The other day I was asked what books I would recommend for learning how to write. This came as a surprise and I found myself on the spot, trying to come up with a good answer. Like anything with a creative bent there are a lot of books with instructions and how-to advice and so to pick pick a few—especially in a field where I am the constant amateur—was a difficult proposition. Especially when, unknown to the person asking, I have a hard time getting through any type of textbook no matter the subject, especially anything in the how-to realm. Take for instance the time I had to replace a light switch.
The removal and replacement of a light switch is simple enough, It takes a screw driver and a set of hands with opposable thumbs. The problem I had is that there is electricity involved and that freaks me out, for good reason. Not knowing the proper way of working around live current running through the wires in the walls of my home I sought out a book containing knowledge (with pictures) on proper procedures in home repair pertaining to things that require electricity. I know, I know, it mostly involves turning off the electric current running to the house but I have this thing about not being electrocuted, ever.
Little did I know that replacing things inside the walls of homes can get more complicated once you're inside. The book I purchased, the one with the most diagrams, provided lots of great information but once I removed the light switch I had more questions that this encyclopedic tome didn't have answers or pictures for. Why does my light switch look just different enough from the one the book documents to make me wonder if there is another book I should have bought instead? Why is there, seemingly, ten feet of wire crammed behind the light switch, and is that dangerous—it seems dangerous!? And great Zeus apocalypse! The wires in the book, on the switch, and in the wall are different colors!
None of these things did the book address and because of that I started to second guess the authors of the book, the IBEW, and Ben Franklin. Not armed with the guidance I thought I was getting for $24.95 I did what maybe I should have done in the first place: I MacGuyvered it. Frayed and new wires were trimmed and twisted back together, everything was crammed back into the wall, faceplate replaced, and switch for electric current was turned back on. If the house blew up I had insurance and we only live two hours from the Mexican border wherein I could buy five houses with my insurance money and become a land baron.
To my surprise it all worked, the house didn't become a lightning rod, and, more importantly, nobody died. It was a miracle thanks to a book that did nothing to help me learn how to properly perform the task the book was about and somewhat forced me to learn how to do it on my own.
Now I love books and I buy many of them, most weeks end with one, two or seven new additions to the library but in recent years I've decreased the amount of how-to books. At these types of products, like the ones my friend was pining for, are the inflatable bowling lane bumpers of the creative world, but not even the best printed material can replace the leap of faith you need to turn the electricity on.
In short: Books, good, but no so much the how-to variety.
The best books to learn about writing are the ones that you enjoy reading, because they help make up a part of who you are. And to get your words read these days requires a lot of personality and a little attitude, well a lot of attitude but don't worry as you continue to write more the attitude will come out (Look at me, prime example, I write Airbag, it's a pretty big deal, and it's on the Internet, ever heard of it?!) and you'll find connecting with readers, and writing better a lot easier.
We're going to talk more about this in Austin, they only let the most smartest and most brilliant people in, did you know that?! (see, it just comes out, naturally) only we've got some magic tricks and a French Canadian prancing stallion.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
To write all you need is to find your Voice, and the words just follow along. You sir, are an exemplar of that. You have a natural Airbag Voice. Your words show us that.
"...not even the best printed material can replace the leap of faith you need to turn the electricity on."
Possibly the best metaphor/advice for the entire creative process I've ever heard.
I remember when I was a kid being told that the way to expand your vocabulary, improve your spelling, and learn how to write was simply to read. As an adult now, when I write or even when I talk, I can pick up on my phrasing or word choice and tell which author or which book influenced it. Even on my blog, when I'm trying desperately to be funny, every now and then I'll write something that reminds me of Douglas Adams and it makes me smile. It's almost like he taught me that.
Are we talking nonfiction writing? Then I'd recommend On Writing Well.
Fantastic post, but becoming a Mexican land baron still sounds tempting... hmmm
When I've taught composition, I've found Peter Elbow's Writing Without Teachers to be incredibly handy. (Ironic, no?) The key to writing well is to write a lot.
I also have used The Best American Essays of the Century--not because it's the "best," but because it shows many styles of writing from different points in the not-too-distant past. It's good to have a bunch of models presented to you; to discover someone whose style you want to emulate.
