Recs for books on novel writing? (need answers fast!)

I’m looking for books on writing that don’t assume that the person who wants to write a novel has never written a story before (seriously, are there people who don’t write at all that decide to pen novels? there are definitely books geared towards them) unlike the handful I’ve read up until now. Really, I’d like to read books that offer suggestions and advice geared towards strengthening your skills as a writer, rather than developing them to begin with. You know, when the author starts off with the assumption that you’ve been writing and have taken creative writing classes before picking up his/her book.
Ideally, I’d love recs that discuss these two things I’d like to work on:

  • giving your character something to do while talking
  • writing effective flashbacks/giving background info in a non-annoying or clumsily obvious way.

I doubt there are books strictly on either thing, but ones that cover them well would be great.

Books with writing exercises, like the workbook What If?*, would be welcomed too.
I’m not exactly kidding about the need answers fast part: my parents will soon be hounding me for Christmas gift suggestions :slight_smile:

Thanks for your help!

  • I’ve read:
  • On Writing by Stephen King
  • Novel Shortcuts by Laura Witcomb
    The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Novel (mostly for manuscript formatting advice)
  • What If? by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter
    …and a handful more I can’t think of off the top of my head

Donald Maas, The Career Novelist (he’s a very successful agent, provides a lot of info on the business)
Donald Maas, Writing the Breakout Novel (techniques to take your writing to the next level)
Linda Seger, Making a Good Writer Great (she’s a script doctor, but has written this to apply to fiction as well, and specifically to apply filmic techniques to fiction)
Chris Roerden, Don’t Sabotage Your Submission (confession: I like this one because she quoted one of my books as a Good Example)
Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird (fun to read)

I found Elements of Fiction Writing - Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress interesting.

I ended up getting Writing the Breakout Novel and a couple of other books related to plot and dialogue.

I have an opinion question, though: since the novels I’m working on involve someone helping the police (the main character is a civilian who is consulted, sort of like a psychic working for the cops) do you think this book Howdunit Book of Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers would be valuable? I’m torn because the case doesn’t get solved through traditional police work, but maybe knowing the ins and outs would be helpful in painting a realistic picture of the secondary character cop…

This one is very good:

The First Five Pages.
mmm

I’ve read some of the books in that series (can’t recall if I’ve read that specific one though). They’re generally pretty good in giving you a general background of some area you’re writing about.

Years ago Maass suggested to me Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain, which is still one of the best guides around.

I can recommend a book about diary/journal writing which is "about’ all writing and memory actually. It is Sarah Manguso’s gripping and brilliant Ongoingness. It is the closest thing to putting Marcel Proust’s idea of duration into what is gripping non-fiction. To not spoil anything, she kept a really long series of daily journal notes and then… did something totally magical, which shows, not tells how a person can get closer to themselves, to their writing, and to telling how things are. If you start, I guarantee you’ll be hooked.