rachel Aaron, was intriguing enough to make me download it and I had previously read a little of Rachel's discovery on her blog. Subtitled 'How to write faster, write better and more of what you love' grabbed me at once and the reviews are good on Amazon. The figures in the title depict the increase in Rachel's output once she followed a certain way of working and of approaching her writing. Even the couple of chapters I've read have made me reassess a few things and I look forward to reading it right through.

I'm sure all writers have their favourite 'go-to' books when needing inspiration and there are countless numbers of them these days. Normally, I can't be bothered reading more than a few chapters, if that, but these two e-books contain ideas I haven't come across before. Must admit, this is when I like a print book - nothing beats marking a page when wanting to return to a specific point, but e-books have the advantage of being more affordable!

Do you have a favourite writing book you'll always keep?

Rosemary