What I'm Reading To Improve My Writing

 

What can you do to improve your writing except write until you have carpal tunnel, read fiction and read books about the craft? Classes, critique groups, and a lot of other "writerly" stuff I'll explore another time.  

 

I have a stack of writing books I've read about improving your writing skills that I intend to post one day. I'm sure they're some of the same ones most new writers are reading. I decided to concentrate on college-level textbooks now instead of the how-to-be-a-writer kind of books I've been reading. The one I'm reading at the moment, Writing Fiction, 8^th Edition by Janet Burroway, I'm happy with. It's not that long but has some good overall writing advice and a lot of examples which I need. It's specifically for literary fiction but applicable to genre writing as well.

Next book on my list which is probably very similar to Burroway's is The Story and Its Writer, 8th Edition, by Ann Charters. I haven't ordered it yet but I intend to in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

 

Editing and the Newbie Writer

I just got my manuscript, Seductive Thesis, back from its first round of editing. Was it worth the money? Editing in general is definitely worth every penny if you get a good editor. But when you're a new writer, how do you know you're getting your money's worth? I guess only time will tell.

Instead of choosing amongst the dizzying number of freelance editors, I chose to go with CreateSpace. Yes, I've read the good and not so good reviews of their services. In the end I selected them because I felt that I would receive, at the very least, decent standard service. At some point, I will try a freelancer.

As I expected, the bulk of the line-edits and comments that I got from my editor were related to style (Chicago Manual of Style).  Of course there were a few high-level comments that I'll be wrestling with over the next week or so, then I'll get another round of editing--more money. Hopefully, it'll be in better shape next round.

I'm still on track to get this published by the end of March, 2104.

Entering Writing Contests

One of my New Year's writing resolutions  is to enter one writing contest. Since I'm new writer, I hadn't heard of Amazon's ABNA contest.  Until about a month ago, too late for me. I have some finished stories but none of them are suitable.  The one that I want to enter, a hybrid YA fantasy,  is unfinished.  I might submit  it next year. It'll take me that long to get a clean draft and have it edited. 

 In the meantime, I'll have to find another contest to enter  by the end of the year.  
:)

What to read on learning to how to write

For the past year, I've been struggling to improve my writing skills and I've gotten better, but I'm still not satisfied with the stories that I've written so far. When I wrote my first short story, a 40K YA romance, I didn't know anything and I hadn't read many books on the craft of writing. Months later, I've read a lot more more books and written thousands of words.

I have three drafts of romances: two contemporary and one YA. Another two unfinished drafts of about 16K each. I've read read approx. twenty-five random books on the craft of writing fiction. Most of them had some useful information. The books that I liked the best, at the moment, are:

• On Writing by Stephen King
• Revision and Self-Editing for Publication by James Scott Bell
• The Well-Crafted Sentence by Nora Bacon

What writing books have you new writers or authors found most helpful?

Back to writing or editing

It's been a long time but I'm getting back to posting once a week.

I haven't touched my story, Requited Love, in a month. Not sure if it'll ever see the light of day but I'm editing it this week. I did start another shorter story, a contemporary romance that I hope to send to an editor in two weeks. It's only about 30K.

Took most of the weekend off from writing much of anything. Back to watching Game of Thrones...

I wrote about a whopping 100 words last night. The snow just makes me want to watch a movie. I think that's what I'll do...

Well, it's been a few days since I posted. I intend posting every other day, for now. I've written very little, probably only a thousand words or so but I did read a good little book, Becoming a Writer by Dorethea Brande. One of the indie writers' blogs suggested it. It was definitely a good read. It's an oldie but still relevant and a very good pep talk for writers. I need a good technical book but it's hard to decide which one. I'm considering one of James Scott Bell's books on self-editing...