Good Book for Writers

I found a book at our local thrift store and purchased it for a quarter. It has helped me a lot. I have the 2nd edition from 2001. I believe there is a newer version. I used it quite a bit today.

"...is the handbook that attends to everyday language in everyday language...."

The Everyday Writer
by Andrea A. Lunsford from Stanford University

ISBN# 0-312-24349-9 (plastic comb)
0-312-24347-2 (spiral)

Bedford/St.Martin's
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I have three favorites that I recommend to students.

THE FIRST FIVE PAGES by Noah Lukeman

SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Renni Brown and Dave King

THE STREET SMART WRITER by Jenna Glatzer and Daniel
Steven (a publishing attorney)

-Ann C. Crispin

Congratulations, Marie, on your prize! It is always nice to be recognized in some way.

Thank you for the name of the poetry book. Although I am not into that 'right now' *grin* I am sure there are others here who can use that information.

Again, Congratulations!

Congratulations Marie! We love to celebrate success here. Well done!

I would have voted for you, Marie.

Like Sue and Ann, I have several books on writing. They come in handy for propping up a table with one short leg, things like that.

I have a handful of books on writing ... they are all in storage now ... with all of my other property.

The only one I didn't store was "Formatting & Submitting your Manuscript" by Cynthia Laufenber. I have this book on the truck with me.

How to write a book – In three evolutional stages

1. Paper and pencil.

2. Manual Typewriter with ribbon and a good eraser.

3. Electric Typewriter with backspace correcting feature.

4. PC with word processing.

Subject: Hmmmmm.

Abe F. March wrote:

How to write a book – In three evolutional stages

1. Paper and pencil.

2. Manual Typewriter with ribbon and a good eraser.

3. Electric Typewriter with backspace correcting feature.

4. PC with word processing.

Subject: Hmmmmm.

Abe???

What about stone and chisel?
Or parchment and quill?

You jumped way ahead ...

Isn't that just like a man.

I hope so, Shelagh, I hope so. But Marie, I spent many years of my life using two fingers to type stories on manual typewriters. Lots of fun in its own way.

My first novel was written on an IBM Executive back in 1978. That used typewriter cost $400, a tremendous sum back then. I had to take out a loan to buy it.

My next two novels were written on computers at my job, staying overtime. Then, in 1983, I got my first PC, a Morrow. That was a great little computer.

I can't really write on a laptop keyboard, but that's an easy problem to overcome. I just hook up an ergonomic keyboard to the laptop, and away I go. (I fight carpal tunnel, so an ergonomic keyboard is a must for me.)

Back to the subject of books on writing...

Many writers dismiss them, but I find the three I cited extremely useful. I use them in my writing workshops, because they provide excellent examples of a number of things, such as "show, don't tell" -- a concept beginners often have trouble grasping.

Many writers claim you can't teach writing, and in a way, you can't. If a person has no aptitude for writing (this usually happens when they're not readers) an instructor can't do much to help.

But for students with some natural aptitude, who are indeed readers, I've found you can help them improve their work significantly. You can work on assorted techniques and help them avoid re-inventing the wheel. There's also a lot of information students need regarding writing a good query letter, searching for appropriate markets, avoiding writing scams, etc., that can be imparted effectively in a workshop.

I'm very proud of the fact that a class I taught back in 2000 at Dragoncon has gone on to have a really excellent success rate. Out of the 25 students in the original class, 14 have gone on to sell short fiction for professional rates. Two have sold novels to advance and royalty paying publishers.

There's something about the close-knit "in the trenches together" camaraderie of a writing workshop that fuels my own creative juices, so that's why I keep teaching them, even though it's often not really cost-effective for me to lose that writing time.

-Ann C. Crispin

Workshops are the best place to talk to agents if someone is so inclined. I used to be the Consultant in Residence (whatever that means) at the Midwest Writers Workshop at Ball State University. It paid $300 for three days work and didn't interfere with writing a daily newspaper column so it wan't a bad deal. Some people actually wanted to consult with me, of course, but there's a downside to everything.

Now and then.