Learning the Craft | Collection Development: The Business of Writing

Books on the business of writing appeal to those wanting to pen a novel, screenplay, memoir, or other form of literature. The following titles support writers of fiction and nonfiction and include brief nods to comics and technical writing as well as academic content. There are few noteworthy guides devoted entirely to finding literary agents or publishers, because that information is increasingly available online.

Books on the craft of writing often fall into one of three categories: the practical, meant to teach readers to construct entertaining works; the academic, meant to mold the aspiring writer into an artist; and titles that are a mix of the two. Librarians must determine which titles are seminal and essential from each category. With MFA programs more popular than ever, there are many works on crafting fiction, especially those that aim for high art (category two). College students will likely own their favorites, or be required to purchase their professors’ pet titles, but they’ll crave all three types of books in the end. Public library patrons may not know where to begin, so librarians should be aware of the categories to get a sense of what patrons are seeking. Titles here represent all three types of books and should provide your collection with a base of ­indispensable works.

Those who aspire to write for a living must learn discipline and craft, and there is much overlapping advice, especially in the prose fiction arena. Books on craft tend to skip the basics (mechanics, punctuation, sentence construction), leaving that for textbooks and style guides to handle, and instead focus on process, storytelling, conflict, point of view, and so on. There is much similarity there, too; the novice writer, with a general foundation in writing basics, would not be led astray by these works.

Practical artist

For those within the academy, there are unspoken rules about what kinds of work one should produce. There is literary work (fiction or nonfiction) and then everything else. Earlier books on writing, especially those on fiction, reflect this divide. For example, John Gardner (one of his books is listed below) harshly judges any writer whose prose doesn’t aspire to high art. Others, such as Ursula Le Guin in her recent Steering the Craft, embrace a blend of the literary and the entertaining. For a more practical approach there is Dwight Swain, who breaks prose into motivation-reaction units and helps with plot more than most academics will. And, of course, there’s Stephen King, On Writing. If ever there was a champion of writers working to entertain, it’s King.

How do writers support themselves while they learn to create, while they wait for the increasingly elusive book contract or tenure-track position? Or do they write to entertain, hoping to become the next Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, or John Green, riding their successes to film adaptations and readings at Radio City Music Hall? The odds are against them either way, but in the end writers write because they love doing it, because they have to. Librarians are responsible for helping them all.

The recommendations below favor guides to the craft that have received strong reviews, found their way onto course syllabi, and stand the test of time. Recent titles can be excellent, too, but they usually draw from past works, many of which are listed here. Omitted here are materials on poetry, since it is a more specialized market.

Starred () titles are essential for most collections.

Paul Stenis, Librarian for Instructional Design, Outreach and Training at Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, has reviewed for LJ for three years. He holds an MS in Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s in Literature and Creative Writing from Florida State University. In his spare time, he writes for middle grade and young adult readers

tried & true

Ackerman, Angela. The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression. CreateSpace. (Writers Helping Writers). 2012. 174p. ISBN 9781475004953. pap. $14.99; ebk. ISBN 2940014404334.

This alphabetical list of 75 emotions with corresponding body language gestures is a handy reference that will keep writers showing instead of telling.

Bell, James Scott. Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish. 5th ed. Writer’s Digest. (Write Great Fiction). 2004. 240p. illus. index. ISBN 9781582972947. $16.99; ebk. ISBN 9781582976846.

Bell (Revision & Self-Editing) explains how to write various fiction plots (including literary and genre versions) and offers practice exercises along the way. Also covered are brainstorming techniques, plot diagrams, story structure models, and more.

Browne, Renni & Dave King. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How To Edit Yourself into Print. 2d ed. Morrow. 2004. 288p. ISBN 9780060545697. pap. $14.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062012906.

Editors Browne and King share the techniques they use to edit manuscripts, focusing on elements such as dialog, exposition, and point of view. This is an important work for those looking to break into the field.

Card, Orson Scott & others. Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction: How To Create Out-of-This-World Novels and Short Stories. 2d ed. Writer’s Digest. 2013. 406p. index. ISBN 9781599631400. $19.99.

This four-part work contains an updated version of Card’s excellent How To Write Fantasy and Science Fiction; an essay on the state of the genre by Philip Athans; one on steampunk by Jay Lake; and “The Writer’s Complete Fantasy Reference,” a collection of commonly employed world- and culture-building tools, handily compiled and summarized in one place.

