Books on writing

[Fenster]

I got to talking with a guy on another forum about Stephen King's book On Writing, which I was actually about to go buy until this conversation. This guy recommended a book by Jack London instead.

The point is this guy said "A lot of us think we can just sit down with pen and paper and write a novel and it doesn't work like that."

Is this the case with most of you? I have several different stories in development, and two that I'm really focusing on, but there always seems to be this THING in the way. I'm wondering if maybe I should try reading about it further.

Thoughts?

 

[Doug Johnson]

The point is this guy said "A lot of us think we can just sit down with pen and paper and write a novel and it doesn't work like that."

Anyone can sit down and write a crappy novel. Lots of people do.

 

[sirmyk]

I highly recommend Stephen King's On Writing. It inspires writing.

 

[Mari]

Here are two books I always recommend:

Bird by Bird.

Stein on Writing.

They are excellent for inspiration, for walking you through the process, and for keeping your standards high.

 

[GreenKnight]

The point is this guy said "A lot of us think we can just sit down with pen and paper and write a novel and it doesn't work like that."

Is this the case with most of you?

A good analogy I read was in a book on writing by Michael Legat. 'People think they can write a novel because they have read novels. But they don't assume they can make a chair just because they have sat in a hundred different chairs.'

It is a great art to make something look easy, and good novelists manage it better than almost any other kind of artist. What could be easier - you put words on paper describing people and incidents, and you keep writing until it's 70,000 words long or thereabouts. Tiring, but simple.

No, it is a craft that you have to learn, just like playing an instrument. Just sitting down with a pen and paper is like sitting down at a piano for the first time and trying to play something. You might manage Three Blind Mice with no training, but if asked to put even simple harmonies to it...

Writers are not an 'elite group' of talented individuals, but they have all practised, for hours on end. Yes, even the atrocious ones. Perhaps it is true that anyone can write a novel. But they can't just sit down and do it, not unless they are preternaturally gifted. But I would bet that even Jane Austen had some drivel tucked away under the bed that she decided never to publish. Or, more likely, burned one cold winter's night.

Treat writing novels like learning an instrument and it is amazing how much more positive you come to feel about it.

 

[DiscoDan]

I'm not familiar with Jack London's writing book, but I can definately recommend King's book.

 

[steffee]

I can definately recommend King's book.

Definitely? Are you sure?