Published in 1938, Brenda Ueland's 'If You Want to Write' may be the exception. Still inspiring the free spirited to business professionals today it's a classic.
Ueland: "We must try to find our true conscience, our true self, the very center, for this is the only first-rate choice making center. Here lies all originality, talent, honor, truthfulness, courage, and cheerfulness. Here only lies the ability to choose the good and the grand, the true and the beautiful."
Carl Sandburg to Guy Kawasaki have called it the best book ever on how to write.
This is probably a boring thing to say, but it's a really bad idea to do home electrical work. Your insurance wouldn't have covered your house if it burnt down because you're not a licenced electrical contractor.
Also, just because it survived the first day after you worked on it doesn't mean it won't burnt down in a years time -- shoddy electrical work is often a ticking time bomb (bad connections get hot and cause fires). And since you've publicly admitted doing it yourself, your insurance company won't be any help when your house starts burning.
Anybody serious about writing *must read* this book: The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers, by John Gardner.
There are other books by Gardner which are excellent, but this is a great one for writers just getting started, and even for experienced vets. And when I say 'writing' I mean fiction. Most journalists are not writers.
Stewart, I wouldn't say that was a boring thing to say, but I'm thinking that by saying it you missed the thrust of what he's saying. The electrical story doesn't even have to be true - it's not the point at all.
Different books will provide varied levels of guidance to different writers, but in addition to reading, to write well it's even more important to write. There is no substitute.
I always find that my writing is better the more consistently I write. Write first, read what you like second, and then read some of the books mentioned here. I don't mean to downplay these books; but if you're prioritizing against a time crunch doing things in that order will serve you well.
I might also toss Stephen King's "On Writing" onto the table. He includes common sense mechanics that are all too distracting and glaringly contribute to bad writing when not done properly. The book also provides a very good insight on character-driven writing that you don't typically get in an instructional book on the subject.
> Anybody serious about writing *must read* this book: The Art of Fiction...Most journalists are not writers.
Are you suggesting that the only serious writers are those who write fiction?
I recommend The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White.
How to write better:
1) Read. A lot.
2) Write. Everyday.
In high school and college I was so intimidated by writing, I became an art / design major. At 26, I decided to challenge my fear and write for a local 'zine which turned into a music journalism gig. Around the time that I started my blog in 2003, I enrolled in a poetry class at UCLA. This was the best thing I have done to date to improve my writing, as poetry made me really consider word choice in a small space.
Greg, I look forward to your session next week, why ever did Hugh put you at 10am? Agh. ;o)
p.s. I have a book addiction. All too true. Recent acquisitions have been in programming and mythology, or maybe it is the mythology of programming...
@Sam: The Elements of Style is a great book, very helpful. I read it for my journalism class and its helped me so much in my writing.
@Greg: I like how your first step after a failed do-it-yourself project is to become a land baron in Mexico. Perhaps there's something to that...
@Greg P:
Gardner's Art of Fiction is a pretty good read, especially for some of its writing exercises, but his advice is pretty intimidating, even to already-confident writers.
Were he still alive, though, I doubt he'd agree with your sentiments about fiction being the only kind of writing, especially if you peruse his own list of publications!
A dictionary.
Good novels.
Bill Bryson's Troublesome Words is a useful reference.
A good style guide.
> I like how your first step after a failed do-it-yourself project is to become a land baron in Mexico. Perhaps there's something to that...
Oh, you have no idea. Which would you rather tell people you do for a living: I produce websites or I am a land baron in Mexico. I think about it occasionally and a lot when I'm knee deep in wireframes.
> I recommend The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White.
Yes, yes it's a good book but the point is (and this is not just directed to Sam but his comment was the most direct and the easiest to cut-and-paste) that a book isn't going to help you write. The act of writing, the practice of writing is the only action that will make anyone a better writer.
Practice makes perfect. Perfection kills practice. Or something...
This reminds me of a conversation I had with the Interactive Director of the company I work for. He had recommended some books on Drupal (for an upcoming project) for me to browse. I kind of shuttered away from the prospect of reading web development books. He questioned why. I told him honestly, "When it comes to web design and learning proper code, my best offense is cracking open source codes of sites that do it right and browse online tutorials on any given topic I'm in need of assistance." Furthermore I told him my process of learning is by trial and error. The only way a lesson sticks with me is through countless attempts. Practice.
