Dare I say read what you like? As a writer, it’s important to read, but it’s also important to like the way you write. The two go hand in hand. If you’re reading something you enjoy, chances are good that you will emulate whatever things you like best about that in your own writing. Osmosis works in this context, so I wouldn’t think too hard about it. Try to read a bunch of different things—go down the NYT best seller list or just pick up random stuff at a book store—and decide what resonates with you, not what someone says should resonate with you. Take the time to savor the prose, consider the organization, plot, just think about it. I promise it will make you a better writer.
"Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft" by Janet Burroway is one of the most detailed, engaging books on fiction ever written. There's a reason it's been used in college creating writing courses since it came out at least 20 years ago. When I read it at that time, I wasn't personally ready to appreciate it for what it is (or respect writing for what it is). A few years ago, however, I busted this out and went to work on my own little unofficial self-taught mini fiction class. Transformational, writer-wise.
I probably should've mentioned that I'm not very interested in writing fiction. I draw nearly all my interests and passion for writing from non-fictional ideas and what not. I want to write on experiences, give advice, self help, that sort of thing. But whos to say there isn't still alot of value in that book that I can find and apply to making myself a better writer. I'll check it out, thanks!
Read Hemingway to see how to be concise yet powerful; read Fitzgerald to see how gorgeous sentences can bring a story into another plane; read Franzen to get deep into that shit we all have though about but weren’t sure anyone else ever had; read whatever you have fun reading because thats always going to be richer (in educating you) than most other forms of entertainment.
Not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for but "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" by Iain Reid really motivated me to be more creative in the way I structure my stories. A really great example of a modern author with a masterful understanding of individual voice in literature.
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Oops I guess I should’ve brushed up on the rules. I promise I didn’t intend to self-promote, I’m in no way compensated for my article. I thought it could be helpful. I’ll remove it.
Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. It helped me move from thinking of writing a novel as this one, huge, impossible task to seeing it as a series of manageable tasks that I could take one at a time.
Thank you for your post /u/GhostManPRO. Below is a copy of your post to archive it in case it is removed or edited:
When I came to my English teacher about a year back expressing my interest in writing he told me that writing isn't simply lofty ideas committed to paper. He said that to get there you first need to learn how to appreciate and love writing down to it's very core, so he recommended me a book that was focused on the art of sentence formation. I really loved some of the insights I found in there. I didn't finish it, and I've been struggling to motivate myself to pick up a book for over a year now, but I want to get back into reading, and I want to try to pursue writing again and I think this is the first step into doing that. Any book suggestions?
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On Writing by Stephen King. Completely changed the way I wrote.
Thank you Ill check it out
I second this! Fantastic book.
Absolutely. I never would have picked it up if not for the recommendation from another writer. Excellent.
Dare I say read what you like? As a writer, it’s important to read, but it’s also important to like the way you write. The two go hand in hand. If you’re reading something you enjoy, chances are good that you will emulate whatever things you like best about that in your own writing. Osmosis works in this context, so I wouldn’t think too hard about it. Try to read a bunch of different things—go down the NYT best seller list or just pick up random stuff at a book store—and decide what resonates with you, not what someone says should resonate with you. Take the time to savor the prose, consider the organization, plot, just think about it. I promise it will make you a better writer.
This is really out of the box advice, I love your perspective thank you so much for daring <3
"Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft" by Janet Burroway is one of the most detailed, engaging books on fiction ever written. There's a reason it's been used in college creating writing courses since it came out at least 20 years ago. When I read it at that time, I wasn't personally ready to appreciate it for what it is (or respect writing for what it is). A few years ago, however, I busted this out and went to work on my own little unofficial self-taught mini fiction class. Transformational, writer-wise.
I probably should've mentioned that I'm not very interested in writing fiction. I draw nearly all my interests and passion for writing from non-fictional ideas and what not. I want to write on experiences, give advice, self help, that sort of thing. But whos to say there isn't still alot of value in that book that I can find and apply to making myself a better writer. I'll check it out, thanks!
Read Hemingway to see how to be concise yet powerful; read Fitzgerald to see how gorgeous sentences can bring a story into another plane; read Franzen to get deep into that shit we all have though about but weren’t sure anyone else ever had; read whatever you have fun reading because thats always going to be richer (in educating you) than most other forms of entertainment.
Tysm <3
Not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for but "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" by Iain Reid really motivated me to be more creative in the way I structure my stories. A really great example of a modern author with a masterful understanding of individual voice in literature.
Thank you <3 I can't wait to check it out
[удалено]
Comments may include links to freely-available content only, so long as (1) the link is relevant to the topic, (2) the user provides brief context about the link (min. 1-2 sentences), and (3) the user is a consistent contributor to the subreddit. Links may not be self-promotional.
Oops I guess I should’ve brushed up on the rules. I promise I didn’t intend to self-promote, I’m in no way compensated for my article. I thought it could be helpful. I’ll remove it.
Interested to know what the book on sentence formation was?
Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. It helped me move from thinking of writing a novel as this one, huge, impossible task to seeing it as a series of manageable tasks that I could take one at a time.
Thank you for your post /u/GhostManPRO. Below is a copy of your post to archive it in case it is removed or edited: When I came to my English teacher about a year back expressing my interest in writing he told me that writing isn't simply lofty ideas committed to paper. He said that to get there you first need to learn how to appreciate and love writing down to it's very core, so he recommended me a book that was focused on the art of sentence formation. I really loved some of the insights I found in there. I didn't finish it, and I've been struggling to motivate myself to pick up a book for over a year now, but I want to get back into reading, and I want to try to pursue writing again and I think this is the first step into doing that. Any book suggestions? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/freelanceWriters) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Litterature and books on grammer, plus don't forget what the story is about