There are katrillions of writing books out there. I generally don't pick them up unless someone I know, trust, and have read their writing or taken a writing course from, recommends it.
My go to writing craft book is Donald Maass's The Fire in Fiction. I was lucky enough to go to a workshop he gave at the RWA Nat'l conference two years ago. I got more out of that one-hour session than any other workshop of book I've ever read. So naturally I picked up his book. He signed it for me. The inscription reads: Tension on every page!!!
For some reason there seems to be a rash of writing advice books on Amazon for free this week.
After the coup of scoring Leigh Michaels On Writing Romance for free last month I thought I check some more out.
If you're not reading this the day of the post publication make sure to check the price. Freebies don't usually last very long.
Here's what I found:
One-Click this one.
Write Good or Die: Survival tips for 21st century writers, from best-selling authors Kevin J. Anderson, M.J. Rose, Heather Graham, J.A. Konrath, Gayle Lynds, Alexandra Sokoloff, Jonathan Maberry, and more. How to develop your craft, improve your writing, get an agent, promote your work, embrace the digital age, and prepare yourself for the coming changes in the publishing industry. Edited by Scott Nicholson.
Other contributors include Elizabeth Massie, Harley Jane Kozak, Douglas Clegg, Brandon Massey, Mur Lafferty, Dean Wesley Smith, David J. Montgomery, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Robert Kroese, and Adrienne Jones. Covering art, craft, and business, the ever-evolving manual supports the writing blog writegoodordie.blogspot.com.
All proceeds benefit the non-profit organization Literacy Inc., which promotes reading among teens.
I'm working my way though these short essays and so far they are fan-freakin-tastic. No wonder it has 4.2 out of 5 stars from 24 readers on Amazon.
And one-click this one too
So You Want to Write a Novel… was written for the many who’ve wanted to pursue the lofty endeavor of penning (typing) their very own opus, but for one reason or another got lost in the whole process, or perhaps were even a little intimidated. This writer’s booklet was designed to get the ball rolling, so to speak. It even offers proven story templates that have worked to help plot the many, or few, twists and turns, climaxes and conclusions along a writer's authoring journey.
If you’ve got great story ideas that need something to harness and channel them into a cohesive format that makes sense, then give So You Want to Write a Novel… a read and let the process begin.
This has 5 out of 5 stars from three Amazon Readers.
I one-clicked this one
Meet a Jerk, Get to Work: How to Write Villians and the Occasiopnal Hero
How to find material for murder mysteries under your very nose. USA Today Bestselling mystery author Jaqueline Girdner offers some ideas on harvesting a bumper crop of potential fictional homicides.
"I've always heard you should write what you know. I just take it a little further; I kill what I know. Every experience I've ever had is possible fodder for murder. And I've had a lot of experience: as a divorce lawyer, as a psychiatric aide in a mental hospital, and as a small-business owner. And of course, as a writer."
This book has 5 out of 5 stars from two Amazon Readers.
How I Wrote My First Book
Twenty authors tell amazing stories about the efforts that went into writing their first book.
Christine Amsden - "My Million Words of Crap"
Darrell Bain - "The Story Behind The Pet Plague"
Mayra Calvani - "Tips on Writing Your First Novel"
Lee Denning - "Two Beginnings"
Toby Fesler Heathcotte - "The Manuscript from a Mystifying Source"
Darby Karchut - "Wings"
Linda Langwith - "The Serendipity Factor"
Stephanie Osborn - "How a Rocket Scientist Becomes a Writer"
Along with articles by Bob Boan, D Jason Cooper, Susan Goldsmith, Ginger Hanson, Aaron Paul Lazar, Celia A. Leaman, Beverly Stowe McClure, Gerald Mills, Erica Miner, Bob Rich, Dorothy Ann Skarles and Dan Starr.
This has 4 out of 5 stars from nine Amazon Readers
How to Write a Great Query Letter
I was kind of excited for this one, since I'm working on my own query letters now, but the reviews all say it's way out of date (we're talking dot matrix printer advice here) and no longer useful. So skip this one. It has 3.4 out of 5 stars from five Amazon readers
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