WRITERS ON WRITING By Angela G. Slevin

 

Sometimes, a writer needs a break from writing. Even though writers love it, any job can become a grind now and then. How do other writers keep at it, year after year, book after book? These three books on writing have given me back some pep in my writing step, along with good advice and tools that I hadn’t thought about in a while.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King stands out to me right from the start. It has a first, second and third foreword, which is unusual, and although I don’t read forewords, that piqued my curiosity. As I skimmed the shorter ones, I read, “This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit.” What?! I was disarmed by this honesty. And I felt like I was being dared to continue reading, just to prove Steve wrong, so of course I had to continue.

Steve is very honest about his upbringing, and he leaves it all laid bare for us. I think modern kids would be very surprised by his world. He shares how the still developing film industry shaped him, how his natural curiosity combined with his brother, a willing cohort, led him to unexpected adventures, and the experiences that are the foundations of his novels, like Carrie and The Stand. I’m not a raving fan of Steve’s, finding horror too disturbing for my taste. There were a number of times as I was reading that I thought to myself, Well, that explains it! It was definitely a good read.

James N. Frey’s How to Write a Damn Good Mystery was not only great as a how-to guide, but had me laughing out loud. I had initially checked it out of the public library, but after reading some of it, I had to have one of my own. James writes, “Creating a mystery is an adventure and should be done in the spirit of adventure. That stuff about writers staring at blank pages until blood comes out of their foreheads is a lot of bunk. Bloody foreheads are for literary writers. For mystery writers, the creative process ought to be, well… fun. Making up interesting characters and fictional towns….and contemplating murder and how to get away with it – murdering people who resemble your loutish ex-spouse, your cranky boss, your nasty mother-in-law – what could be more fun than that?”

In addition to covering the foundational elements of a good mystery novel, including setting, atmosphere, and tone, James discusses the importance of creating a strong opening that grabs the reader and sets the stage for the rest of the story.

Something I really enjoyed and found very useful was a section called The Birth of a Murderer, which describes how to create the villain of the story. I think this was the first time I took my focus off creating the hero of a tale. It stands to reason, though, that a hero can’t be relatable and admirable if they have only minor bad guys to create problems.

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody is my favorite right now. The title of the book is based on a tactic used in screenwriting where a character does something likable or endearing that makes the audience root for them, like "saving the cat.” Bam! Instant reader connection to that character, which is essential to making a novel successful.  Save the Cat! Writes a Novel was recommended by our own author Carrie Ann Knox, who has published two exciting cozy novels in her Sonic Sleuths series called Impulse Spy and No Feign No Gain. Check them out at her website: https://www.carrieannknox.com/.

Jessica covers topics such as creating a strong premise, developing memorable characters, constructing a compelling plot, and writing effective scenes. There are 10 different novels analyzed as genres that can help you figure out where your story falls, and how to continue writing it. I have marked up this book a lot: underlining, flagging with sticky notes, dog-earing the page, highlighting, and even writing in the book to note moments of genius for my own novel in progress. The author also includes a number of helpful exercises and worksheets to guide writers through the process of creating their own novel. There are also charts, tables and online resources if you want to print aids to work on the wall in your space.

These books on writing will spark your imagination and inspire greater creativity, while sharing proven methods to make your story stand out.