There are so many great ‘How To’ or inspirational books out there for
aspiring and experienced writers, it’s hard
for me to choose just five, but here goes:
1)
Write Naked by Jennifer Probst
I only recently read this book and literally devoured it
from cover to cover – I
cannot recommend it highly enough if you are looking for motivation or have
lost your belief that you will make it one day. Jennifer offers some fabulous
insight into her journey and how success happened for her despite the doubts,
the fear and bouts of wanting to hide away. Peppered with knowledge from other
bestselling authors, this book is a must read.
2)
On Writing by Stephen King
There is, and always will be, only one Stephen King. The
master storyteller not only shares his own experiences and journey in the pages
of this writer’s bible, but also gives great
tips on plotting, dialogue and trusting your instinct. A truly useful and
inspirational book.
3)
Goal, Motivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon
I believe you’d be
hard pushed not to find a novelist who doesn’t have
a copy of this book on their shelves or at least read it at some point during
their career. Ms. Dixon breaks down the vital ingredients to creating great
goals, motivations and conflicts for your characters and how to apply them in
the telling of your unique story. GMC is the hardest thing, in my opinion, to
crack as a writer but this book will definitely help break the concept down.
4)
Creating Character Arcs by K M Weiland
I read this book while tackling the final draft of my
twenty-first novel – even with all the experience
I have, my work in progress was missing something I couldn’t pinpoint. I needed help. As often
happens, I was trawling through the internet and fate intervened when this book
flashed up. I downloaded it and was entirely engrossed within the first few
pages. A wonderful addition to any writer’s
bookshelf for really nailing your characters and their journeys.
5)
The Positive Trait Thesaurus/The Negative Trait
Thesaurus
These two books are handy volumes to have nearby when you
first start creating your characters and thinking about the type of hero and
heroine you need to make that plot idea come alive on the page. Broken down
into lists of character virtues and traits, these books are a great reference
to get the creative juices flowing and identifying characteristics that will
cause the most conflict between your protagonists and why.
Happy reading…and
writing!
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