For the first time in several years, I didn’t get any fiction books for Christmas. BUT this year, my Christmas list included many non-fiction books, most of which are writing related—and I happened to get ALL of them! **claps hands excitedly**
I’m so excited to dive into these books. This year, I really want to be intentional about learning more and improving my writing, and I think these books will go a long way in accomplishing that! So all my fellow writers out there, listen (or read?) up! You may just find some helpful reads that will benefit your own writing.
My dad recommended this book to me and I’ve been wanting to read it ever since. My parents actually got me a signed copy of it! They went to DC recently and visited Mark Batterson’s coffee shop, which also sold signed copies of his books.
Over 100,000 copies sold!
Quit playing it safe and start running toward the roar!
When the image of a man-eating beast travels through the optic nerve and into the visual cortex, the brain sends the body a simple but urgent message: run away! That’s what normal people do, but not lion chasers. Rather than seeing a five-hundred-pound problem, they see an opportunity for God to show up and show His power.
Chase the Lion is more than a catch phrase; it’s a radically different approach to life. It’s only when we stop fearing failure that we can fully seize opportunity by the mane. With grit and gusto, New York Times best-selling author Mark Batterson delivers a bold message to everyone with a big dream.
This is a wake-up call to stop living as if the purpose of life was to simply arrive safely at death. Our dreams should scare us. They should be so big that without God they would be impossible to achieve. Quit running away from what you’re afraid of.
Chase the lion!
Change the world!
This one wasn’t on my list, but my parents picked it up for me at Mount Vernon on their recent DC trip as well. I’ve never read a biography before, but as I LOVE history, this one promises to be very interesting. Who knows, I may even find inspiration for a new book here!
With this revelatory and painstakingly researched book, Martha Washington, the invisible woman of American history, at last gets the biography she deserves. In place of the domestic frump of popular imagination, Patricia Brady resurrects the wealthy, attractive, and vivacious young widow who captivated the youthful George Washington. Here are the able landowner, the indomitable patriot (who faithfully joined her husband each winter at Valley Forge), and the shrewd diplomat and emotional mainstay. And even as it brings Martha Washington into sharper and more accurate focus, this sterling life sheds light on her marriage, her society, and the precedents she established for future First Ladies.
The following four books are the ones I am probably the most excited about. I stumbled upon these on Amazon and knew I had to have them. I haven’t started reading through them yet, but, my fellow writers, I have a feeling these are a must-have for all authors!
One of the biggest problem areas for writers is conveying emotion to the reader in a unique, compelling way. When showing our characters’ feelings, we often grab onto the first idea that comes to mind, and our characters end up smiling, shrugging, nodding, and frowning far too much. Need some inspiration to get you beyond the basics? Inside The Emotion Thesaurus, you’ll find:
• 75 emotion entries that list body language, thoughts, and visceral responses for each
• A breakdown of the biggest emotion-related writing problems and how to overcome them
• Body language and action cues that address both acute and suppressed forms of emotion
• Suggestions for each emotion that cover a range of intensity, from mild to extreme
• 75 description tips on emotion, dialogue, characters, and setting
Editors, authors and teachers agree that The Emotion Thesaurus, in its easy-to-navigate list format, is a convenient and helpful brainstorming resource for any writing project. Discover the tool that will inspire you to create stronger, fresher character expressions and engage readers from your first page to your last.
It’s a writer’s job to create compelling characters who can withstand life’s fallout without giving up. But building authentic, memorable heroes is no easy task. To forge realistic characters, we must hobble them with flaws that set them back while giving them positive attributes to help them achieve their goals. So how do writers choose the right blend of strengths for their characters—attributes that will render them admirable and worth rooting for—without making it too easy for them to succeed?
Character creation can be hard, but it’s about to get a lot easier. Inside The Positive Trait Thesaurus, you’ll find:
• A large selection of attributes to choose from when building a personality profile. Each entry lists possible causes for why a trait might emerge, along with associated attitudes, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions.
