(Part 2) Top products from r/writing

I answered this same question a while ago, I'll copy/paste that response here, but just really quick, the reason you see MFAs springing up in published authors' bios is because it's still the traditional, old school route. If you get your MFA in Creative Writing, you're more likely to pursue traditional publication than a more contemporary route (ebooks, audiobooks, self-pub, etc.).

But anways, onto the main content:

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A degree is only as useful as you make it after you've attained it.

I could have gotten an MFA (I was offered a free spot in my grad school's program—long story) but chose not to because, frankly, I didn't feel that I needed it.

Don't get me wrong: an MFA can be invaluable. But imo (I can't stress that enough, this is all through my own lens), it's mostly the experience and the ease-of-access to useful tools that makes it worthwhile; not necessarily the degree itself. In other words, the journey to the degree is what gives it value (which I suppose could be said of any degree you earn, but I digress).

When you go for an MFA, you get (most obviously) incredible amounts of workshopping and feedback on your pieces; this is pretty essential to a growing writer. Just look at the weekly critique thread here, workshops/critiques are what people crave and you'll have consistent access to quality critiques. You really can't find that anywhere else.

In an MFA, you will absorb a lot of information regarding craft and nuance—all things that you could surely find on your own, but are consolidated and streamlined nicely for you in a program geared towards creative writing.

By extension, you also get immediate, intimate, and prolonged access to successful and published writers (instructors, guest writers, temp/visiting writers, etc.), whose brains you can pick quite freely.

And lastly (probably the "most" important thing for aspiring writers), you're given a 'better' platform from which to get published. You'll have all these connections that you can work, and they'll do what they can to help you get in (all the while improving your writing in a sustainable environment).

So, just to sum up quickly, what are some important things an MFA gives you?

• Workshops: Feedback given and received (both are very useful; do not underestimate the utility of being a good and articulate reader first and writer second; I can elaborate on this philosophy if you'd like, just ask :D).
  
• Networking: Like-minded peers to collaborate with, and instructors who are invested in your success (befriend as many people as you can; you never know if a peer is gonna be a breakout writer).
  
• Knowledge: Easy access to a ton of information ranging from style to craft.
  
• Guidance: You have a schedule. This seems like a no-brainer, but everything is laid out for you, and there is a logical progression to the things you will learn. You don't have to create your own lesson plans, you're walked through it by seasoned and skilled writers who are proven craftsmen and craftswomen. Also, you'll get advice from these same people who've been in your position before.
  
  Now here's the thing: all four of these things are attainable without an MFA. It'll take more effort on your part, but it's doable.
  
  You can workshop—either on your own, or as part of a community (like this sub). This also opens the door to networking, both with the people who critique your work and with those whose work you critique (see, beta readers).
  
  You can make your own schedule—a little harder for those who tend to procrastinate or find it difficult to self-motivate, but it can be done. Buy some books on creative writing (for example, the Portable MFA; or GWW on Fiction, etc.; I'm assuming you're interested in fiction rather than nonfiction/memoir or poetry), set a schedule for yourself (maybe M/W/F or something). Make your own lesson plan, do the exercises. It is imperative that you honor this schedule—no cheat days, no skipping (we'll talk about this in a bit).
  
  If possible, try to find a friend or two to do it with you (even if they're not great writers or really interested in it,
  but rather just want to support you)—it's always better with other people, and there's more motivation for yourself to do the exercises. Write on the days in between and the time before and after the lessons.
  
  Sure, you might not have such easy access to people in the industry without going to an MFA program, but at the end of the day, it's more often than not the quality of your writing and the execution of your ideas that will get you places. There are lots of self-published authors on this sub alone. How many of them have MFAs? I couldn't guess, but I can guarantee not all of them have one; they were just determined and diligent. They put in the time and work, maybe got an agent.
  
  Pursuing an MFA is great because it gives you constant (almost incessant) exposure to creative writing in what is usually a conducive environment: you cannot afford to put things off or to have writer's block; even if you're at a loss, you have to write.
  
  The problem with doing this solo (i.e. not in an MFA), especially if you have motivation issues, is that creative writing can be an endless time-sink. If you have writer's block and you just think, "Ah, I have no idea where to go with this, I'll just come back later," you can just go off and do something else: play video games, watch TV, see a movie, see friends... or maybe you're just a bad procrastinator. It just becomes an infinite loop of minimal-to-zero productivity.
  
  If you don't get much writing done in an MFA, you will get your ass handed to you. And you might be one of those people who can get by on procrastination, but in a CW program, it's very easy to see who is procrastinating... so your work will likely be sub-par and your ass will get handed to you anyways. Your instructors won't mince words, they will tell you straight up if your work is bad. One of my instructors gave me an anecdote of his first workshop at the famed Iowa Writer's Workshop where the instructor had the whole class workshop one of the student's works—he remained silent the whole time and let them guide the discussion. They went on for over 45 mins talking about the good and bad parts of the story, craft, etc., and after they had all finished, the instructor simply held the manuscript up and tore it in half. He told them they were all wrong and had wasted their time, because the manuscript was trash.
  
