Greetings fellow wordsmiths. For those who are celebrating, Happy Labor Day. In the spirit of the American holiday devoted to work, I would like to offer a list of books I've found particularly inspiring when I am writing. So here goes ....
- "Thunder and Lightening" and "Writing Down the Bones" by Nathalie Goldberg
-"Writing the Natural Way" by Gabriele Rico
-"On Writing" by Stephen King
-"The Maeve Binchy Writer's Club" by Maeve Binchy
- "On Writing Fiction" by Tom Sawyer
-"Save the Cat" by Blake Snyder
-"Screenwriting" by Syd Field
-"On Becoming a Novelist" by John Gardner.
As you have no doubt noticed, I have chosen an eclectic mix of books that are appropriate for any writer, whether working on screenplay, poem, non-fiction, novel, or short story. I have selected these titles because they all speak to me on a deep level, which is where I feel writing should live. I'm fairly certain that few outside of Ireland would think of Maeve Binchy as a writing guru; however, her book contains generous advice and concrete ideas sure to inspire, as well as a selection of her short stories and essays.
In the same vein, I've found that screenwriting tomes are very helpful when crafting fiction. I once read that Steven Spielberg allegedly claimed that the bulk of great twentieth century storytellers gravitated toward film. I'm not sure I agree with this supposed comment; however, I do believe that screenwriting books offer advice handy to all writers.
So what is YOUR favorite book on the craft of writing? May all your September labors at the keyboard be fruitful.
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