Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who offered words of advice to my post last week, Do I Really Need A Creative Writing Qualification? Your views kind of confirmed what i already knew deep down…i don’t need one, as such, but if i ever wanted to teach creative writing it would be a good idea. Other than that i could probably get what I’m looking for in other courses but i still think it would look good on my CV 😉
So i’ll do what i normally do with these types of quandaries…i’ll stick it on the top shelf, let it gather dust for a bit then take it down in about a years time when I’m spring cleaning *sniggers*
In the meantime, I’m trying to move forward…
Thanks to DayDreaming In Words i ordered the OU books and rummaged through my collection of Creative Writing books in search of something i could “study” until they arrived.
And i came across this baby on my shelf…
I have so many books on creative writing, i think its about time i started reading them lol. I need to set aside some time every day to work on my writing. I can’t sit here and moan that my writing is crap all the time. Like anything in life, if you want to be better at it you have to study, work and learn 🙂
So i’ll spend some time going through this book before i start the OU ones (because they look scary! lol) and see just how hard easy it is to “study” Creative Writing on your own.
I will of course share any golden nuggets of information or pure flashes of genius as and when i come across them 😉
And now…im going in…wish me luck!
Because i really don’t need any more Creative Writing books (but i love them anyway) is there a book you’ve worked through that you thought really helped you? Recommend me a book on Creative Writing 🙂
The View Outside 
Scarlet Thomas Monkeys With Typewriters is THE writing book for me. I also have that exact workbook on my book shelf and I’ve never read it either 🙂 We should start our own online workgroup and go through the exercises together 😉
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Thanks Jo :o)
I have the Scarlet Thomas one…bought it up London when i was doing the Faber course…havent even read the first page lol….will bump it up the list 😉
Ha ha ha, now theres an idea 😉
xx
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I to have that on my shelf. I think I’ve worked through the beginning bit.
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Can you remember what you thought Rachel?
xx
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Sorry! It was a while ago. I remember getting it as it was a course book for the OU. I’ll try and dig it out and refresh my memory. I certainly didn’t finish it.
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Thanks for the mention 🙂 I hope you enjoy the books. I found I enjoyed working with the advanced book more than the “big red book”, or brb as it became known. Let us know what you think!
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No, thank you for the recommendations 🙂
Oh, i definitely will honey xx
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I also have dozens of writing books on my bookshelf. The most helpful one is the one I bought first – Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. Fabulous. And actually, I used it when I began teaching creative writing over 20 years ago. I found that teaching creative writing helps my own writing tremendously. Good luck to you!
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Ahhh, yes, I’ve read that one. i LOVE Natalie Goldberg, and although she gets you writing i don’t think i really learnt anything.
Thanks Pam 🙂 xx
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don’t use writing books I learn from other writers. right now I’m into micro fiction – what better way than to avoid writing longer pieces. I just wrote my first zombie piece through a fantastic group of writers
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Thanks Sue,
Im not sure “how” to learn from other writers? Read their work and try to emulate do you mean?
Go you! xx
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My absolute favourite is Priscilla Long’s ‘The Writer’s Portable Mentor’ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writers-Portable-Mentor-Guide-Writing/dp/0984242104/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401205414&sr=1-3&keywords=priscilla+long
Another long time favourite is ‘Writing for your life’ by Deena Metzger – the first and the best! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Your-Life-Discovering-Journey/dp/0062506129/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1401205499&sr=8-1
I highly recommend both of these books! 🙂
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Ooooo, thanks Edith, both of those are new to me and will be going on my wish list 🙂
xx
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I have several good books about writing – but I’m not sure you need any more! As you’ve said, you need to read the ones you have and then act on them.
So there.
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Thanks Patsy, you are so right! lol…but what if the books i have are the crap ones, so nerr lol 😉 xx
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Oh how many great books on writing, creative and otherwise, I have on my shelf. Yes do share those nuggets. You have a knack with sharing nuggets well. Thanks Vikki. Maria @ http://delightdirectedliving.blogspot.com/
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Thanks Maria 🙂
Im on page 39 and so far I’ve not been blown away by anything *sighs*
xx
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Ok. Without going crazy … here are my faves: Natalie Goldberg: Writing Down the Bones Wild Mind. Julia Cameron: The Right to Write. Heather Sellers: Page After Page and Chapter after Chapter. Jane Yolen: Take Joy. Ursula K. LeGuin: The Wave in the Mind. Donald Maass: Writing the Breakout Novel and The Fire in Fiction. Roz Morris: Nail Your Novel series. K.M. Weiland: Outlining your Novel and Sturcturing your Novel. I think I’ll stop there.
Have fun!
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Wow…thanks honey!
Ive read both the Natalie Goldbergs, own the Julia Cameron one AND one of the Roz Morris…will bump those up the pile 🙂
My Amazon wish list is taking a hammering today lol
xx
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two shelves of ‘how to write’ books, and yes, the one you showed is amongst them…I don’t think I’ve really read it, I tend to skim when looking for an answer to a question…
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Not sure you would really glean anything insightful from this one though Bridgina…but I’m reserving judgement until I’ve finished 🙂
Xx
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Hi Vikki ~
I highly recommend “Blockbuster Plots Pure & Simple: Take the Panic Out of Plot” by Martha Alderson. Martha has a big fancy publishing contract now, but this is from her early days and is the absolute simplest way I’ve found to understand plot. When she was young, she had difficulty with structure, so she studied fiction and then nonfiction and identified the universal pattern of structure. Some people don’t take the book seriously because it looks self-published; big mistake. Ignore the look and soak up the words.
She appears at writers conferences, workshops and retreats all over the states (not sure if she’s gone overseas yet). She has worked with everyone from bestselling authors to Hollywood directors. Lucky for me, she’s local – down the road a bit in Santa Cruz (California). I saw her at a conference once and she explained structure so thoroughly I went on to read her book. Then I paid for a two-hour phone session with her, went to several of her workshops and two retreats. I learn something new from her every time. Over the years, she and I have become good friends so I’m a bit biased, but I don’t think unreasonably so. 🙂
The first book published under her contract, “The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master,” is an extension of the book I mentioned above. I have bought it several times as gifts for other writers. Martha has several other writing books as well; you can see most of them on her Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/479113.Martha_Alderson
I’ll get off my soapbox now. 🙂
Sara from NanoKent
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Ive heard of The Plot Whisperer, thanks Sara….will be adding to my wish list 🙂
xx
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Even thou I don’t write stories, I do wonder if I should take some sort of writing course to help with my journaling, I suppose you could say it’s the story of my life and I want to make it stand out more on the page. I do envy your creative brain and pen skill 😀 xxx
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Have you thought about doing a course on Life Writing/Memoir Sam?
xx
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I didn’t realise they did courses like that! How exciting 🙂 will gave to check that one out. Thank you xxx
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You’re welcome honey, good luck xx
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