To my surprise he totally agreed with me.
That's not to say how-to books are a bad thing. They just don't make the information stick in my head. Of course...Greg, I gotta tell you. I'd pee my pants if I had to stick my hand into a wall with minimal knowledge of electricity...and since I have less than that, I'll leave the Bob Villa'ing to guys like yourself. :)
> Are you suggesting that the only serious writers are those who write fiction?
That's not exactly what I mean. I'll try to be more clear. Fiction is the big leagues, if you will. All great writers have mastered fiction. Great writers do write in many other styles, but to seriously say 'I'm a writer' you have to master the various forms of fiction. If you spend the rest of your life as a journalist or a historian, etc, that's fine. But the important point is that you've mastered your craft and have chosen your style. Rather than the majority of hacks who write what they write because they lack the skill do anything else.
The writing exercises in Gardner's book are excellent. It's like working out at the gym to get in better shape. As someone else said, you must write to become a writer. Well, Gardner gives direction and helps you write well.
Perhaps another analogy will help explain my point. I'm a drummer, and quite good. I play rock music with a band and it's tons of fun. But I formally studied classical music and jazz in university, because those forms of music are much harder and more complex than rock music. Now I'm a much better rock drummer because of it.
Many great rock musicians have backgrounds in jazz or classical. It's simply about learning to play your instrument well.
Am I making any sense? I don't mean to be artsy fartsy and what a 'serious writer' is, but fiction is the foundation, and I would include poetry, the short story, all types of fiction in that.
One more quick thing, since somebody mentioned Stephen King. King is a successful writer, but he's not particularly good. He's middling decent, and I've read lots of his books. I guess he would have good advice on how to crank out a novel, but even King has admitted that he's not a great writer.
Greg P.,
The idea that only fiction writers are "real" writers is one of the silliest notions I've ever heard. That's like saying short stops are they only real baseball players or that country singers are the only real vocalists. It is essentially arbitrary. Some people might argue that writing facts in a compelling way requires a better mastery of the craft than writing invented stories. That doesn't happen to be my opinion, but it seems more valid than your viewpoint.
@Tony
Please read my post again. I did not say fiction writers are the only real writers. I said fiction is the most complex form of the craft. Take any journalist or biographer, etc through the steps of learning to write fiction well, and he or she will come out a better writer. If you are passionate about writing, you will study fiction, and it *will* make you a better writer.
If you're simply not interested in improving your craft, then you're not much of a writer, are you?
I'll also note that writers should study all forms of the craft, from interviews to biographies to history books to comics, I could go on. But fiction is the 'Big Wave'. If you're a writer, really a writer, you've got to grab your board and ride that wave.
@Greg P:
"fiction is the foundation, and I would include poetry, the short story, all types of fiction in that."
and
"fiction is the most complex form of the craft."
This is, in the end, a pretty nit-picky discussion, but there are a great many poets who would take exception to the idea that they write "fiction." You seem to want to argue that if a person wants to write prose well, he/she should read and write prose. Fine. But poetry is not prose fiction. It is poetry. And prose fiction is not poetry. It is prose fiction.
I would simply say that if someone wants to write well, that person should study good writing, with an occasional foray into bad writing, because it is difficult to know why something is good if you don't know what sucks.
@Scott:
I'm a published poet, so I know a thing or two about it. There isn't room on this blog to get into a deep discussion of the forms of poetry and how poetry parallels the fundamentals of fiction. Poetry is part of what I consider the hardest form of writing. I don't have the time or the space to explain every aspect of fiction, poetry, short story forms, etc.
Perhaps let's use the term literature, or 'writing which is widely considered to be art'. That might be a better way to put it, because it automatically excludes the fiction of the Anne Rices of the world.
Isn't it obvious that studying the hardest form(s) of writing will make you a better writer? And if you're actually a writer, wouldn't you have some interest in improving?
E.B. White once opined about English that its "usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education -- sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street." This mixes well with the idea of the great 'leap of faith' required to turn the light switch on. It's no surprise that there are myriad books out there that people will sell to you to make you a better writer, but none of it means a damn fool thing if you don't trust in your own luck.
