Welcome to a new series in which I will share, as the song says, ‘a few of my favorite things’.
Each week I will introduce you to some things that I love and that have transformed my writing life some way or another. This week we’ll explore some of my favorite books on writing and boy was it hard to narrow this down.
So onwards and upwards to see a few of my favorite things….
Are you the tortoise or the hare?
2,000 – 10,000 by Rachel Aaron
I’m a slow writer, in actual fact I’m slow at everything I do – I’m one of life’s plodders. I’m the tortoise not the hare. However despite this natural inclination towards meandering I still work hard and want to see faster results.
Rachel Aaron’s book helped me to identify some of the traps I fall into everyday, and helped me build a more productive work schedule that now sees me hitting my writing targets everyday (well most days anyway). I wrote about how I increased my productivity here and many of those lessons were taken from this great book. I definitely recommend you check it out.
An Indie Must-Read
Write. Publish.Repeat. by Sean Platt and Johnny B Truant
I’ve written about this book in-depth here – it’s my absolute go-to manual. If you only read one book on self-publishing this has to be the one as far as I’m concerned. Check it out here.
Simplicity is Best
Writing Fiction for Dummies by Peter Economy
I first read this when the crazy idea that this mega bookworm and business consultant could change her direction and embrace writing. It’s exactly what it says on the packet – a straightforward guide – taking you through every step of the process. It’s a great dip-in, dip-out, guide to writing. Check it out here
Cure for Headline Headaches
Copywriting Wizardry: Learn How to Write Spellbinding Headlines (Art of Writing Book 2) Jack Chapman
I am not a natural when it comes to writing a killer headline for the blog, for tweets or anywhere else, so any help I can get I grab with both hands. This book helped me understand what makes a great headline and the tools I needed to apply my own humble skills. Check it out here
Me or I? Who or Whom?
School scarred me – I was one of the unfortunate few who weren’t taught grammar. They were trialling intuitive language skills which indicated that formal grammar education was unnecessary as we learn language intuitively. It stinks – was proven wrong and quickly abandoned leaving a bunch of grammar disabled victims in its trail. I’ve since tried to learn what an adjective is, a pronoun and more complicated elements of English grammar but it was too dry to sink in. Until I found this book – somehow it makes grammar fun (something I never thought would be said in the same sentence). So if you’d like a little go-to book on grammar make it this one. Check it out here
No More Monkey Business
Ape – Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur by Guy Kawasaki
This is a great guide to succeeding in the publishing world today where you practise being a writer, a publisher, a publicist, a social media manager, an agent, a project manager and a business manager every working day. I found this so helpful. Check it out here
Check out this great collection of books on writing http://ctt.ec/e4yv6+
There are other books that I love and haven’t included because they are in the ‘Book’ section of this website – click here to view
So over to you? If you had to pick your top books on writing what would they be? Please let me know in the comments below – perhaps you will introduce me (or my readers) to a new book that will help us on our writing adventures.
Well that’s it for this article.
Bye for now
