MWA members and authors such as Phyllis A. Whitney, Edward D. Hoch, John Lutz and others give insight to writing a novel and mystery novels in particular. The book covers not only the specifics to mysteries, but the very basics of novel writing, from preparation to market, and has a half dozen chapters on specialties such as the medical and legal thriller.
Impressions: While not as good as Writing the Breakout Novel, this is still an excellent resource, particularly for the mystery writer. I picked it up to help me with my mystery novel (which is probably on indefinite hold while I work on a few other things and learn more about the genre), but have found myself picking it up and looking up things for my non-mystery novels as well.
The second book (and now the only one available) in Writer's Digest short story handbooks, this volume covers more advanced techniques over the same topics as the previous handbook, as well as a few more. Chapters are written by John Updike, Orson Scott Card, Janet Burroway, and many other well published authors. There's a mix in terms of who writes on the various topics, with some topics being covered by several writers and others only having one chapter by one author. However, it is another book with chapters on everything from getting started to marketing, and includes topics such as making your fiction three dimensional, using symbols, and chapters on three forms of specialized fiction: the short short, literary fivtion, and children's fiction.
Impressions: I actually found this volume to be more at my level in terms of where I am as a writer. Not saying that the previous volume is bad, I actually got quite a bit out of it, but it was more basic than this one. However, volume 2 definitely is for more advanced writers, and, after 3 years of writing classes, I got enough out of them to qualify for a bit more advanced than beginner. ;) I am a bit disappointed that the first volume seems to be out of print and is not being used for the short story workshop/class given by Writer's Digest Schools, though. The two books, in my opinion, work best if read together (or one right after the other).
Another collaboration of writers on writing a novel, this one 445 pages and 55 chapters long. Authors include Sue Grafton, Terry Brooks, and Janet Fitch, among others, and has interviews of Margaret Atwood, Tom Clancy, Terry McMillan, Joyce Carol Oates, and several other well known writers. It begins with basics in The Craft, discusses more advanced techniques in The Art, continues on to The Process, takes a side trip into The Genres, and finishes yp with The Marketplace and The Interviews. Most topics are covered by only one author, but a few have a second author presenting a different perspective or a specific point of a topic.
Impressions: This book blew me away and was immediately posted to my recommended books list at my writing journal. I don't even think I've ever READ a book on writing as fast as I read this one, particularly one of 445 pages! And I plan to eventually find some time to read it again, this time without a highlighter in my hand but with a pen.
I refer back to this book often in my writing, have spots bookmarked and commented on, and even the interviews have passages highlighted. As I move books off my small bookshelf on my desk, this is one of the few books that actually stays whenever I'm thinning things out. Only one other book is better: Writing the Breakout Novel. I can't recommend this book highly enough to novelists.
As this book states in the introduction, "self-editing is probably the only kind of editing your manuscript will ever get." Gone are the days when editors actually edited or gave suggestions on edits the manuscripts they felt worthy of publication. Now days writers are on their own.
Written by two professional editors, Self-Editing For Fiction Writers covers some of the most difficult characteristics of writing that authors need to think about: showing vs. telling, point of view, and dialogue among them They also cover a few things that most other books on editing don't: beats, proportion, interior monologue, and sophistication.
Impressions: This is one of the best books on editing I've read. It's clear and concise, and the concepts are made easy to understand, which also made it a very quick read. I even found myself skipping forward to look for the cartoons, then going back to finish reading. Like most books on writing, I don't necessarily agree with everything the writers suggest, but the book still landed on my recommended bookshelf.
Updates: Since reading this book, I've reread it and tend to check back through it occasionally with things I'm having trouble with or need a little advice on.
