I got a coupon in the mail from Barnes & Noble for 15% off all purchases so naturally I went to the bookstore last night. I bought some more David Gemmell books, and a couple by James Sallis, who is a very fine writer. I'll have to post some information on him here one of these days. I also picked up a pound of paper by john baxter, which is subtitled "confessions of a book addict." Sound familiar? I've actually read most of it before because I did an article on Baxter, who was an early SF writer, for a reference work. Baxter is still alive, and living in France. I managed to get in touch with hhim by email and he was very friendly and helpful.
I also got The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference. I know a lot of the stuff in it but it doesn't hurt to have it handy in case I need to look something up. And there are some new terms that I'm not familiar with. It's sort of a dictionary and encyclopedia in one. I also got Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass and I think I might give it a work through as I get ready to start another novel. Can't hurt. Does anyone out there find reading books on writing helpful to their own work? Just curious.
3 comments:
I found these books at the backdoor of the berry, which had been withdrawn and were being tossed: The Lively Art of Writing, by Lucile Payne,and, Writing and the Writer, by Frank Smith. I need all the help I can get - especially dealing with blockage (in writing). A good book can set you in the right direction and or inspire new approaches to the craft.
I agree. For years I've been getting Writer's Digest magazine, but I thought for a bit I'd let my subscription to the magazine lapse and use the money to buy a few writing related books.
I have more books than I can read in my natural lifetime, but the thing is you never know when you're going to find that perfect volume that's going to keep you up into the wee hours reading because it's so good. And you never know which book it's going to be, one you've had for a while or one that's brand new or one tucked in the corner of a used bookshop.
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