Writing how-to books

Following up on my previous post...The dialogue that Guyot started got me thinking.

I had a conversation about how-to writing books with Warren Murphy once. Despite the fact that he'd written hundreds of books, sold millions, and won (I think) 3 Edgar Awards, he still read writing books.

Warren said you could always find at least one thing in a how-to book that would teach you something -- and even if it were just one thing, that could be a valuable tool to add to your arsenal.

I think that's true. Writers are always learning. (The good ones, anyway. Lousy writers already know everything they need.) We learn from what we read (both fiction and non-fiction), we learn from what we observe, we learn from experimenting, from attending workshops and conferences, and from talking to other writers.

Writing is such a complicated, frustrating endeavor that no matter how good you are, there is always something more you can learn. An example: David Morrell, who knows as much about writing and literature as anyone, is constantly trying new things, experimenting with the form. (His 2005 novel, Creepers, unfolds over an eight-hour period, with virtually every minute accounted for.)

Morrell has written 25 or so novels, but he's still learning -- and he's still teaching, which is why I recommend people pick up his book Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing. It's very informative and engaging.

Other how-to books that I've enjoyed include Stephen King's On Writing (an essential read, I think), as well as Larry Block's writing books: Telling Lies for Fun & Profit, Spider, Spin Me a Web and Writing the Novel from Plot to Print (probably just read one of them).

(The two how-to books that I have heard crime writers speak well of the most often are Morrell's and King's.)

Something I would caution, however, is that it's easy to get caught up in reading writing books and never actually do any writing. So pick a few of the best, give 'em a look, and then get back to writing. As Guyot says, it's important to get a tune-up every now and again -- but it's crucial that you spend as much time as possible writing.

Another thing to be wary of: writers who give advice saying "This is how you write a blockbuster novel" -- but they've never written a blockbuster novel.

It doesn't mean they can't be good teachers, and it doesn't mean they don't know something. But you have to take what they say with a grain of salt. You have to scrutinize the advice that anyone gives you -- but you should especially scrutinize that given by someone without the credentials to back it up.

At least if Stephen King tells you something about writing (e.g., "the adverb is not your friend"), he has a pretty good shot at knowing what he's talking about.

Comments

[Harry Hunsicker]

The Morrell and King books are incredible resources and should be read by all writers.

Another one that I've enjoyed is WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by literary agent Donald Maass. The narrative contains a lot of check lists and step-by-step guides regarding what makes a book have breakout potential, or as it is more fashionably called these days, what makes a story "big."

[Bill Crider]

Another good one by a bestselling writer is Koontz's WRITING POPULAR FICTION.

[Elaine Flinn]

I loved your comment about 'how to write a blockbuster' by someone who hasn't. It reminded me of authors with one book (and sometimes two)under their belt who suddenly feel qualified to teach writing courses. As if?

[Roddy Reta]

The Koontz book is great, but is almost impossible to find.

[Michael Berry]

Sorry to be a nitpicker, but the Koontz book is HOW TO WRITE BEST SELLING FICTION. And it's great. I'm happy to have held on to it through various home library purges.

Although I don't plan to write any screenplays, I've always found William Goldman's ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE immensely informative, particularly in how to think about structure.

[David J. Montgomery]

Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade is a great book, as is his What Lie Did I Tell?. Both are invaluable for people who are interested in screenwriting.

I've never read Koontz's book, but that's one I would definitely be interested in.

[spyscribbler]

I absolutely loved Reading Like A Writer, by Francine Prose. I think I've read 95% of the writing how-to books on the shelves. Reading Like A Writer taught me more than all of them, maybe ... just maybe even more than On Writing.

And because it teaches how to learn from the novels you read, Reading Like A Writer keeps teaching long after you've put it down.

(It's often shelved in the Literary Criticism section, rather than the Writing section. It should be in both, really!)