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I've listed my favorite books
and resources pertaining to the craft of writing. If this is
your passion, best wishes on your journey!
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
On Writing, by Stephen King. This is the only book by
King that I've read and I loved it! We originally checked
the audio CD version out of our library. King narrates and I
think he missed his calling--the man is a genius! From the
humorous and heart-wrenching tales of his childhood and
early-career to solid writing advice, this book is highly
recommended.
The First Five Pages,
by Noah Lukeman. An excellent overview of common mistakes
fiction writers make and suggestions on how to avoid them.
Writing the Fiction
Synopsis, by Pam McCutcheon. Easy to read, brief book,
but chock full of helpful information on writing that most
dreaded foe...the synopsis!
GMC, by Debra Dixon.
Considered the authority on mastering GMC, this was one book
that set on my shelves far too long before I analyzed the
valuable information it contains.
OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION
Articles by author Lorraine Heath. I learned a
tremendous amount after completing my first two manuscripts
then taking the time to read Lorraine's great articles on
writing and editing. After applying the knowledge learned,
my stories improved dramatically.
Identifying weak words macro
from author Vanessa Grant. Vanessa's book, Writing
Romance, is one of the first I bought and I've scoured
through it many times, leaving the pages dog-eared and
highlighted. One of the things Vanessa stresses is quality
self-editing. To that end, she's graciously posted a "weak
words" macro that you can download from her site, Muse
Creations. It highlights weak words (down, back, very,
almost, etc.) in red, allowing you to spot them easier when
editing your work. Additionally, you can modify the macro to
highlight your own weak words...for me it was: Surprise! I
had "surprise" repeated three or four times a page in my
first manuscript. >^..^<
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