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Misc.writing Recommended Books List

Send corrections and additions to Laurie Sefton ([e-mail])
Note: information is also available on ftp.apple.com in
/pub/lsefton/misc.writing

Modifications since last version:
Additon of Orson Scott Card book information

Questions included:


   What books are useful to writers?

   What magazines are useful to writers?

If you're going to write, you have to read; it's that simple.  You
ought to be reading widely *outside your field* -- reading only the
genre you intend to write is a sure way to recycle cliches endlessly.

This booklist is confined to books about writing.  All of the
following books and magazines have been recommended by at least
one misc.writing contributor.  None of them is universally adored.
Unquoted reviews are by the compiler; all others come from other
misc.writing contributors.
______________
BOOKS: AGENTS

Richard Curtis, *How To Be Your Own Literary Agent*
[ need bibliographic data; Writer's Marketplace press? ]

"This book is necessarily dated -- I think my version is from 1986, or
maybe even 1984 -- but still germane in almost every regard.  And it
isn't dated much; I found virtually all of the language he discusses
in his point-by-point contract review in my own 1991 contract, despite
the years that have passed.  (And was pleased to discover that the one
section I'd made my publisher delete was one Curtis considered
extremely disadvantageous.)  This book is an absolute must for anyone
dealing with book publishers, book contracts, and agents."

________________
BOOKS: COPYRIGHT
Stephen Fishman, *The Copyright Handbook:  How to Protect and Use
                  Written Works*
Berkeley, CA: Nolo Press, 1st national edition, 1991
$24.95 US.  USBN 0-87337-130-5.

  "Nolo's order number is [phone]; [phone] for info.
  They're a well-respected if somewhat irreverent publisher of
  legal self-help materials, including some volumes that might be
  relevant to the business side of freelancing and contracting.
  The book claims to discuss international copyright law.  The further
  you get from the borders of the US, the bigger the grain of salt you
  should take everything with, of course."

___________
BOOKS: HOW TO BE A WRITER

Rita Mae Brown, *Starting from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writer's Manual*
Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-05246-2

  Care and feeding of yourself as a writer.  Brown, a working writer,
  has useful information on what standard of living to expect
  (near-poverty), how to make ends meet, and what to do with screenplays
  (take the money and run.  What appears on the screen will probably
  bear almost no resemblance to your work; that's why you write novels.)
  Also contains some interesting philosophy.
  DISSENTING REVIEW:  One misc.writing contributor finds the chapter
  on substance abuse essential, the rest forgettable.
___________
BOOKS: HOW TO WRITE

Lawrence Block, *Writing the Novel, From Plot to Print*
Writer's Digest Books, 1979

  The person who recommended this also recommended Block's *Spider, Spin
  Me a Web* and *Telling Lies for Fun and Profit*, which overlaps
  material in *Writing the Novel*.

Hallie & Whit Burnett, *Fiction Writer's Handbook*
Barnes & Noble Books, 1975  ISBN 0-06-463492-0

Hallie Burnett, *On Writing the Short Story*
Barnes & Noble Books, 1983  ISBN 0-06-463520-1

  "Hallie and Whit Burnett, as founding editors of STORY magazine (which has
  recently gone back into print as a quarterly), published the first works
  of writers such as Norman Mailer (who graces the first volume with a
  Preface), J.D. Salinger, Joseph Heller, Truman Capote, and Tennessee
  Williams.  In these books, they bring their enormous experience to
  bear in chapters that deal with both the creative process and the
  craft of fiction."

Lajos Egri, *The Art of Creative Writing*
Citadel Press, 1965

  "Although Egri's books are written with a slightly dated style, they
  go straight to the heart (in my opinion) of what makes dramatic fiction
  truthful and exciting.  These are not books with formulas or tips about
  writing, but rather, they analyze what it is that makes a reader care about
  characters, what makes them realistic, and how a compelling plot grows
  realistically from them."

John Gardner, *The Art of Fiction*
Vintage Books, 1985  ISBN 0-39472544-1

  "This book is a classic, and is a must buy for anyone seriously attempting
  to write fiction.  However, you will not find any formulas, point systems,
  or graphs that show you how to construct a story (well, maybe a graph or
  two).  What you will find is meaty chapters on aesthetics, artistic mystery,
  fiction as dream, genre, interest, and metafiction.  You will also find at
  the back a set of extremely useful exercises. All material is gleaned from
  Gardner's years of teaching graduate-level creative writing."

Rust Hills, *Writing in General, and the Short Story in Particular*
Houghton Mifflin, 1987  ISBN 0-395-44268-0

  "L. Rust Hills was fiction editor of Esquire Magazine for some 20 years,
  and his book is jam-packed with rapid-fire commentary on just about every
  technical aspect of crafting a short story.  It is by far the most
  intelligent and complete such book I have come across, and makes a
  fine companion to Gardner's *Art of Fiction* mentioned above."

