Thread: On Writing books, by successful novelists

Hello all. I recently read On Writing by Stephen King and thought it was one of the best on writing books I've come across. It was the first one I read by an actual successful writer of fiction. I'm looking for more On Writing books written by successful writers of fiction. Steven Pressfield wrote the War of Art that was great too. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance. Happy Holidays!

The Art of Fiction by John Gardner
"Strunk & White" (properly titled The Elements of Style)

I am a student of fiction writing at the University of Iowa and these are currently the most taught books on writing. I have had professors recommend King's, which I should like to read, too, but the aforementioned are taught in the university setting.

I'd say that The Art of Fiction is probably more what you're looking for--Strunk & White is brief, a guide more on the mechanics of writing, giving examples of what to do and what not to do, as far as ways to write. Gardner is more of describing the fictional process, plotting, pace, all that good stuff.

AEP

Alfred, thanks for the recommendation. Funny thing is, I've had this book on my shelf for the past 2 years. When I first picked it up I couldn't follow the flow. I started reading it after your recommendation, now I wonder where its been all my life. I guess 2 years of writing and learning makes a difference. Happy holidays!

I'm not really a huge fan of reading books on how to write, because in my opinion - art should be didactic and beautiful, not entrenched with rules. I know I run a writing blog, but each article posted on it has a disclaimer.

That said, I have read "How Not to Write a Novel". In fairness to it, it was pretty funny.

Originally Posted by Fiachra

I'm not really a huge fan of reading books on how to write, because in my opinion - art should be didactic and beautiful, not entrenched with rules. I know I run a writing, but each article posted on it has a disclaimer.

I've read a few writing novels and I have to say most of them suck. There are some that present their techniques as "rules" but we all know rules are meant to be broken. If anything, they should be looked at as guidelines. And even then, it's not like you can't stray away from those and do what you want.

The only writing book that I personally thought was the absolute best is Jerry Cleavers "Immediate Fiction". Very informative book. He exposes the real issues with writing and offers techniques to overcome those obstacles. I feel he genuinely wants to help all struggling (or new) writers achieve success. I feel a lot of writing books hold back and don't discuss the real issues or real solutions. This one really shows you how a story works, why, and how to keep the reader reading. I personally found it very helpful.

I've read a ton of them too. The best help books seem to be by good writers rather than teachers. Instead of giving rules they tell you things to look out for overall. Its almost to the point of saying "This has been my experience" rather than numbers and plot points you get with blue print kind of help books. Everyone learns somehow and the more I read these books the more I realize the best way is careful reading of the great fiction. Thanks for mentioning the Jerry Cleavers, I look forward to reading it after The Art of Fiction.

Originally Posted by Keif

I've read a ton of them too. The best help books seem to be by good writers rather than teachers. Instead of giving rules they tell you things to look out for overall. Its almost to the point of saying "This has been my experience" rather than numbers and plot points you get with blue print kind of help books. Everyone learns somehow and the more I read these books the more I realize the best way is careful reading of the great fiction. Thanks for mentioning the Jerry Cleavers, I look forward to reading it after The Art of Fiction.

Exactly. And no problem!