# Recs for books on novel writing? (need answers fast!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recs-for-books-on-novel-writing-need-answers-fast/562094 "2010-11-27T20:00:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recs-for-books-on-novel-writing-need-answers-fast/562094/1 "2010-11-27T20:00:42Z")
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 🙂 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 ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recs-for-books-on-novel-writing-need-answers-fast/562094/2 "2010-11-27T20:44:51Z")
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) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recs-for-books-on-novel-writing-need-answers-fast/562094/3 "2010-11-27T23:42:34Z")
I found _Elements of Fiction Writing - Beginnings, Middles & Ends_ by Nancy Kress interesting. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recs-for-books-on-novel-writing-need-answers-fast/562094/4 "2011-01-25T03:05:26Z")
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](http://www.amazon.com/Howdunit-Book-Police-Procedure-Investigation/dp/1582974551/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c) 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… ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recs-for-books-on-novel-writing-need-answers-fast/562094/5 "2011-01-25T03:45:11Z")
This one is very good: [The First Five Pages](http://www.amazon.com/First-Five-Pages-Writers-Rejection/dp/068485743X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295927059&sr=1-1). mmm ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recs-for-books-on-novel-writing-need-answers-fast/562094/6 "2011-01-25T04:02:47Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > 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](http://www.amazon.com/Howdunit-Book-Police-Procedure-Investigation/dp/1582974551/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c) 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… 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. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recs-for-books-on-novel-writing-need-answers-fast/562094/7 "2011-01-25T13:59:02Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > 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) Years ago Maass suggested to me _Techniques of the Selling Writer_ by Dwight V. Swain, which is still one of the best guides around. ---
**Author:** ![Norse\_Fulton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c2a13f/32.png) [@Norse\_Fulton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse_Fulton)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recs-for-books-on-novel-writing-need-answers-fast/562094/9 "2015-06-16T23:46:01Z")
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.