From One Writer to Another
Daniel Gonzalez // Blog Writer
As a Writing, Literature, and Publishing major, I’m constantly writing, whether for fun or because the vast majority of my classes (all of them) require it on a regular basis, and at some point you start needing more advice than just from the three friends that you let read your work and your professor. Not to mention you just end up running out of ideas.
There are plenty of books out there dedicated to helping writers, both new and old. Here are three of my personal favorites:
- Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
This book is amazing when you don’t have anything to write about. It has a solid amount of writing prompts and tips on how you can apply them to your writing as a whole. It also contains chapters dedicated to simply giving advice. The chapters are small and specific, focusing on one aspect of writing at a time.
Goldberg seems to aim at trying to get people to write (as picking up a pen can often be the hardest part) and tries to share her advice when confronted with writer’s block from time to time. So if you’re ever stuck in your writing, this is the one to read.
Some of the things in the book you may have heard over a dozen times, like the classic “show don’t tell” spiel, but if you’ve never read it, it may just be useful for you to pick up and at least try out.
- What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter
This one was required for me by my professor this semester, and I’ve found it helpful in writing longer pieces, though it’s really applicable to any piece of writing you’re working on. It goes into extreme detail to help you craft a story. It has a number of writing exercises, like answering two pages worth of questions to help you learn more about a character, or point of view exercises. It also has a number of short stories in the back for examples of different writing techniques and guiding questions to help you understand them.
While I’ve used this one in my class, I see no reason why it wouldn’t be helpful regardless. It’s definitely a book I’ll turn to in the future.
- Writing with Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process by Peter Elbow
This one is also a favorite of mine, though it’s structured entirely differently than the other two. It’s more of a book to read chapter by chapter (though of course you can skip around and find what you need). As the name implies, it helps you get that extra “oomph” into your writing. It feels to me like a creative writing professor writing his lessons down in a book for others to enjoy.
Definitely a good read to help you improve your writing overall, and a book that will last a while.
Though these book provide tips on how to improve your writing, the most important thing to do is practice. You’ll get nowhere if all you do is read and outline—you need to use these techniques and put them down on the paper for you to actually get better!