Anyone can write, but few trust themselves to write well.
Arguing over whether fiction or poetry or journalism is the superior art form is ridiculous.
Good writing is good writing. In English, good writing is usually understandable, concise writing, There are of course exceptions.
Clear, understandable writing usually reflects clarity of thought and purpose.
It is true many journalists don't consider themselves to be artists. Certainly no one considers box scores or agate copy to be great art.
After all of the great journalists who have done both fiction and non fiction, some celebrated recently in film, I'm surprised someone would actually make the assertion that fiction is the big leagues.
Which is superior, film, stage or television?
Morely Calahan, Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, Ernest Hemmingway...
Look in fiction you have to impress people with style and plot and character.
In non fiction you have to do all of those same things, but it also has to be true. Not just true to life, but true.
To do it well you have to be original, you have to be imaginative, you have to "write well," but the way you employ those skills is different
> Which is superior, film, stage or television?
> Morely Calahan, Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, Ernest Hemmingway...
Sean, you prove my point. The four writers you list here all studied and incorporated literary techniques into their writing, and they all wrote fiction.
Yes, they also wrote in many other styles/genres, but as writers they all ended up trying their hand at fiction. Because they understood the need to improve their craft and explore the techniques of literature, which are leaps and bounds more difficult than any other form of writing.
Meh, this argument is pointless. If you don't understand the difference in the level of difficulty between journalism and literature, then you've obviously never done both. I have done both, so I can speak with some experience.
Yes, great journalism takes skill and effort. So does writing a good history, or an essay, or a biography. But none of it is as difficult as creating a worthy piece of literature.
Greg,
You make me laugh, so you have that going for you. But, your argument makes very little sense, if any.
@Tony,
If you don't grok my argument, there's not much I can say to you. Good luck on your next newspaper article or piece of advertising copy. But I happen to be quite serious about the craft of writing, and if you've got talent and you're not digging into fiction/literature, you're missing out.
I encourage you to read John Gardner's Art of Fiction, as I posted previously. You may change your opinion after going through that book. I would also encourage you to read every scrap Shakespeare ever wrote, and then start working your way through other great writers.
@ Greg P:
Um. Congratulations.
No, there's not. But I would be very, very interested in seeing someone attempt to mount such an argument.
OK. But don't forget novels and essays. You'll hurt Thoreau's and Montaigne's feelings. And E. B. White. Don't forget that White made his living as an essayist when he wasn't working on his salt-water farm.
How about we just use the term "good writing" like Sean and I suggested and stop trying to figure out whether Stewart Copeland is a better drummer than Faulkner is a novelist. Because everyone knows that Copeland would kick Faulkner's ass at drumming if drumming were writing novels and writing novels were drumming.
No. It's not. Because no one knows what the "hardest form(s) of writing" are. Except maybe Ezra Pound--and he sounds like either a fascist or a lunatic when he makes such claims.
I tend to find that the books I like to read, to really get into and follow through to the end, either fiction or non-fiction, are the ones that seem to be something that the author might directly say to me as though they were right in front of me talking to me.
I try to write like that, omitting my usually litany of ums and ahs though. :)
When I'm thinking about writing something longer than a shopping list I'll pick up a book by Pratchett or Tolkien and read for a little while, and sometimes a bit of Herbert as well.
On a side note about electricity, you're usually okay to get a little shock now and then as long as you're not earthed. I've been hit now by the capacitors in PC's PSU (dumb mistake, somewhat anesthetised by alcohol), and the straight juice coming from a standard 2-phase wall socket (240 volts in AU). Haven't had the "pleasure" of being hit by a 3-phase (410 volts) yet.
@ Scott
> How about we just use the term "good writing"
Sorry. That's not enough. There's a difference between 'good' and 'art'. Newspapers and magazines are full of good writing. Stephen King is a good writer. Many blogs are good. Is any of it great? Is it art? Hardly.
> Because no one knows what the "hardest form(s) of writing" are.
Um... yes, actually... writers do know.
I guess I can understand your position. I don't truly grok the difference in the level of difficulty when my guitar player tries one pattern or riff over another. The same way he doesn't understand why a certain rhythm is much tougher to play than another rhythm on the drums. As I said, it's tough to explain. But spend many years writing in all forms and studying the craft. What I'm saying will become obvious.
