Debut Author Interviews

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

• Sarah Aronson on...Self-Help Books
• Marlane Kennedy on...Self-Help Books
• Thatcher Heldring on...Self-Help Books
• Joni Sensel on...Self-Help Books
• Julie Bowe on...Self-Help Books
• Carrie Jones on...Self-Help Books
• A.C.E. Bauer on...Self-Help Books
• Melissa Marr on...Self-Help Books
• Heather Tomlinson on...Self-Help Books
• Sarah Beth Durst on...Self-Help Books
• Rebecca Stead on...Self-Help Books
• Karen Day on...Self-Help Books
• Eric Luper on...Self-Help Books
• Jeannine Garsee on...Self-Help Books
• Laura Bowers on...Self-Help Books
• Sara Zarr on...Self-Help Books
• Kelly Bingham on...Self-Help Books
• Rosemary Clement-Moore on...Self-Help Books

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

Robert Olen Butler, FROM WHERE YOU DREAM The chapter on Cinema of the Mind is a must read—especially if you are having trouble with pacing, scene structure, and POV. The chapter called Yearning is one I also reread.

Janet Burroway, WRITING FICTION A Book every Writer should own.

John Gardner, THE ART OF FICTION He coined the phrase, psychic distance.

I just picked up Francine Prose’s READING LIKE A WRITER. It was highly recommended by reliable friends!

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

Stephen King’s ON WRITING. Not only does it give great writing tips, but it’s a fascinating read that offers an intimate look into his personal life.

I also found CHILDREN’S WRITER’S AND ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET to be a big help when I was first learning about the publishing industry. And though no longer a novice, I still enjoy reading each new edition.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

Two of the writing books I like a lot are The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri. One thought I came away with after reading Campbell was that we use formulaic as a very pejorative word when I think what we mean to say is stale. The mythic structure has been around for a long, long time so what’s the harm in using it as a guide? Nobody likes Star Wars any less just because Lucas followed the hero quest page-by-page, right? The other book deals with conflict and motive, is much shorter, and I recommend it very much. Oh, one more thing. After I finished The Power of Myth, I picked up a book called The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using The Power of Myth. It basically translated Myth into English. I recommend this book, too.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing

And I refer CONSTANTLY to a book called Wicked Words (swear words, insults, etc.) by Hugh Rawson and a Dictionary of Symbols by Carl Liungman.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott has long been helpful to me in writing and, as a bonus, living.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

IMPROV WISDOM by Patricia Ryan Madson.

I used it for my graduate lecture and although it’s about improv, every single maxim applies to writing.

I adore her. She is wise and brilliant.

I also bought CHILDREN’S WRITER’S AND ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET and studied it.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

Like Julie, I’m a big fan of BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott.

But my favorite pieces about writing are on John Scalzi’s blog, WHATEVER. Here’s a link to one of his columns, “10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing,” http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/004175.html. Priceless advice.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

Aside from bits of Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life (which I had to read in college) & a few grammar books, I’ve not read any author help books. I had fears that they would interfere with my process, so I refuse to read them. I like Dillard’s book though and still thumb through it. She has some very lovely lines & insights.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

I enjoyed Elizabeth George’s book Write Away: One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life, especially her discussion about developing characters.

Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King has some great tips for critically reading your drafts.

A new book geared for younger writers is Gail Carson Levine’s Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly, which is also an interesting look at a writer’s creative process.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

This is extremely geeky of me, but at age ten, when I decided to be a writer, one of the first things that I did was trot over to the library and take out every how-to-write book that I could find. I also subscribed to Writer’s Digest magazine and began writing my first story, an epic that was basically Wizard of Oz meets G.I. Joe. Anyway, I have read about a gazillion how-to-write books over the years. Here are a few of my favorites:

BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott (best writing book ever — it’s hilarious and encouraging)
ON WRITING by Stephen King (fascinating “behind the scenes” glimpse into how Stephen King became Stephen King, plus useful writing tips)
THE TOUGH GUIDE TO FANTASYLAND by Diana Wynne Jones (this book skewers every fantasy cliche out there — essential reading for fantasy writers)
TELLING LIES FOR FUN AND PROFIT by Lawrence Block (a compilation of many of his Writer’s Digest columns — funny and useful)
CHARACTERS & VIEWPOINT by Orson Scott Card (one of the few books out there that focus on a specific aspect of the writing craft)
THE CAREER NOVELIST by Donald Maass (a practical look at the business of becoming a working writer)

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird”: a truthful book about writing that made me laugh out loud (a lot). Now if only David Sedaris would write a book about writing…

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

The best thing I ever did for my writing was to read everything I could. I went back to school, got an MA in English literature, and finished course work and exams for a PhD. One of my teachers was this crusty old guy named Dr. Bruner. He was tall and hulking with thick black framed glasses and a deep voice and he terrified me and everyone else. He taught romantic poetry. Our class met once a week, for four hours, and many days we’d spend the entire time going over one poem. He taught me that every word in a poem has to mean something — and often it has multiple meanings. He also taught me this phrase — thematic penetration. Meaning that the theme or the themes in a text should penetrate everything you write — from conversations to descriptions. I try to never forget those two things when I write. I know I should read some self-help books — everything helps! But I find myself drawn back to poetry from time to time, just to remind myself.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

From my experience there are two kinds of books about writing. The first is about craft. The other is motivational.

The craft books I like include On Writing by Stephen King and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. If you want to learn to write in a way that will get people to perk up and take notice, both of these books are essential reads. In fact, consider buying them. On Writing has a great CD version read by the author and I love to listen to it in the car. Another good one is Write Away by Elizabeth George. Another one I like is Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maas.

I will admit that I have a tendency to glaze over when I read motivational writing books. As I read them, I hear a little voice in my head that tells me to stop reading a book about how to get motivated to write a book and just go and write one. However, books that have been of use to me over the years have been Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

The Forest for the Trees: an Editor’s Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner—I LOVE this book because it’s soo on the mark. And of course, King’s On Writing which I’ve probably read two or three times.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

I have to confess that I have a shelf-full of unread writing and author-help books. But three books I have read and enjoyed are ON WRITING, by Steven King, IF YOU CAN TALK, YOU CAN WRITE, by Joel Saltzman, and CREATING CHARACTERS KIDS WILL LOVE, by Elaine Marie Alphin.

Although it’s not a book, one of the most useful tools I’ve ever found is the “Snowflake Method,” found on Ron Singermanson’s website:

http://www.rsingermanson.com/html/the_snowflake.html

This is an excellent plotting aide, and a quick read for folks like me who don’t have the patience to get through a whole book!

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

As many others have mentioned, BIRD BY BIRD is great. I’m also a fan of Ralph Keyes’ THE COURAGE TO WRITE, which is a great (and often funny) look at dealing with fear. Dorothea Brande’s 1934 BECOMING A WRITER is still totally relevant, as are Flannery O’Connor’s essays on writing collected in MYSTERY & MANNERS. I especially recommend the O’Connor essays for anyone coming from a Christian worldview and trying to figure out if/how/why that worldview fits in with writing fiction. My favorite technical reference for those grammar questions you never remember is WOE IS I by Patricia T. O’Connor. How about magazines? POETS & WRITERS is great—-inspiring and a good resource. They never have much to say about those who write for young readers, but ultimately good writing is good writing and every issue has a lot of information on literary markets, grants, retreats and workshops.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

How To Write A Children’s Book And Get it Published, by Barbara Seuling, and Writing Books For Young People, by James Cross Giblin. Both were instrumental tools of knowledge when I started out, and I still turn to them from time to time for a refresher course. Also when I first began submitting, Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market was very helpful.

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler and James N. Frey’s How to Write a Damn Good Novel (one and two) are excellent. Those books speak to the way I construct the movie in my head and help me get it down on paper… if I can say that without sounding too crazy.

And Writer’s Digest has this “Howdunit Series” of books geared for mystery writers—quick references on things like poisons, firearms, forensics and crime scene investigation. It doesn’t sound like one would use these much in a YA, but its darn handy to be able to grab a book and find out what you can do to a character to put them in the hospital without actually killing them.