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On Writing: Books for Writers Advice from Jim Macdonald on what writers should be reading Three Best The following three books will teach you more about writing than a whole library of the more traditional kinds of "How To Write" books. It's just that you'll have to work a bit to dig out the lessons: Magic and Showmanship by Henning Nelms is the single best book on writing that I know of. It's got specific advice on believable illusions, language, putting the audience on your side, and the shape of a plot. I can't recommend it highly enough. Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev. You want to know how to plot, how to create conflict and interaction, how to get your characters where they need to be for the climax? This is it. Cut & Assemble a Victorian Cottage: A H-O Scale Model by Edmund V. Gillon, Jr. We novelists create a false reality. Here's another false reality. I will tell you a true thing: Learning modelwork will make you a better writer. Here are my qualifications for making these recommendations. Useful Books Here are some useful books that any writer, from the never-published to the oldest pro, will find helpful:           Traditional Books These books are either about writing or are lists of markets: Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books by William Germano The Craft of Research, 2nd edition by Wayne C. Booth, Joseph M. Williams, & Gregory G. Colomb An Author's Guide to Scholarly Publishing (Princeton Paperbacks) by Robin Derricourt Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott Getting Permission: How To License & Clear Copyrighted Materials Online & Off by Richard Stim On Writing by Stephen King The Complete Idiot's Guide to Self-Publishing by Jennifer Basye Sander The Business of Writing for Children by Aaron Shepard Conflict, Action and Suspense (Elements of Fiction Writing) by William Noble The Concise Guide to Copy Editing by Paul LaRocque Garner's Modern American Usage by Bryan A. Garner Dreams and Wishes: Essays on Writing for Children by Karen Judd Editing Fact and Fiction: A Concise Guide to Book Editing by Leslie T. Sharpe & Irene Gunther Characters and Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing) by Orson Scott Card Conceiving the Heavens: Creating the Science Fiction Novel by Melissa Scott Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers (15th Edition) by University of Chicago Press Staff Elements of Style (4th ed.) by William Strunk and E. B. White The Writer's Legal Guide: An Authors Guild Desk Reference by Tad Crawford and Kay Murray Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer by Bruce Holland Rogers Getting into Print: The Decision-Making Process in Scholarly Publishing by Walter W. Powell Writing for Scholarly Publication by Anne Sigismund Huff How I Work As a Poet and Other Essays by Lew Welch How to Get Happily Published (5th Ed) by Judith Appelbaum You Can Write Children's Books by Tracey E. Dils How to Write & Sell Your First Novel by Oscar Collier, Frances Spatz Leighton The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script by David Trottier Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular by L. Rust Hills Copyright Plain & Simple by Cheryl Besenjak If You Want to Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland Line by Line: How to Improve Your Own Writing by Claire Kehrwald Cook The Making of a Bestseller : Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them by Brian Hill & Dee Power Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th Edition) On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Knowlton Zinsser Persist and Publish: Helpful Hints for Academic Writing and Publishing by Ralph E. Matkin, T.F. Riggar Proofreading Plain and Simple (Plain and Simple Series) by Debra Hart May Putting It Together: Turning Sow's Ear Drafts Into Silk Purse Stories by Mike Resnick The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner & Raymond Carver The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life by Julia Cameron The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus by Christine Lindberg How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James Frey Starting from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writer's Manual by Rita Mae Brown Words into Type by Marjorie E. Skillin How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card The Essential Writer's Notebook by Natalie Goldberg Writing Without Teachers by Peter Elbow The Craft of Revision by Donald M. Murray The following books are annuals: Please make sure you are using the current edition. Writers' and Artists' Yearbook: 2010 Literary Market Place 2010: The Directory of the American Book Publishing Industry (LMP) 2010 Poet's Market 2010 Writer's Market Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, 2010 2010 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market by Lauren Mosko (Editor) 2006 Childrens Writers & Illustrators Market by Alice Pope (Editor)