• Real character examples from literature, film, or television to show how an attribute drives actions and decisions, influences goals, and steers relationships
• Advice on using positive traits to immediately hook readers while avoiding common personality pitfalls
• Insight on human needs and morality, and how each determines the strengths that emerge in heroes and villains alike
• Information on the key role positive attributes play within the character arc, and how they’re vital to overcoming fatal flaws and achieving success
• Downloadable tools for organizing a character’s attributes and providing a deeper understanding of his past, his needs, and the emotional wounds he must overcome
If you find character creation difficult or worry that your cast members all seem the same, The Positive Trait Thesaurus is brimming with ideas to help you develop one-of-a-kind, dynamic characters that readers will love. Extensively indexed, with entries written in a user-friendly list format, this brainstorming resource is perfect for any character creation project.
Crafting likable, interesting characters is a balancing act, and finding that perfect mix of strengths and weaknesses can be difficult. But the task has become easier thanks to The Negative Trait Thesaurus. Through its flaw-centric exploration of character arc, motivation, emotional wounds, and basic needs, writers will learn which flaws make the most sense for their heroes, villains, and other members of the story’s cast. This book’s vast collection of flaws will help writers to explore the possible causes, attitudes, behaviors, thoughts, and related emotions behind their characters’ weaknesses so they can be written effectively and realistically. Common characterization pitfalls and methods to avoid them are also included, along with invaluable downloadable tools to aid in character creation. Written in list format and fully indexed, this brainstorming resource is perfect for creating deep, flawed characters that readers will relate to.
Readers connect to characters with depth, ones who have experienced life’s ups and downs. To deliver key players that are both realistic and compelling, writers must know them intimately-not only who they are in the present story, but also what made them that way. Of all the formative experiences in a character’s past, none are more destructive than emotional wounds. The aftershocks of trauma can change who they are, alter what they believe, and sabotage their ability to achieve meaningful goals, all of which will affect the trajectory of your story.
The last three books are also for writers. The first two I have heard about thanks to the Go Teen Writers community. The last one I just stumbled upon on Amazon and found it interesting.
Don’t limit your fiction – LIBERATE IT
All too often, following the “rules” of writing can constrict rather than inspire you. With Story Trumps Structure, you can shed those rules – about three-act structure, rising action, outlining, and more – to craft your most powerful, emotional, and gripping stories.
Award-winning novelist Steven James explains how to trust the narrative process to make your story believable, compelling, and engaging, and debunks the common myths that hold writers back from creating their best work.
• Ditch your outline and learn to write organically.
• Set up promises for readers – and deliver on them.
• Discover how to craft a satisfying climax.
• Master the subtleties of characterization.
• Add mind-blowing twists to your fiction.
When you focus on what lies at the heart of story – tension, desire, crisis, escalation, struggle, discovery – rather than plot templates and formulas, you’ll begin to break out of the box and write fiction that resonates with your readers. Story Trumps Structure will transform the way you think about stories and the way you write them, forever.
You know your first draft has problems, but what’s the best way to fix them? How do you know where to start editing? Or for many writers the bigger question becomes, “How do I know when I’m done?” Popular bloggers Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson have been where you are, and they want to help you understand, and even come to love—yes, love—the editing process. In this revised and updated edition of Go Teen Writers: Edit Your Novel, you’ll learn:
• Methods for efficiently editing your novel.
• What problems to look for in your manuscript and how to solve them.
• Where to start editing, and how to know when you’re done.
• How to keep track of your story’s character, storyworld, and setting details.
• How a critique group can help you.
• The pros and cons of traditional and self-publishing.
• An overview of pitching your novel and making writing your career.
And much more!
Teaching yourself how to edit a first draft can feel hard, discouraging, and isolating. But using this guide, you’ll feel encouraged, empowered, and capable—as if you had a writing coach sitting alongside you.
Engage Your Readers with Emotion
While writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, none would argue this: If you want to write strong fiction, you must make your readers feel. The reader’s experience must be an emotional journey of its own, one as involving as your characters’ struggles, discoveries, and triumphs are for you.
That’s where The Emotional Craft of Fiction comes in. Veteran literary agent and expert fiction instructor Donald Maass shows you how to use story to provoke a visceral and emotional experience in readers. Topics covered include:
• emotional modes of writing
• beyond showing versus telling
• your story’s emotional world
• moral stakes
• connecting the inner and outer journeys
• plot as emotional opportunities
• invoking higher emotions, symbols, and emotional language
• cascading change
• story as emotional mirror
• positive spirit and magnanimous writing
• the hidden current that makes stories move
Readers can simply read a novel…or they can experience it. The Emotional Craft of Fiction shows you how to make that happen.
