Heya! So I've been brainstorming blog posts for Wednesday's and strangely enough almost all of them are list posts. I love lists. I brainstorm for characters and plots through writing out lists. I make mental checklists for my day and I think the best when I list things. It's nice and organized and easy to understand. So I guess this is just a heads up because I have lots of lists planned.
First though, a quick writing update. I was beyond happy yesterday when I finished my vampire hunter work in progress. That's a whole other post for another day but I have never been so happy with a book in my life. My characters are great, my plot is great, it's all great (if I do say so myself.) And! I sent out Weapon Icean to the editor last week! Which as you can tell by all the exclamation points that I am super, super excited about! She said it'll take her till August but I'm willing to wait. I think that's all for now. So onto the list!
I have tons of resource books for writers that I always go to when I need help along with several blog posts on the Go Teen Writer's blog. But I want to share the top five of my favorite resource books that I have helped me since square one and I hope they can help you to. Whether your a new writer, just figuring out your craft and your writerly self or a published professional or if your somewhere in between like me. So here they are:
This was actually the first craft book I ever bought or read. It changed the way I wrote and who I was as a writer and in a weird way sort of made me the writer am today. This book made me take my writing serious and pushed me to the next level. I took everything Mary Kole said in this book very seriously and at first followed the "rules" she had outlined in this book but as I became more comfortable in my writing life began to turn those rules into guidelines and then made them all my own. So if you have no idea about the Middle Grade/Young Adult genres. Like no idea how many words they should be, what's selling, how to even write a proper MG or YA novel I suggest you pick it up because it was beyond helpful.
This is probably the second book I bought and read about the craft of writing. I also took everything James said in this book very seriously. I inhaled his guidelines and his information and helpful tips. This book also helped me to become the writer I am today. The only reason I know anything about writing at all, about plot or the structure of a book to begin with is because of this book and Mary Kole's book.
Stephanie and Jill gave me the confidence I needed as a teen writer. I still am a teen writer but I don't let my age define me anymore in my writing. Just because I'm eighteen doesn't mean I can't take myself seriously as a writer. It doesn't mean I can't be profession about my writing and it doesn't mean I can't get published. I learned so much, not only about writing but also about the publication business, from this book. And when I found out they had a blog for teen writers? I just about died and then inhaled every blog post they have ever written. It is to this day the most helpful blog for writers I have ever come across. You don't even have to be a teen writer to benefit from this book or their blog.
I got this book a few years ago and I have gone back to it for references since. It is one of the most helpful books I own and I use it and reference it more than I do any of the other writing craft books I have. I would really like to get some of the other books Ackerman and Puglisi have come out with but I am happy with this one for now.
This book is for all the worldbuilders out there. It is the ultimate resource guide for worldbuilding. It has everything from map-making to extensive lists of genres and slang. I read through it in about two days, soaking it all in and feeling the need to create a whole other planet. If you're writing a fantasy novel and feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to build a fake religion or entire civilizations to populate your world I suggest you get this book. It is so helpful and has great examples and tips on worldbuilding.
While making this list I realized that I really only have five craft books that I go to on a regular basis for help. I'll need to fix that but until then I hope these five help you in your writing career as much as they've helped me over the years. Have a great week!
First though, a quick writing update. I was beyond happy yesterday when I finished my vampire hunter work in progress. That's a whole other post for another day but I have never been so happy with a book in my life. My characters are great, my plot is great, it's all great (if I do say so myself.) And! I sent out Weapon Icean to the editor last week! Which as you can tell by all the exclamation points that I am super, super excited about! She said it'll take her till August but I'm willing to wait. I think that's all for now. So onto the list!
I have tons of resource books for writers that I always go to when I need help along with several blog posts on the Go Teen Writer's blog. But I want to share the top five of my favorite resource books that I have helped me since square one and I hope they can help you to. Whether your a new writer, just figuring out your craft and your writerly self or a published professional or if your somewhere in between like me. So here they are:
- Writing Irresistible KidLit by Mary Kole:
- Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell:
This is probably the second book I bought and read about the craft of writing. I also took everything James said in this book very seriously. I inhaled his guidelines and his information and helpful tips. This book also helped me to become the writer I am today. The only reason I know anything about writing at all, about plot or the structure of a book to begin with is because of this book and Mary Kole's book.
- Go Teen Writers by Stephanie Morril and Jill Williamson:
Stephanie and Jill gave me the confidence I needed as a teen writer. I still am a teen writer but I don't let my age define me anymore in my writing. Just because I'm eighteen doesn't mean I can't take myself seriously as a writer. It doesn't mean I can't be profession about my writing and it doesn't mean I can't get published. I learned so much, not only about writing but also about the publication business, from this book. And when I found out they had a blog for teen writers? I just about died and then inhaled every blog post they have ever written. It is to this day the most helpful blog for writers I have ever come across. You don't even have to be a teen writer to benefit from this book or their blog.
- The Emotional Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi:
I got this book a few years ago and I have gone back to it for references since. It is one of the most helpful books I own and I use it and reference it more than I do any of the other writing craft books I have. I would really like to get some of the other books Ackerman and Puglisi have come out with but I am happy with this one for now.
- Storyworld First by Stephanie Williamson:
This book is for all the worldbuilders out there. It is the ultimate resource guide for worldbuilding. It has everything from map-making to extensive lists of genres and slang. I read through it in about two days, soaking it all in and feeling the need to create a whole other planet. If you're writing a fantasy novel and feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to build a fake religion or entire civilizations to populate your world I suggest you get this book. It is so helpful and has great examples and tips on worldbuilding.
While making this list I realized that I really only have five craft books that I go to on a regular basis for help. I'll need to fix that but until then I hope these five help you in your writing career as much as they've helped me over the years. Have a great week!
What are some of your favorite craft books? What books have influenced you as a writer over the years?
Comments
Post a Comment