Kit Reed, *Revision*
Writer's Digest Books, 1989  ISBN0-89879-350-5

  "A decent book on revising and rewriting, though I personally
  found most of it pretty self-evident."

Norman Spinrad, *Staying Alive: a Writer's Guide*
Donning, 1983

  "Spinrad's Writer's Survival Guide, is, as I recall, quite out of date, but
  a good read.  Spinrad is always idiosyncratic (when he's deeply sincere, he
  appears to lapse _out_ of profanity!), and a lot of the book was columns
  he'd written about the then-state of the sf market."

________
BOOKS -- HOW TO WRITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Jane Yolen, *Writing Books for Children*, The Writer, Inc., 1983, ISBN
0-87116-133-8

  Advice from a *very* successful author on how to research, create,
  and market books for the fastest-growing market.  Yolen's passion
  and seriousness shine through every line.

________
BOOKS -- HOW TO WRITE ROMANCE NOVELS

Kathleen Falk, *How to Write a Romance and Get it Published*
New American Library, 1990 (revised edition), ISBN 0-451-16531-4

  "Several writers in my workshop like it; others hate it. My assessment
  is that it contains some useful information, some marginal
  generalizations, and some downright stupid adivce. (My favourite: 'You
  cannot be a successful romance novelist unless you wear silky
  underwear.')  On the whole, this is a worthwhile book to have/read if
  you're interested in selling a romance novel, if only because of the
  extensive descriptions of the various formulae in romance writing."

_________
BOOKS -- HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/HORROR

Barry Longyear, *Science Fiction Writer's Workshop-I*
Owlswick Press, Box 8243, Philadelphia, PA, 19101, about $10

  "Longyear not only sits you down and lectures you on how to write SF that
  works, he shows you various examples -- from his own writing -- of what
  works and what doesn't by showing the first draft of various things and
  then covering the processes that took it to the final, improved version.
  There is no, and never will be a, SFWW-II."

*Science Fiction Writers of America Handbook*
Pulphouse Publishing/Writer's Notebook Press, ISBN 1-56146-406-6, $10.00
Pulphouse Publishing, Box 1227, Eugene, OR 97440

  A collection of essays by SF writers on various aspects of the trade.
  A mixed bag, but the good stuff is very good.  Mostly nuts-and-bolts,
  but some "how I write my masterpieces" essays.

Orson Scott Card, *How To Write Science Fiction and Fantasy*
Writer's Digest Press

*How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy*   Orson Scott Card
ISBN 0-89879-416-1
Published by Writer's Digest Books 1990
140 pages.  Index included.


  "The nuts and bolts part of the book are well handled, with solid
  examples (from other writers' works) of handling exposition,
  world-building and the like.  What makes the book worth the price of
  admission to writers who don't workshop, or don't live in an area with
  other writers in easy reach, is the section on creating the "wise
  reader".  In it, Card explains how his wife, Kristine, became a vital
  part of his writing process, even though initially she knew nothing
  whatsoever about what 'worked' in a novel."

___________
BOOKS: HOW TO WRITE PLAYS
Lajos Egri, *The Art of Dramatic Writing*,
Simon and Schuster, 1946, 1960

  "Although it is oriented towards playwriting, most of the advice
  applies to any dramatic fiction writing."

___________
BOOKS: INSPIRATION

Dorothea Brande, *Becoming a Writer*
T.P Archer, Inc., 1981  ISBN 0-874-77164-1

  "This book was originally published in 1934, and is as fresh as ever
  today.  An excellent and complete book, dealing with almost every
  aspect of the art of writing, with many wonderful suggestions on
  how to overcome blocks, view ones own work critically, etc.  The
  current printing has a foreward by John Gardner, himself an author
  of many books dealing with the art and craft of fiction."

Annie Dillard, *The Writing Life*
Harper & Row, 1989  ISBN 0-06-091988-4

  "Taken from essays that first appeared in Esquire, the TriQuarterly,
  and several other maagazines, in this book Annie Dillard describes
  her own personal experience as a writer.  The book is not a how-to
  volume in any sense; the crisp prose provides a direct glimpse into
  a writer's fertile mind."

John Gardner, *On Becoming a Novelist*
Harper & Row, 1983  ISBN 0-06-091126-3

  "The Foreword by Raymond Carver alone makes this book worthwhile. Although
  you could call the book 'inspirational' in nature because it deals with
  the art rather than the craft of writing (and although it says 'Novelist'
  in the title, the book is also valuable to short story writers), it is not
  an exercise in cheerleading, but rather a serious discussion of the nature
  and training of a fiction writer (there is also a chapter titled 'Publication
  and Survival').  A wonderful book for the serious artist."

