- Block, Lawrence Telling Lies for Fun & Profit. An entertaining nuts-and-bolts book on fiction technique, one of the best. Dialogue section is excellent, particularly helpful on the technique of ellipsis.
- Browne, Renni, and Dave King, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. Selected by the Los Angeles Times as one of six "indispensable" books for writers. Useful for writers of biography, memoirs, journalism, etc. as well as fiction. Hands-on exercises, quizzes, tests.
- Burnett, Hallie, On Writing the Short Story. The best book we’ve found on the subject.
- Conrad, Barnaby, The Complete Guide to Writing Fiction. Inspiring, helpful essays on theory and technique by the director of the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference and a wide range of well-known fiction craftsmen—from Elmore Leonard to Eudora Welty.
- Drury, John, Creating Poetry. Thoughtful, knowledgeable, practical advice that helps writers see with the poet’s eye. Useful exercises.
- Field, Syd, The Screenwriter’s Workbook. The best hands-on guide we’ve found, by a veteran who knows his subject and knows how to teach it.
- Franklin, Jon, Writing for Story: Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction By a Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Winner. Fiction writers, too, can learn much from this author.
- Gardner, John, The Art of Fiction. Fiction technique and theory--useful, despite the subtitle, for veteran fiction writers as well as novices.
- Maass, Donald: Writing the Breakout Novel. A breakout novel is one that rises out of its category—such as literary fiction, mystery, romance, or thriller—and hits the bestseller lists. Maass explains the elements that all breakout novels share and shows readers how to use these elements to write a novel that has a good chance of succeeding in a crowded marketplace.
- McKee, Robert, Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. Written for screenwriters but with principles very applicable to novels.
- Stein, Sol, Stein on Writing. Perhaps the best book ever written on the overall craft of fiction. Straightforward, practical, easily absorbed. How to Grow a Novel. Anecdotal guide to the most common pitfalls in writing a novel and how to avoid them; good tips on honing craft.
- Zinsser, William, On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction. Despite its title, this superb guide is indispensable to fiction as well as nonfiction writers. Writing to Learn: How to Write—and Think—Clearly About Any Subject At All also deserves its classic status.
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Adriann Ranta |
| About the author: |
| Adriann is an alumni of the University of Arizona where she majored in Creative Writing with a concentration in Creative Nonfiction and a thematic minor in World Literature. She joined The Editorial Department in February of 2007 to assist Karinya Funsett with TED’s agent matchmaking program and serve as Managing Editor of Between the Lines.
Adriann now works as a literary agent specializing in foreign rights at Anderson Literary Management, Inc. She is sorely missed here at TED, but word is that she's doing great and enjoying her new job immensely. | |
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