Forster, E.M. Aspects of the Novel. Houghton Harcourt. 1956. 192p. index. ISBN 9780156091800. pap. $13.95; ebk. available.

Forster (A Passage to India) delivered a series of lectures on the art of the novel at the University of Cambridge, with titles such as “People,” “The Plot,” and “The Story.” His plainspoken approach reduces the novel to its essential elements in a work that has remained relevant.

Gardner, John. The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers. Knopf. 1991. 240p. index. ISBN 9780394504698. pap. $14.95.

Gardner’s (On Becoming a Novelist) definitive guide is practically responsible for the existence of the MFA in creative writing as we know it. Harsh, practical, and crucial for any aspiring writer of literary fiction, Gardner’s primer is a classic.

Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. 30th-anniversary ed. Shambhala. 2016. 224p. notes. ISBN 9781611803082. $14.95.

With warmth and enthusiasm, Goldberg combines Zen meditation with the practice of writing, advising writers to compose without inhibitions. (SLJ 2/87)

Kahan, Jeffrey. Getting Published in the Humanities: What To Know, Where To Aim, How To Succeed. McFarland. 2011. 206p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780786459230. $40.

In this step-by-step manual, veteran author Kahan (King Lear: New Critical Essays) lays out what it takes to publish consistently in the humanities. He offers an array of tips, ranging from how writers should choose their publishers to why they should avoid publishing their work in ebook format.

King, Stephen. On Writing. 10th-anniversary ed. Scribner. 2010. 288p. illus. ISBN 9781439156810. pap. $17; ebk. ISBN 9780743211536.

Entertaining and structured to please, this guide contains much about King as well as his writing wisdom. The author describes how the writing life can coexist with the everyday. (LJ 7/00)

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor. 1995. 272p. ISBN 9780385480017. pap. $15.95; ebk. ISBN 9780307424983.

With good humor, Lamott (Small Victories) encourages writers to write honestly, tackle writing projects in manageable steps, use life experience to inform their art, and much more. (LJ 8/94)

Lerner, Betsy. The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers. rev. ed. Riverhead. 2010. 304p. ISBN 9781594484834. pap. $16; ebk. ISBN 9781101444078.

Publishing executive–turned–­literary agent Lerner offers advice on query letters; multiple submissions; working with editors, publicists, and agents; dealing with rejection; and writer’s block. (LJ 4/1/00)

Lopate, Philip. The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present. Anchor. 1997. 832p. bibliog. ISBN 9780385423397. pap. $22.

Lopate (Bachelorhood) collects more than 75 personal essays from 1600 to the present that exemplify the form. The first anthology of its kind when it was originally published in 1994, this resource is both a popular teaching tool and a resonant collection with a wide readership. (LJ 2/1/94)

McCloud, Scott. Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels. Harper. 2006. 272p. illus. ISBN 9780060780944. pap. $23.99.

Building on Understanding Comics (below) and its follow-up, Reinventing Comics, ­McCloud explains in further detail how to achieve emotional effects and tell stories in his favorite medium. (LJ 9/15/06)

McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Harper. 1994. 224p. illus. ISBN 9780060976255. pap. $23.99.

McCloud recounts his introduction to comics in the form of a comic, tracing the history of the medium; situating it among media theory, film, and web design; and explaining how its practitioners create ­meaning.

McKee, Robert. Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting. Dey Street: HarperCollins. 1997. 480p. index. ISBN 9780060391683. $40.

In this volume, McKee expands on the concepts he teaches in his screenwriting seminars with an inspiring and comprehensive explanation of how the elements of a screenplay work together. Still the go-to resource for beginners and veterans in the field.

Resnick, Mike & Barry N. Malzberg. The Business of Science Fiction: Two Insiders Discuss Writing and Publishing. McFarland. 2010. 275p. index. ISBN 9780786447978. $35.

Originally published in the SFWA Bulletin published by the Science Fiction Writers of America, these honest and insightful conversations between Resnick and Malzberg cover writing, marketing, agents, ebooks, and much more.

Swain, Dwight. Techniques of the Selling Writer. Univ. of Oklahoma. 1981. 344p. index. ISBN 9780806111919. pap. $29.95; ebk. ISBN 9780806186672.

Swain here lays fiction bare, focusing on its practical components: movement, scene, story, character development, and revision. He also provides advice on selling your work.

