There are a great many books out there that offer hints, tips and other tidbits of information about both the art and act of writing, some of which are very good and have been an asset to me.

A book that I have found extremely informative and helpful, and the first book about writing that I ever bought in actual physical form (as opposed to an ebook), was The Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook from Bloomsbury Books. It holds a plethora of invaluable information within its many pages, and I found it a struggle to put it down.

Conveniently structured and laid out in a way that makes it very easy for the reader to find exactly what they are looking for, the information given is detailed, yet very easy to understand.

The Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook covers topics ranging from Outlining to short stories and flash fiction to how to query agents, mainstream publishing, and self-publishing.

Also within the pages of this must-read guide is confidence if you look for it hard enough. It sounds a bit cheesy, but before reading this book, I often feared that I would never write anything that anybody would want to read. Having read it, however, I realised that there is lots of encouragement and guidance out there for writers and that there is space enough in the world for everyone’s creativity.

Another book that I found to be of great help is Writing a Novel and Getting Published for Dummies from Wiley Publishing. It is helpful, first and foremost because it was written by George Green, a lecturer in creative writing and published author and Lizzy Kremer, a literary agent. Clearly, these are people who know a bit about writing.

Inside is lots of useful information for writers. It can help you to figure out where to begin your writing journey, how to use dialogue effectively and even how you should prepare your manuscript.

I’ll be honest, in the past, I had always been wary of the ‘For Dummies’ range of books, almost fearful of them in a way. I suppose I thought that in buying one or even reading one, that I would be admitting that I am an idiot or at the very least, that the books would make me feel like one.

However, I was pleasantly surprised upon turning to the first page, to find that the books are not like that at all. Not once while reading it did I feel as though I were being talked down to, or that things were being slowly spelt out for me. In fact, the books though extremely detailed, are thoroughly explained without coming across condescending.

Another ‘For Dummies’ book that I bought was Writing Fiction for Dummies, written by Randy Ingermanson, an award-winning novelist, and Peter Economy, the best selling author of Writing Children’s Books for Dummies.

This one can help you to figure out your target audience, create compelling characters and form a multi-layered plot.

Personally, I found this one to be more helpful towards my own writing needs than the previously mentioned Writing a Novel and Getting Published for Dummies, which I do still refer to from time to time.

Writing Fiction for Dummies has everything you need to get you started in creating fiction and offers very detailed advice on a plethora of writing-related subjects.

As always, thank you very much for using your valuable time to read my words.

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Until next time,

George

© 2017 GLT

Categories: Helpful Books

Tags: artist, book, books, creativity, Dummies, publishing, read, Reading, work, writers, writing, Yearbook