  Granted, this is an extreme case in probably the most prestigious MFA program there is, but my point stands: at an MFA, you must produce. At home, doing this alone, you can have days where you only write one page, days where you write 10, and nothing bad will come of it. Don't worry too much about quality—it will come with volume. The more you write, the better you'll get at it; likewise, the more you critique other stories, the better you'll get (which is why workshopping is so important). I'd argue that critiquing others is more important than writing yourself but that's linking back to the philosophy I mentioned above and I don't want to delve into that since it's not really relevant.
  
  When I was getting my MA in English, I had a friend who was in the MFA program (while I was still deciding if I wanted to enroll in it after I got my masters) and whenever I asked him how his MFA was coming along, he always seemed to be stressing about his deadlines and workload. He'd have to have a brand new short done by the next week; or 50+ new pages for his novel-in-progress by the week after; the entire novel draft by midterm break; the draft revised by the end of semester; all of this while writing other shorts, workshopping other people's stuff, teaching at the local high school, etc.
  
  In the military, there's a term during basic training/boot camp called "getting smoked." This is when the instructors make recruits run or do insane amounts of push-ups/pull-ups.
  
  In an MFA, your ass is going to get smoked. You're going to have to write a lot. When there's a deadline to meet and something on the line (your reputation, your grade, etc.), you'll find your motivation fast, even if you have to make it up; this isn't necessarily the case when you're your own boss.
  
  Like I said earlier, I was offered a guaranteed spot in my school's MFA program. I eventually declined, because, essentially, I'm very confident in my prose. The head of the CW department was really pushing for me to join, and I knew that if he thought my writing was that good, I didn't actually need the MFA (although I'd be lying if I said I didn't want one).
  
  Worst-case scenario, if you get your MFA (and even while pursuing it) and everything else falls through, you can get some teaching opportunities at local high schools and temp jobs at colleges. When you get your MFA (since it's a terminal degree), you can actually teach full-time at the college/university level which does have its perks. But teaching isn't for everyone (:
  
  So, TL;DR: if you're a very motivated person, you don't really need an MFA. If you need a kick in the ass, an MFA may be very helpful (and you'll get some very helpful things along the way).
  
  Also: money. It sucks, but it's a factor.
  
  If you have any other questions, I'm all ears. Good luck!
  
  ~b

I totally understand. I need some structure as well.

I've bought so many creative writing books, and I've realized the best ones are the ones used in college classrooms.

This one is my favorite. You can do a writing exercise from it everyday, and you'll improve greatly. Unfortunately it's pricey at $67 (try to get a used version at half the cost).

What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers (3rd Edition)

What's great is that each chapter builds your skills gradually, starting with exercises to write good intro sentences, then to character development, point of view, dialogue, interior landscape of characters, plot, element of style, revisions, learning from the greats, etc.

The authors have said this has been the best way to see improvements from their students, and it's been working for me. Unlike other writing exercise books, this one has a clear structure, and moreover, they really go in depth in explaining the exercise and it's goal -- the technique it's trying to develop.

What I find especially helpful is that the book includes student examples for most of the examples. I own many writing exercises books, and so often I need to a clue on how to execute the exercises or I'm lost. The book also comes with short stories to study, too.

I was so skeptical about the book, since it isn't cheap, but the reviews on Amazon won me over. Read those reviews -- so many people recommend the book.

Note, if you can't afford it, there is the original, much cheaper version. It's much smaller, and doesn't have as many student examples or extra content (like the short stories), but it's costs way less. I'm guessing this was the original book before they expanded into a college textbook. I also own it also and it's still good. It's nice to carry around with me if I don't want to take the much larger newer version.

My other recommendation is this book:[The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing by Alice LaPlante](
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Story-Norton-Creative-Writing/dp/0393337081/)

LaPlante is great at explaining the little nuances, the details in what makes creative fiction work. She goes into more details, and has writing exercises at the end of each chapter, including a short story to read. So she gives more theory of how good writing works. She avoids flowery or abstract advice found in so many other books.

I found it an excellent companion to the "What If" book.

This book is also used in college courses, and it's thick! Lots of material. Fortunately, however, this version I linked is around $13. This is the same exact book as the college version for $52 (named "Method and Madness: The Making of a Story").

Lastly, this isn't a college writing book, but just a bunch of really helpful exercises on how to improve as a writer.

Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark

What I like is that he gives examples to his exercises, too, from books, newspaper articles, etc. I really love all of Roy Peter Clark's writing books.

Anyway, good luck. I was in a deep writing funk. Depressed I wasn't improving, and I decided to write everyday using exercises from those books, and it's helped me so much.

Edit: typos.

• "On Writing," by Stephen King (http://amzn.com/B000FC0SIM) - The first half is a good biography, and the second half is great insight into how Stephen King comes up with his stories. Not just the genesis of the story, but that actual "I sit down and do this, with this, in this type of environment." And then what to do when you finish your first draft. He is very critical of plotting, though. If you disagree with him about that, it's still good for everything else.
  
