Books About Writing

You will find many how-to-write books in the marketplace, and more are written every day. I own about fifty, and I’ve read them all, but I should have checked them out of the library, and bought only those I knew I’d read again and again, like those listed below:

Browne, Renni and Dave King, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, 2004.

George, Elizabeth, Writing Away: One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life, 2004.

King, Stephen, On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft, 2004.

Strunk, William Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition, 2000.

If I had to own just one book on writing, it would be The Elements of Style. Among its many valuable sections is the 26 page “Words and expressions commonly misused.” I wish they’d included “who and whom.” A typist “corrected” my use of “who” and “whom”—wrongly—all the way through a manuscript, and thank goodness an early reader found it. The rule, for those who care, is:

“Use who in the sense of he, she or they: Pat L. Milori, who was appointed to fill the vacancy, resigned. (He or she was appointed.) Use whom in the sense of him, her or them: Pat L. Milori, whom the board recommended, finally got the job. (The board recommended her or him.) The same test applies to whoever and whomever: Whoever wins will collect $64. (He or she wins.) Whomever you ask will provide directions. (You ask her or him.)” (The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage)

Stephen King, in his “Second Foreword” to On Writing has this to say about Strunk and White’s book: “…most books about writing are filled with bullshit. One notable exception to the bullshit rule is The Elements of Style…I’ll tell you right now that every aspiring writer should read The Elements of Style. Rule 17 in the Principles of Composition is ‘omit needless words.” A lot of the content in any good writing book is about omitting needless words, and that is certainly what Self Editing for Fiction Writers is about.

King’s On Writing is divided into two books—“C.V.” (you will enjoy his biography), and a “Toolbox,” which deals with grammar, vocabulary, examples from popular fiction of good writing and particular styles. Consider his passage on the “frag” or fragment of a sentence, as used successfully by Jonathan Kellerman: “The boat was thirty feet of sleek white fiberglass with gray trim. Tall masts, the sails tied. Satori painted on the hull is black script edged in gold.” As King writes, “…frags can work beautifully to streamline narration, create clear images, and create tension as well as to vary the prose-line.”

King crams the book with practical tips—(“2^nd Draft = 1^st Draft – 10%”)—and he isn’t afraid of attacking sacred cows: “short doesn’t always mean sweet. In some cases (The Bridges of Madison County), short means too sweet.” On Writing is original, refreshing, and useful. King ends the book with a recommended reading list.

Elizabeth George’s book is full of examples of writing, hers and others, to make specific points. She answers many questions, some you may not even know you had. When you read her book, you have the sense that you are taking her class. If you like her books as much as I do, that’s a good feeling.