Natalie Goldberg, *Writing Down the Bones*
Shambhala Publications, 1986  ISBN 0-87773-375-9

  "The book consists of about 60 two- or three-page chapters, each of
  which presents a brief technique or suggestion by which to improve
  one's writing and creative process, with emphasis on the latter.  Many
  times, the advice is presented via anecdotes.  A very 'zen' approach
  to creative writing, as one might guess from the publisher."

Brenda Ueland, *If You Want to Write*
Greywolf Press, 1987, P.O. Box 75006, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55175
ISBN 0-915308-94-0, $8.95

  "This fine little book was originally published at about the same time as
  Dorothea Brande's book and must be the *most* inspirational writing book
  ever to fall into my possession.  Carl Sandberg called this book 'The best
  book ever written about how to write.'  This is not a "nuts-n-bolts" book;
  it's one that raises you up, brushes you off, and sends you along
  the path to new heights of creativity."

________
BOOKS: LITERARY CRITICISM (SF)

Stanislaw Lem, *MICROWORLDS*
Harcourt, Brace, & Jovanovich, 1984  ISBN 0-15-659443-9

  "Lem is probably one of the world's greatest living writers, and one
  of the few SF writers to publish a volume which analyzes the field
  critically.  Lem makes many excellent points about the state of SF
  as he saw it when he was writing."
  DISSENTING REVIEW:  "Lem has clearly done very little reading in
  SF, and his criticism shows this."

Larry McCaffery, *Across the Wounded Galaxies*
Univ. of Illinois Press, 1990  ISBN 0-252-06140-3

  "Larry McCaffery is best known for his criticism of Donald Barthelme and
  other authors of 'metafiction', but he has, in this book, compiled a
  stunning collection of interviews with some of America's greatest
  contemporary SF authors, including William S. Burroughs, William
  Gibson, Samuel Delany, Octavia Butler, Gene Wolfe, Ursula Le Guin,
  Bruce Sterling, and Greg Benford. These are not fan-oriented
  interviews, either, but involved questions that probe each author's
  views about his or her craft and the state of the art in
  general.  A fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable read."
________
BOOKS: MARKET RESEARCH

  The Bible of market research is

*Writer's Market*, Writer's Digest Books,
1507 Dana Avenue,
Cincinnati, OH 45207.  Updated annually.

  There are innumerable variations (*Poet's Market*, *Novel and Short
  Story Writer's Market*, etc.)  Any public library should have these
  books. You can buy a copy more cheaply by joining the Writer's
  Digest Book Club;  see *Writer's Digest* magazine for a blow-in
  card.

  BE SURE TO USE THE LATEST AVAILABLE EDITION!  The publishing
  industry is a giant amoeba; not only do publishers' needs change,
  but editors change employment as frequently as Warren Beatty ...
  well, you get the idea.  If you can, check the listed editor's name
  against another source (a friend at the publishing house, the masthead
  of the magazine) before submitting.

*The International Directory of Little Magazine and Small Presses*
Dustbooks, P.O. Box 100, Paradise, CA 95967  ISBN 0-916685-17-9
Published annually.

  "Called the 'bible of the business' by the Wall Street Journal,
   this thing is *huge*, and full of small and literary markets that you won't
  find in any of the Writer's Digest books above."

__________
BOOKS: RHETORIC

Barzun, Jaques.  *Simple and Direct, A Modern Rhetoric for Writers*
Harper-Collins ISBN 0-06-091122-0

  "Does not describe rhetoric in the classical sense, but he does give some
  excellent suggestions for becoming aware of and tightening up one's writing.
  Eye opening and well worth the reading.  Although it covers mainly Rhetoric,
  this book really applies to any kind of technical or expository
  writing, and to some extent narrative fiction.  I'd classify it as a
  General Purpose writing improvement book.  Hardback edition out of print."

Corbett, Edward P.J.  *Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student*, 3rd ed
Oxford University Press, New York.  1990.  ISBN 0-19-506293-0  $38.00(?)

  "Highly Recommended text for learning the ins and outs of expository writing.
  Includes technical topics such as discovering (inventing) material,
  organizing material, stylistic tricks and stunts, exercises, modes
  of reasoning and other methods of persuasion, and examples/analysis
  of these techniques in actual everyday (and formal) use in prose of
  various people ranging from Homer to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
  The principles described herein apply to any kind of prose used to
  persuade and inform an audience.  Concentration here is mainly on
  the written word rather than the spoken word (the more commonly
  associated domain of Rhetoric)."

___________
BOOKS: STYLE GUIDES AND ENGLISH GRAMMARS

Strunk and White, *The Elements of Style*
Macmillan, ISBN 0-02-418200-1, $3.50

  The classic.  92 pages that can change your life.  *Not* a general
  reference manual.

