Writing Blog Number 2 (continued)

20251106 Books For Writers

10 Essential Books For Writers

This is an opinion piece! Some people say, "Why books? I got Internet!" Then why are you trying be a writer, doofus? So, this is my OPINION! Disclaimer over.

Because I have been writing with something akin to vague success for so long, I get asked questions. And Schnujo reminded me of one that I get asked a surprisingly large amount. Now, this column I wrote for a different site, and I never transferred it across to WdC. So, here it is
         So, what is this surprising question? If there are any books I would recommend to help up and coming writers. In that vein, I would like to present the ten books I would recommend to writers. All ten I find useful, but the first three are possibly a little niche to be suitable for everyone. The other, seven, though… very important.

1) The Writer’s Complete Fantasy Reference by Writer’s Digest Books (1998; Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, USA)
The most niche of these books. But if you write fantasy, this is something you need. I use it often. To add a sense of realism to your fantasy, this book is essential. It explains the mechanics of things in fantasy settings – cultures, magic, economics, non-humans, clothing and war. The authors of each section do not talk down to the readers/writers, but explain things in a concise and logical way. An example is the diagram showing the parts of a suit of armour, so when you are describing this in a story, you can use the correct terminology. Okay, sure, you can find a lot of this information online, I understand that. But here it is all in one place, easy to cross-reference and you can use it offline. For fantasy writers – great resource.

2) How Not To Write A Novel by Sandra Newman & Howard Mittelmark (2008; Penguin Books, London, England)
This niche book is for those who are looking at writer longer works of fiction. As a budding novelist (5 published, and, no, I don’t do self-publishing…), I have found this book a great resource. In a comedic manner – and it is quite funny – by the use of really bad passages of prose, it demonstrates the mistakes that too many writers make. One of them – being too clever with the use of words – was something I was guilty of, and this book made me go back and change a lot of what I had written… as in, 15 years of novel writing (at that stage) looked back on. Wow. Anyway, every single facet of the novel – character, plot, setting, voice, etc. – is looked at. If a writer wants to have a go at the longer form, this is the book they need. Not just novel, but novella, and definitely book series. Novelists should read this.
         Here's a full review: "20250407 Book Review – How Not To Write A Novel" .

3) The Penguin Rhyming Dictionary by Rosalind Fergusson (1985; Penguin Books, London, UK)
This is the last of the niche books. For people who write traditional or form-based poetry, or who write songs, or who write rhyming prose for children… actually, there are a lot of times a book giving you words that rhyme with the word you want could be very handy. This is something I use a lot. There are three caveats. First, you need to know what the words mean (in which case, you need a dictionary – see the next entry). Second, this is based on UK English pronunciation. For Australians, that is not a problem. For those in the USA, however, people need to be careful. Third, it works a little like a Thesaurus when finding the words you need, and some people find those awkward to use. I have not found one as comprehensive as this one – including online – and heartily recommend this. I know a number of song-writers and all but one use this. Important book.

4) A Dictionary
It does not matter what sort it is, this is the main book a writer needs. You need a dictionary. If you’re not sure how a word is spelt, do not trust spell-check, look it up. Affect or effect? Look it up (affect is the verb; effect is the noun… except in very specific cases). Yes, there are some online ones that are fine (dictionary.com springs to mind), but too many are not, and the ‘Net is not always available. Get a paper one. Also, get one that suits your region. Now, I rarely use a dictionary, but if I do, it tends to be a US dictionary. I use this because I am Australian and I need to make sure I am using words culturally correctly. I do have an Oxford for my UK English and a Macquarie for my Australian, but I very rarely need them (not big-noting; it’s experience – I was an English teacher); the USA, though, I do have to check. And that’s why a dictionary is so important.

5) Bryson’s Dictionary For Writers And Editors by Bill Bryson (1991; Broadway Books, New York, USA)
Another dictionary? Well, this is the one where those little questions are answered. Things like affect/effect mentioned above are explained. And that is why this is so good. It is a clarification. There are sometimes just words without a meaning, which is to show how they are spelt. It does not cover everything – of course not – but it does cover the most common things. It is like a “common mistakes corrective” tome, and that is so very important. I pull it out occasionally just to clarify something, especially when someone has corrected me and I think they’re wrong. Still, valuable work.

