Recommended Books on Writing for Genre Fiction Authors
Discover the best books on writing for genre fiction authors. Explore top recommendations to improve your craft, from bestselling authors and expert guides.
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On Writing
by Stephen King
The author shares his insights into the craft of writing and offers a humorous perspective on his own experience as a writer.
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Writing the Breakout Novel
by Donald Maass
Take your fiction to the next level! Maybe you're a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you've already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel - one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists. Maass details the elements that all breakout novels share - regardless of genre - then shows you writing techniques that can make your own books stand out and succeed in a crowded marketplace. You'll learn to: ⢠establish a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place ⢠weave subplots into the main action for a complex, engrossing story ⢠create larger-than-life characters that step right off the page ⢠explore universal themes that will interest a broad audience of readers ⢠sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish ⢠develop an inspired premise that sets your novel apart from the competition Then, using examples from the recent works of several best-selling authors - including novelist Anne Perry - Maass illustrates methods for upping the ante in every aspect of your novel writing. You'll capture the eye of an agent, generate publisher interest and lay the foundation for a promising career.
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Sin and Syntax
by Constance Hale
An expert on contemporary copywriting offers advice on up-to-date writing styles, showing how to break through conventional modes to achieve a striking and hip style.
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Story
by Robert McKee
Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience. In Story, McKee expands on the concepts he teaches in his $450 seminars (considered a must by industry insiders), providing readers with the most comprehensive, integrated explanation of the craft of writing for the screen. No one better understands how all the elements of a screenplay fit together, and no one is better qualified to explain the "magic" of story construction and the relationship between structure and character than Robert McKee.
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Writing Screenplays That Sell
by Michael Hauge
Covers story concept, character development, theme, structure, and scenes, analyzes a sample screenplay, and tells how to submit a manuscript, select an agent, and market oneself.
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Erotic Romance
by Alison Kent
"The basic rules for turning basic instincts into blockbuster success." Erotic romance reigns supreme as a big category of women's fictiona billion dollar business serviced by a new breed of uninhibited writer. This book is the necessary how-to for first timers and a terrific guide for seasoned professionals as well, who are putting their racyand lucrativefantasies to paper. Now, for the first time, a veteran erotic romance author shows exactly what to do"and how." The first book to guide writers to succeed in this multi-million dollar genre Explores how to set up a plot and write good, steamy sex scenes From a best-selling experienced author Includes resource section for research tools and further reading Interviews with top editors in the field Foreword by Kate Duffy, editorial director at Kensington Publishing and founding editor of the genre"
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Writing a Romance Novel For Dummies
by Leslie Wainger
In love with romance novels? Youâre not alone! Romance is todayâs most popular fiction genre, accounting for more than half of all mass market fiction sold. If youâre looking to make a serious effort at writing a romance and getting it published in todayâs multifaceted markets, you need to learn as much as you can about this highly successful fieldâespecially how to create the perfect heroes and heroines. Now, in this easy, step-by-step guide, a top romance editor gives you the know-how you need to succeed as a romance novelist! Writing A Romance Novel For Dummies is perfect for both beginning and more accomplished writers who are looking to get the leading edge on writing a romance novel and get it published. Leslie Wainger, Executive Editor at Harlequin Books, explains what it takes to become the next Nora Roberts, providing the techniques you need to: Select a pseudonym Write a compelling, heartfelt story Find the right agent and publisher Submit a manuscript Market your novel Join clubs and associations Packed with insider advice, this plain-English guide helps you grasp the building blocks of a great romance, providing practical tips on the craft of writing as well as savvy pointers on how to hook your reader from page one, write with passion, and shape a proposal that will wow agents and editors. You get lots of expert tips on analyzing the marketplace, creating compelling characters, and finding your own voice. Wainger also: Demystifies the sub-genres of the romance world, from historical, contemporary, and multicultural to paranormal, romantic suspense, and Christian/inspirational Explains plotting, pacing, and writing those crucial love scenes Discusses how to conduct research, assign credits, and get permissions Helps you decide whether itâs best to write alone or with a partner Complete with a manuscript preparation checklist, tips for revising your work smoothly and successfully, guidance in understanding and negotiating a contract, and a list of romance writing resources, Writing A Romance Novel For Dummies is your one-stop guide to becoming a published novelist!
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The Chicago Manual of Style
by University of Chicago. Press
Provides information on manuscript preparation, punctuation, spelling, quotations, captions, tables, abbreviations, references, bibliographies, notes, and indexes, with sections on journals and electronic media.
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The Chicago Manual of Style
by University of Chicago. Press
Online version of 16th print ed., 2010. Also includes access to Chicago Style Q&A, Chicago-Style citation quick guide, and the 16th print ed.