Zinsser, William. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. 30th-anniversary ed. Harper. 2006. 336p. index. ISBN 9780060891541. pap. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062250506.

This guide to writing nonfiction has sold more than a million copies for a reason. Zinsser’s advice is fundamentally sound, classroom-tested, and applicable to almost any writing task.

today’s advice

Casey, John. Beyond the First Draft: The Art of Fiction. Norton. 2014. 256p. bibliog. ISBN 9780393241082. $25.95; ebk. ISBN 9780393244007.

Novelist and translator Casey (National Book Award winner for Spartina) distinguishes this fiction guide by relating his experiences in disciplines such as theater, law, and trans­lation to the art of fiction writing. This title belongs on every writer’s shelf. (LJ 7/14)

Le Guin, Ursula K. Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story. Mariner: Houghton Harcourt. 2015. 160p. ISBN 9780544611610. $14.95; ebk. ISBN 9780544612341.

Le Guin (A Wizard of Earthsea; The Left Hand of Darkness) explains points of craft in this must-read guide for intermediate to advanced writers. Her examples come from literature—writings by Virginia Woolf, Mark Twain, Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston—and occasionally from sf and fantasy, e.g., J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings. (LJ 7/15)

Morgan, Kieran. Technical Writing Process: The Simple, Five-Step Guide That Anyone Can Use To Create Technical Documents Such as User Guides, Manuals, and Procedures. Technical Writing Process. 2015. 260p. index. ISBN 9780994169310. pap. $24.95.

Need to write a guide, manual, procedure, or other form of technical documentation? Morgan divides the process into five simple steps, explaining in clear language how to handle a wide range of writing scenarios.

Peterson, Brenda & Sarah Jane Freymann. Your Life Is a Book: How To Craft and Publish Your Memoir. Sasquatch. 2014. 260p. notes. ISBN 9781570619304. $18.95; ebk. ISBN 9781570619311.

Peterson (I Want To Be Left Behind) and Freymann (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency) bring decades of experience to bear on the subject of writing and publishing a memoir. Affable, confident, and candid, the authors suggest that the process, when done right, can be a journey of personal growth and illustrate their points with poignant examples and metaphors. (LJ 9/1/14)

Writing Historical Fiction: A Writers’ & Artists’ Companion. Bloomsbury Academic. 2014. 344p. ed. by Celia Brayfield & Duncan Sprott. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781780937854. $24.95; ebk. ISBN 9781780935775.

One of the few guides to cover the historical fiction genre specifically, this resource contains the reflections of top historical novelists, details the history of the genre, and offers advice on research and craft. (LJ 6/1/14)

sOFTWARE

Scrivener; literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php. $39.99.

Designed to help writers push out and then deal with their awkward first drafts, Scrivener provides tools for planning, restructuring, researching, and self-publishing that most word processing programs don’t. This resource is worth deploying at workstations in libraries supporting MFA programs and is available in Mac and PC versions.

aPPS

Agent Obvious. Free; iOS only.

Based on literary agent Laurie ­Abkemeier’s Twitter feed, this app offers insider tips for writers looking to navigate the world of agents and editors with confidence and without a breach in etiquette.

Story Tracker. Free; premium version $9.99; iOS only.

For writers juggling multiple submissions, Story Tracker helps to track articles, stories, novels, and more, so they can meet deadlines, avoid simultaneous submissions (when appropriate), separate publishers’ guidelines, follow submission histories, store details on particular markets, view statistics, and more.

wEBSITES

NewPages; newpages.com

This comprehensive website for writers, ­especially aspiring and current MFA students, includes lists of literary journals and magazines with submission guidelines, reviews of MFA programs, information on writing contests, links to indie publishers, a guide to bookstores, and news of the world of writing programs.

OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab; owl.english.purdue.edu/owl

A free resource with a wealth of instructional material, writing resources, and citation information. Everyone from freshman composition students to professional writers should bookmark this site.

QueryTracker; querytracker.net

Writers can sign up for a free account to search for literary agents, join a community of writers, track their queries, and more. Advanced tools cost $25/year.

Writer’s Digest; www.writersdigest.com

Offering a wide range of writing services, this site includes free articles and blog posts from publishing insiders on writing for publication in several genres (YA, literary, sf) and forms (short story, novel, screenplay) as well as other free content such as writing prompts. Writers can enter paid competitions, subscribe to Writer’s Digest magazine, view tutorials, sign up for courses, browse agent listings, and much more. n