6) The Writer’s Source Book by Chris Sykes (2011; Hodder Education, London, UK)
This is a basic “how-to-write” book with one pretty big difference – the exercises are awesome! Every section, from character to plotting to dialogue to everything else, comes with a heap of exercises. The problem with a lot of writing books with exercises is that what they get you to do is dull or does not work (not all – Lillian Rose’s Cultivating Creativity   has some fine exercises in it); this one they actually make sense in context of the ultimate goal, and quite a few are challenging. I’ve used a few of them as a teacher and they worked for all levels. There are also little highlighted bits of advice that could make a great list for every writer to just remind themselves of.

7) The Elements Of Style (4th Edition) by William Strunk Jr and E.B. White (2000; Pearson Education, Boston, USA)
This is a dry textbook. It covers similar ground to Bryson’s book in part, but also how to put a sentence together, some grammatical rules (which it appears Grammarly is yet to learn), how to put a paragraph together, form, etc. The thing about it is that it is not long; my copy is 85 pages. And so it has all the important technical information in a succinct, easily digestible form. I do know it can be boring, but this sort of thing is vital for any writer. Learn the basics; this book will help. There might be more recent editions, but 4th is what I have and it is fine.

8) Reverse Dictionary by Reader’s Digest (1989, reprinted with amendments 1996; Reader’s Digest, London, UK)
Know what you want to describe, but can’t find the word? This is the book for you! I mean it – this is the book for you! I use this a lot. A lot of entries, and with a lexicon of difficult words at the end, like a dictionary. Google can do the same thing, but Google is based on viewer algorithms and paid content, so a lot of the information cannot be trusted. This book has some great stuff; for example, your story includes a guy who likes fishing, in this dictionary, look up “fishing terms” and there is a decent list. Simple. My copy is an Australian version, and I have been trying to get the US version (for reasons I have mentioned already). Still, a valuable resource.

9) Roget’s Thesaurus (1972; College Books, London, UK)
I use this book a lot. One thing about especially writing fiction is that using the same word over and over can be annoying and boring for readers, so you need to find different ways to say the same thing. That is where the Thesaurus comes into play. For example, I wrote a story where the colour red was an important element. Red, red, red, red, red… yeah. Red, crimson, scarlet, cardinal, vermillion, cherry, cerise… Now it’s interesting. See what I mean? Now, I know a thesaurus is often complex for some people to use. But with a bit of practice, it does become pretty much second nature. Oh, and while I’m here – thesaurus has nothing to do with dinosaurs. “Sauros” is Greek for lizard; “Thesaurus” is Latin for treasure. Different language.
         There are some online ones as well, and some are quite good. But we are not always able to be connected, and paper is right there.

10) On Writing by Stephen King (2000; Hodder & Stoughton, London, UK)
This is the single most important writing book in my collection. The first 80 pages are an autobiography. Fine. But then we hit the ‘Toolbox’ and ‘On Writing’ parts of the book. The most important bits. I read these sections every couple of years or so. In 150-odd pages, he explains how to write, what tools you need (not just physical), how to make stories sing and then, so vital for me, how to edit. And edit properly. So very important. Anyway, here’s some quotes to whet your appetite:
“Stopping a piece of work just because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea.”
“The most interesting situations can usually be expressed as a What-if question.” (This is how I write 90% of my stories – from a “what if…?” question.)
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” (The most important bit of advice for each and every writer.)
         This book is my inspiration. I wanted to be a Stephen King. I did not get there. But I am a writer, and Stephen King is one of the main people to thank for that.

So, there you have it. If you want to be a writer, then these books are well worth your time.
         I will add one more thing, and this is something my son (who is at university at the moment) warned me of - a couple of online dictionaries and thesauruses are now changing to include definitions, synonyms from AI scraping. This means the language is being dumbed down seriously, and mistakes are made more and more. It just makes paper look even better.

Good luck and good writing!