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The Power Of Point Of View
by Alicia Rasley
Every Character Has a Voice Point of view isn't just an element of storytellingâwhen chosen carefully and employed consistently in a work of fiction, it is the foundation of a captivating story. It's the character voice you can hear as clearly as your own. It's the unique worldview that intrigues readersâpersuading them to empathize with your characters and invest in their tale. It's the masterful concealing and revealing of detail that keeps pages turning and plots fresh. It's the hidden agenda that makes narrators complicated and compelling. It's also something most writers struggle to understand. In The Power of Point of View, RITA Award-winning author Alicia Rasley first teaches you the fundamentals of point of view (POV)âwho is speaking, why, and what options work best within the conventions of your chosen genre. Then, she takes you deeper to explain how POV functions as a crucial piece of your storyâsomething that ultimately shapes and drives character, plot, and every other component of your fiction. Through comprehensive instruction and engaging exercises, you'll learn how to: choose a point of view that enhances your characters and plots and encourages reader involvement navigate the levels of a character's point of view, from objective viewing to action to emotion craft unusual perspectives, including children, animal narrators, and villains A story changes depending on who's telling it, and The Power of Point of View will help you determine which of your characters can make your story come to life.
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Manuscript Makeover
by Elizabeth Lyon
Professional editor and author Elizabeth Lyon offers aspiring novelists the guidance and instruction they need to write and edit well-crafted and compelling stories that will stand out from the competition and attract the attention of agents and publishers, including: - Stand-out style techniques, from accessing an authentic voice to applying techniques of "wordsmithing" that transform prose - How to rewrite characterization for dimensionality, a universal need, and theme - Adjustment suggestions to match the prose style and structure of specific genres - Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style - Strategies to strengthen story beginnings and endings - Methods for increasing plot stakes, creating movement, and adjusting pace for maximum suspense
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Walking on Alligators
by Susan Shaughnessy
A daily motivator for people who write--and for all those who long to write--providing an insistent wake-up call for the creative urge, with insights on how to work against resistance, live with the loneliness, develop discipline, and dare to take deeper risks in their work.
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Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition
by Renni Browne
Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories. In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.
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How to Grow a Novel
by Sol Stein
"This book offers guidelines and warnings of special value for nonficiton writers who want to move into fiction"--Jacket.
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Techniques of the Selling Writer
by Dwight V. Swain
Techniques of the Selling Writer provides solid instruction for people who want to write and sell fiction, not just to talk and study about it. It gives the background, insights, and specific procedures needed by all beginning writers. Here one can learn how to group words into copy that moves, movement into scenes, and scenes into stories; how to develop characters, how to revise and polish, and finally, how to sell the product. No one can teach talent, but the practical skills of the professional writer's craft can certainly be taught. The correct and imaginative use of these kills can shorten any beginner's apprenticeship by years. This is the book for writers who want to turn rejection slips into cashable checks.
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Bird by Bird
by Anne Lamott
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ⢠An essential volume for generations of writers young and old. The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this modern classic will continue to spark creative minds for years to come. Anne Lamott is "a warm, generous, and hilarious guide through the writerâs world and its treacherous swamps" (Los Angeles Times). âSuperb writing adviceâŚ. Hilarious, helpful, and provocative.â âThe New York Times Book Review For a quarter century, more than a million readersâscribes and scribblers of all ages and abilitiesâhave been inspired by Anne Lamottâs hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anneâs fatherâalso a writerâin the iconic passage that gives the book its title: âThirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that heâd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brotherâs shoulder, and said, âBird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.ââ
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The Screenwriter's Bible
by David Trottier
Trottier, a script consultant, writer, producer and instructor, describes this resource as six self-contained books in one. They cover screenwriting essentials, an overview of the writing process, formatting standards, speculative scripts, marketing, and a compilation of resources. The resources include addresses and contacts for industry organizations, guilds, schools, publications, support groups and contests.
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The Writer's Journey
by Christopher Vogler
In the second edition of "The Writers Journey," Vogler asserts that "all stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies." The updated edition further explores this concept to inspire a new generation of screenwriters with fresh insights on creating great stories.
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Writing Down the Bones
by Natalie Goldberg
Offers advice on writing creatively, discusses the importance of discipline, and suggests writing exercises.
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Elements of Fiction Writing - Beginnings, Middles & Ends
by Nancy Kress
Get your stories off to a roaring start. Keep them tight and crisp throughout. Conclude them with a wallop. Is the story or novel you've been carrying around in your head the same one you see on the page? Or does the dialogue suddenly sound flat and predictable? Do the events seem to ramble? Translating a flash of inspiration into a compelling story requires careful crafting. The words you choose, how you describe characters, and the way you orchestrate conflict all make the differenceâthe difference between a story that is slow to begin, flounders midway, or trails off at the endâand one that holds the interest of readers and editors to the final page. By demonstrating effective solutions for potential problems at each stage of your story, Nancy Kress will help you... hook the editor on the first three paragraphs makeâand keepâyour story's "implicit promise" build drama and credibility by controlling your prose Dozens of exercises help you strengthen your short story or novel. Plus, you'll sharpen skills and gain new insight into... the price a writer pays for flashbacks six ways characters should "reveal" themselves techniques for writingâand rewriting Let this working resource be your guide to successful storiesâfrom beginning to end.