William Zinsser, *On Writing Well*
Harper and Row, 1988, ISBM 0-06-091479-3

  "The book is subtitled 'An Informal Guide to Writing
  Nonfiction' and contains lots of good, basic advice on writing.
  This book is an interesting read as well as being useful."

For exhaustive reference:

*The Chicago Manual of Style*, 13th edition
University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-10390-0

  The OED of style guides.  Not sure what how to make "appearance" a
  possessive?  See p. 160.  (appearance', as it happens.)

*Words into Type*
Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-964262-5

Amusing, quirky, and often irritating:

Fowler, *Modern English Usage*
Oxford University Press

  You either love this one or you hate it.  A period piece, written by
  an Englishman immediately after the Great War.

[[[ I have no information other than the title on the following:
Thomas S. Kane, *The New Oxford Guide to Writing*
Oxford University Press, 1988 $22.95  ]]]

If you are concerned about biased language:

Rosalie Maggio, *The Dictionary of Bias-Free Usage,
                 a Guide to Nondiscriminatory Language*
Oryx Press, 1991.  ISBN 0-89774-653-8

  "Instamatic review: Looks like a good starting place for decisions
  about some issues in language."

_________
MAGAZINES: HOW TO BE A WRITER

Pulphouse Publishing, *The Report*
Pulphouse Publishing, Box 1227, Eugene, OR 97440
$2.95/copy, $10.00/four issues

  Pulphouse's blurb says, "a writer's magazine, filled with writers
  talking about all aspects of writing".   Primarily for people
  interested in speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, horror).  Comes out
  more-or-less quarterly.

*Poets & Writers Magazine*
$3.50/copy. $20/six issues (I think).

  "This magazine is great.  It's full of interviews of authors like Amy Tan
  and John Irving, and includes many articles about creative writing and
  even *teaching* creative writing.  This magazine is aimed at serious
  authors, not the "gee, I wanna write" audience that Writer's Digest
  seems geared towards.  There are also copious listings of contests, grants,
  and workshops in the back half of each issue.  *And* there's even a helpline
  for subscribers.  Yep, call up and get advice on writing/publishing direct
  from the staff!"

_________
MAGAZINES: MARKET REPORTS -- GENERAL

*Publishers Weekly*
P.O. Box 1979
Marion, OH 43306-2079  $97.00/year
Subscription inquiries: [phone]

  Expensive; contains useful industry gossip, hot off the
  presses.  (I learned about the various suits against Donning Press
  from *PW*; *Locus* and *SF Chronicle* didn't get the story until a
  month later.)  Skim it in your library -- the book reviews can help
  you get a handle on what your competition is up to.

_________
MAGAZINES: MARKET REPORTS -- CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Society for Children's Book Writers' Newsletter
(included in $40/year membership fee)
Society of Children's Book Writers
P.O. Box 296, Mar Vista Station
Los Angeles, CA 90066

_________
MAGAZINES: MARKET REPORTS -- SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/HORROR

*Bulletin* [[[of the Science Fiction Writers of America]]]
  To subscribe without joining SFFWA, contact
  Pulphouse Publishing, Box 1227, Eugene, OR 97440

*Gila Queen's Guide to Markets*
Kathy Ptacek, editor
PO Box 97, Newton, NJ 07860-0097
 $24.00/12 issues; sample copy for $3.00

  "I can't recommend this publication highly enough.  Invaluable
  leads & jam-packed with current information.  Each issue has a thematic
  focus as well as including updates on anthologies, editor shifts, & the
  like."

*Locus*
Locus Publications, P.O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661, $35.00/year

  A better source of industry gossip than *SF Chronicle*;  I suspect a
  working SF writer could live without it, though.  Richard Curtis's
  industry column has ended, removing one good reason to subscribe.

*Scavenger's Newsletter*
Janet Fox, ed., 519 Ellinwood, Osage City KS 66523-1329, phone [phone]
  (quoting from SFFWA Newsletter)
  "This little zine focuses on market information, covering, in the
  current issue, 91 magazines and fanzines."

*Science Fiction Chronicle*
P.O. Box 2730, Brooklyn, NY 11202-0056, $30/year

  Has semi-yearly Market Report sections. Useful source
  of information on new theme anthologies, semi-pro magazines,
  and other non-obvious markets.

________
MAGAZINES: NOT RECOMMENDED
*The Writer*
*Writer's Digest*

  Most misc.writing contributors find these magazines are aimed at
  people who want to be writers rather than people who write.
  If you judge a magazine's intended audience by its advertisers,
  you'll notice that most ads in *Writer's Digest* promise to
  edit/read/ghost-write/publish your masterpiece for pay; very few
  tell you how to invest your enormous royalty income.

  Some of the columns in *Writer's Digest* are quite good;
  read these in the library.
--