How many of you have bought a book to help you write? At a young age, I began buying books, hoping that by reading them, would help me along in my writing journey. To this day, I cannot even begin to count how many of these books I have collected.
As some of you know, I seriously begun writing in March, and am proud of the accomplishments I have made. Over the past six month, I have learned A LOT, but I can’t say I’ve done it all alone. The classes that I have and am taking at Gotham Writers’ Workshop, have taught me so much about my writing life, and about myself. During this time, a few books are to be given credit for. They are as follows:
(1) Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Oxford-American-Writers-Thesaurus/Oxford-University-Press-Staff/e/9780195342840/?itm=21&USRI=thesaurus
I have had many thesauruses, but I really think the title says, “…Writer’s Thesaurus.” In this book, there is every word that a writer would possibly use. This book is very concise, direct, and easy to understand. The synonyms that are suggested, can be very usable in any way that author wants. I do prefer book thesauruses because you can be searching for one word, but then see another word, which can give you another idea…and so on. As for an internet thesaurus, http://thesaurus.com/, this is another source I use.
(2) See Jane Write: A Girl’s Guide to Writing Chick Lit, http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=see+jane+write
I am only a quarter through this book, but I already love it. If you’re a woman who wants to write a Chick Lit, this book is for you! (And no, I’m not joking). When you first pick this book up, you plan on it being one of the do this, do that, and you’re published, but no…this book will test you to see if you are really Chick Lit writer material, and then explains on why you want to write a book like this. As the book continues, it will guide you step-by-step, on how to write your book — dealing character descriptions, style, with writer’s block, working on personal deadlines, editing, and the manuscript submission process). The two women who wrote this book, Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs are two smart ladies who know what they are talking about!
(3) On Writing Romance: How to Craft a Novel That Sells, http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Romance-Craft-Novel-Sells/dp/1582974365
Ahh…Leigh Michaels’ book…It’s absolutely brilliant! I have taken two of Leigh’s classes, thanks again to GWW, and am about to start my third. I owe everything I’ve learned about Romance Writing to her. She is a brilliant wave of information, but no only that, she’s like a lighthouse, who asks you questions, and you find the answer. She lets you write your story, but gives and helps you write what needs to be told. Through the an classes we will learn even more — it’s like she’s with you every step of the way, during your journey. Her book answers your questions, and will help you in any way gain all the knowledge to help you write your perfect Romance book.