Why I Write and Politics and the English Language; two succinct essays by George Orwell that contain everything a writer needs to know (or at least everything that this writer needs to know).
Am I the only one who caught "... the most smartest ..."? The irony made me chuckle. Anyway, good read as always!
> Yes, great journalism takes skill and effort. So does writing a good history, or an essay, or a biography. But none of it is as difficult as creating a worthy piece of literature.
I agreed with this until you said worthy piece of literature because then you're on the edge of art for art's sake and that will make me want to punch kittens and I don't want to have to do that.
> How about we just use the term "good writing" like Sean and I suggested and stop trying to figure out whether Stewart Copeland is a better drummer than Faulkner is a novelist. Because everyone knows that Copeland would kick Faulkner's ass at drumming if drumming were writing novels and writing novels were drumming.
Yes but what would Gordon Sumner say?
> Haven't had the "pleasure" of being hit by a 3-phase (410 volts) yet.
Ben I might suggest wearing rubber gloves. Add an aviator hat and everyone will shrug off your new fashion sense as being eclectic—Win, win.
> Am I the only one who caught "... the most smartest ..."?
Sadly I think the irony was lost of the majority. Hey?! Isn't that a sign of high art or great writing?! Maybe if I had thrown in a few pinwheels into the narrative...
I've bought and not finished many a how-to-write manual. This is because, about halfway through any of these books, I think, "this whole time, I could have been writing."
That said, I have plenty of reading recommendations.
Read "Lucky Jim" by Kingsley Amis. Read Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Read "Beowulf." Read anything by Chuck Klosterman or Nick Hornby. Read "The Uncanny X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga" by Chris Claremont. Read the teleplay for Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode 94: "The Body" by Joss Whedon.
In short, it doesn't matter what you read. What matters is that feeling you get when some combination of a mere 26 letters is arranged in such a way that your heart leaps or races or breaks completely just to read it.
High art, low art, novels, essays, ad copy, poetry...it's all part of the giant smorgasbord that is the English language.
Except "smorgasbord." That's Swedish.
Greg (not P):
He'd probably just try to hit someone in the head with his bass and then, a couple of decades later, perform a particularly horrific version of James Taylor's magnificent song, "You Can Close Your Eyes," on the lute. ;)
"On writing well" and "Writing for Social Scientists".
@Greg:
>I agreed with this until you said worthy piece of literature because then you're on the edge of art for art's sake and that will make me want to punch kittens and I don't want to have to do that.
When I was a kid I set my cat on fire, nothing fatal I assure you. But, I'm with you, I *despise* art for art's sake. You know great writing when you read it (or hear it), words put together in ways that make you think sideways. Authors who put many layers of meaning into their work (Pynchon, Barthelme, etc), who pay attention to the smallest details and language choices. Tough to explain I guess, but you know it when you read it. The same way you can tell 'Oh, this writer is just being arty and weird and there's really not much meat here.'
It also doesn't have to be written by some dead guy and taught in a university class by some other almost-dead guy. There's some TV comedy writing that is killer. Dialogue is really tough to do well, and the 'jazz' of comedy dialogue, even tougher.
There are lines in Futurama which are genius, just as one example.
slightly OT, but man is it sad when someone pays an advertiser (the Deck) so that people will click over and read shitty SXSW blog postings that are 99% identical to everyone else's SXSW blog postings. proof that blogs are souled-out.
Hey this is great! I haven't had an anonymous moron make a stupid asshat comment in a really, really long time.
I am fascinated to learn more about how Internet advertising works in your world, riding the short bus. As I understand the practice of advertising businesses pay to place an ad on a site so that users will click through to learn more about the product or service they are advertising. I've never heard of a business paying money for ads that click-through to someone else's website.
Perhaps if you had taken the time to properly formulate your sinister, laser guided, reply you could have earned some street cred and then used it--along with that pile of skeet-ball tickets you've been saving--to get a bad-ass maroon Members Only jacket, because you need to remind the world that you haven't "souled-out".
Immigration just called and said you're too stupid for this country. They want to replace your spot in America for someone who wants to try harder.