Books for Writers Part 2

Thanks for checking back in! Today is part two of my series of books for writers. This week it's all about a few of the books that I have found helpful as a fantasy writer. The books are as follows:

Writing Monsters by Philip Athans
The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference with an introduction by Terry Brooks
Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction with sections by Orson Scott Card, Philip Athans, Jay Lake

Writing Monsters is a relatively new acquisition that I haven't had as much time as I would like to have spent flipping through the pages. This book first attempts to define what a monster is, what makes them scary, and their origin story. It also discusses monsters as literary devices such as a metaphor, an obstacle, an agent, a source of pity, or as a source of magic or technology. The book also has many fantastic charts or worksheets that help to outline the monsters that you create or will be using in your fiction.

The Fantasy Reference guide is one that I have had for many, many years. It has proved useful several times over. I currently have the page on types of magic system bookmarked, as well as sections on arms, armor, and armies. There is also a great section on medieval clothes and terms which I have referenced, as well as the castle and fortress diagrams. These references have all been irreplaceable while outlining and writing my fantasy novels.

Once again Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction is a newer acquisition. The world building chapters are great, and covers both creating a fantasy world as well as a science fiction one. They are incredibly detailed and cover such topics as time travel and magic systems. There is even a large section on steampunk which, a long with fantasy and science fiction, is experiencing a boom in popularity.

As a fantasy writer these books have been a wealth of resources for me. Especially before I used the internet to do more research. There is something about the feel of a book, highlighters, and sticky notes in hand that a computer just doesn't have. Plus, if the computer doesn't work, or I don't have the internet I have a resource for information.

Again, this post was not sponsored or promoted by Writers Digest, just a strange and to me humorous coincidence.

Stick around, next week is all about the books that I have found useful in the self-publication process!

Books for Writers Part 1

New year, new series! *cheers all around*
As stated in my "new years post" I want to start running a few series centered around a central topic. They are going to center around books that I have found helpful as a novelist, a fantasy writer, and as a self published author.
First up? The books that I find immensely helpful as a novelist/writer. There are four of them, and they are in no particular order:

 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt
20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias
Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway, Elizabeth and Ned Stuckey-French
Between the Lines by Jessica Page Morrell

Both the books dealing with master characters and plots are amazing for sparking the imagination. As the famous saying goes, there are no new stories, just the way they are told. With both of these books there are so many possible combinations for storytelling. I have never fully based a book or character off of them, but I have pulled aspects or ideas from them. Sometimes just reading about archetypes will get my imagination running.
I currently have a section on Archetypes V.S. Stereotypes bookmarked with a sticky note in 45 Master Characters. This is one of my favorite things to reference since I write mainly genre fiction, and there is a distinction between the two. In 20 Master Plots I have the section about Story V.S. Plot bookmarked. Once again there is a distinction between the two that should be understood. Both of these I try to reference and keep in mind while writing.

Writing Fiction and Between the Lines focus on your craft. In fact Writing Fiction was actually one of my assigned textbooks from a creative writing class. Honestly, I know that I am a bit of a pack rat, but in the case of my writing courses, I usually kept the textbooks. We only would use a fraction of it each semester, and if when flipping through I saw other chapters or sections I thought could be helpful, I kept the book. Writing Fiction was one of those books. There are some great writing exercises, and chapters of characterization.
Between the Lines was a book that I actually picked up on my own at Barnes and Noble years ago. I have read this book at least twice, and have gone back and referenced several sections. While there are some great writing exercises, I really prize this book for how easily understood the chapters are. Everything is written clearly and is easily understood in a plain language. If you only buy one writing "instruction" book, this would be the one I recommend.

One thing that I found humorous through writing this post and looking at these books was that three out of the the four were from Writers Digest Books. Not that this was a promoted post in any way, as I have had these books far longer than I have had this blog. Just something that I found funny. :)