For my general writing purposes, my two “go to” references are my very worn college dictionary (a present from my aunt as a young’un), and Strunk and White. I took some fiction writing classes many years ago, but the teacher never prompted us to use anything other than Strunk and White or the Chicago Manual of Style for a reference.
So fiction writers, what do you go to when you run into questions or problems in your scribblings? I’m aware that “Save the Cat” seems to be pretty popular for burgeoning screenwriters, but what about other types of fiction, especially if you’re a genre writer (romance, sci fi, etc.)?
Do actual people count? I spent a good bit of time on the phone with the FBI’s information office asking dumb questions a few months ago. I’m writing a mystery/suspense novel.
I’m not so much interested in the answer to “What are you references for facts?” Yes, Google, Wikipedia, the CIA World Factbook – all are great for finding out the population of Wisconsin or the number of stories in the Burj Khalifa. I’m more interested in what you go to as a reference for story problems, i.e. “how can I make this character’s motives more believable,” or “how can I prevent this plot point from making the story come to a screeching halt.”
Do any real professional fiction writers ever have such a reference? Amateurs might, I suppose, but that’s why they’re amateurs. If you need a book to solve your plotting problems, you aren’t really a writer.
I sometimes forget specific Win32 calls that are available when programming, so I always have the MSDN library at the ready when I need it. I’ve been doing this so long, I’ve probably forgotten more than many programmers know. Doesn’t mean that I’m not a professional programmer because I need to refer to the MSDN (especially since I get paid for doing this). I personally know one bestseller author who used writing references and eventually created his own complete guide for himself and his students (this was awhile ago).
I don’t see things in such black and white terms that a writer who refers to a favored reference isn’t a professional, or is somehow an “amateur” (in the most pejorative sense).
So, I still would like to hear from writers who like to refer to something (a book, a movie, heck – even a person) when they need a bit of an assist.
I have a Crime Writers Reference book from the Writers’ Market people. I’ve had it for many years, and I now have a much better collection of stuff that I’ve compiled myself, but I still occasionally look something up there.
I also used to be a big fan of Loompanics press. Sometimes you had to just break down and order the book from them because no library would carry it. As a result I got their catalog, which had some fascinating stuff in it. So every now and then I break out the old Loompanics catalogs, which seems to stimulate my creativity somehow.
I also have a book that has a year-by-year breakdown of things like the top news stories, the top bestsellers, the top movies, the top songs. (And lots of mistakes, but in many cases it works when my memory doesn’t.) I use it to help build characters that are different ages than I am, which is most of them. What was this character listening to in high school in 1984? I know what I was listening to, but I wasn’t in high school. What childhood events influenced this character’s world view?
And I run my characters through a Myers-Briggs test on occasion and use the summary of their type to see if their actions are consistent with it.
Note that I usually refer to this stuff when I’m developing, as a way of procrastinating, or when I’m stuck–for instance when some no-good character refuses to do what I command. That is not supposed to happen. I’m supposed to be in charge here. This character may need to be fired (or assassinated) and replaced with somebody better. Maybe somebody younger, who will work for less.
And hey, Exapno, I resent the implication that my plot problems make me an amateur. I got paid, therefore I’m a pro. Got it?
You realize that not one of your references is the kind of plot-solving handbook that the OP is asking for? Did you even bother to click on the link in the OP?
Of course pros have those problems. All the time. But they don’t go to “How to Solve Plot Problems in Seven Easy Steps” to get the answer. There are many books that talk more generally about the basics or about goosing creativity when need, and there are books (or lyrics) that always make me want to write something as good. But creative writing is not mechanistic and there are no answers to be found. Just tricks and goads and by-passes and seeds to plant.
If you have such a mechanistic book, name it. Instead you named the usual miscellany that offices are full of, an individualistic olio of mental jumper cables. I don’t see that as remotely the same thing as what’s being asked. Perhaps I’m wrong and that’s exactly what is wanted. I’ve got some Loompanics books, too, because I had a friend in a writers workshop who wrote for them. And I know that the romance genre puts out reams of the stuff, and that the Romance Writers Report magazine is filled with how-to articles in every issue. But that’s because 80% of the Romance Writers of America membership is made up of writers who haven’t yet sold professionally. The SFWA Bulletin runs the occasional craft article, but mostly concentrates on the business end because all the members have made professional sales.
You write to an audience. I don’t know what this thread’s audience is. So I don’t know what to write.
Now THIS is the kind of thing I’m interested in hearing. Thank you!
I never would have thought of something like that. Back when I was trying my hand at writing, I wrote speculative fiction set in the near future, so it never occurred to me to create a character background that was consistent a particular period in the past. I only thought in terms of making sure the items a character might use were consistent with a time period.