  
• "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White (http://amzn.com/020530902X) - This is a handy little book for proper grammatical and prose rules. How to write proper dialogue, where to put punctuation, and how to structure sentences to flow in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
  
  
• "Stein On Writing" by Sol Stein (http://amzn.com/B00HFUJP5Y) - I just picked this book up, so I haven't finished it--but it seems to be a little more in depth than Stephen King's On Writing. For instance, it looks more at not just what makes a good story, but what makes a good story appealing to readers. So whereas Stephen King preaches a more organic growth and editing process to write a story, this one seems to be more focused on how to take your idea and make it a good story based on proven structure.
  
  Honorable mention:
  
  
• "The Emotion Thesaurus" by Angela Ackerman (http://amzn.com/B00822WM2M) - This is incredibly useful when you're "showing" character emotions instead of "telling" the reader what those emotions are. For example, "He was curious," is telling the reader the character is curious. "He leaned forward, sliding his chair closer," is showing the reader that he is curious.
  
  
• I think it's easy for writers (myself included) to get too wrapped up in studying writing, or reading about writing. The best way to improve your is to write more, whether it's fiction or non-fiction, articles or short stories, novels or book reviews. The same principle applies to most skills, art especially. While reading about the activity certainly helps and is probably necessary at some point, you're going to just have to perform the activity in order to improve. Imagine reading about running more than actually running to practice for a marathon. Or reading about flying instead of getting hours in. Or reading about piano theory instead of actually playing piano. But if you're coming from nothing, it would probably help to read those three books before starting in order to start practicing with a good background right away, instead of starting with nothing and winging it on your own.

Orson Scott Card's book How to write Science Fiction & Fantasy is a great reference.

In terms of fantasy books, some of my favorites include:

• The Black Company by Glen Cook - great, memorable characters, a compelling storyline, and an author not afraid to kill off his characters to advance the plot
  
• The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher - urban fantasy about a Chicago wizard; Butcher is a magnificent storyteller.
  
• The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales by JRR Tolkien. Not everyone's cup of tea but I love the intricate worldbuilding and the tragic stories.
  
• The Dark Angel trilogy - Meredith Ann Pierce - an unconventional heroine and a combination of romance, horror and magic.
  
• Lyonesse by SF&F Grand Master Jack Vance. Jack Vance has a unique writing style that is filled with noble and quirky characters, fascinating footnotes and a very rich story. This is one of those book series I re-read often.
  
• The Gift by Patrick O'Leary - perhaps one of the greatest single book fantasy novels I have ever read. Terrific story-inside-a-story construction, great characters and emotional impact.
  
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I love Neil Gaiman's writing voice and his many novels and short stories, but this is one of my favorites.
  
• Hawk of May and the other two books in the trilogy by Gillian Bradshaw. Imaginative telling of the story of Gwalchmai (aka Gawain) in the Arthurian cycle.
  

I think this kind of material is awesome! I'm more of a fantasy reader myself, but the type of immersion content I like to see is stuff like...

• maps!
  
• artwork - like photos of places; drawings of stuff from the novel (swords/whatever); diagrams. I'm not personally into character drawings/photos, but I think a lot of people probably do like that.
  
• unpublished artwork and scenes - like original cover concepts, as well as scenes that had to be cut or side-stories about characters who don't get enough time in the main work
  
• "making of" content, like early drafts, planning pages, crappy doodles, whatever
  
• games/puzzles related to the story
  
• recipes! This is kind of a weird one, but a lot of people love descriptions of food and a lot of books (esp scifi and fantasy) have weird food that I think might be fun to try to make yourself
  
• other (non-written) media, like songs/music from the book
  
• other genre/format material, like comics about the same characters,
  
  I'm largely unpublished at the moment, but I do a lot of side-projects and I also enjoy developing a story from multiple angles :D I think that's a great way not only to entertain existing fans, but to draw people to your book/product. Despite the fact that my novel is unpublished, I got quite a lot of attention to a "which character are you?" quiz that I made for my blog.
  
  This is a big unrelated, but you might also like checking out the Raw Shark Texts (allegedly there are real-world places you can travel to to "discover" more things about the book content) and/or The Ship of Theseus (/"Book of S"), which is sold with a bunch of "extraneous" material like newspaper clippings, and the whole book is filled with notes written back and forth from "previous readers"; it's a pretty interesting experience.

I plot out the major arcs of both the story and the characters. I make sure to nail down the essentials of what is happening when, as well as developing a good understanding of my character motivations.

For me, a lot of planning involves just taking the time to mull over the themes I want to work with, or explore questions I want to raise. This involves asking a lot of questions to everyone I know, everyone I meet. It makes for great party conversations!

It takes a few months, during which time I'll also explore what's already been written/said about what I'm hoping to do. I look at similar movies and books, anything at all that's already been produced that has themes or topics similar to what I'm developing.

I watch a lot of movies and read a lot of books.

As a concrete example, my most recent novel is about what would happen if everyone in the world stopped sleeping.

I spent months asking everyone I knew what the longest was that they stayed awake. I also read pretty much the only comparable thing on the topic, a fictional novel called "Sleepless" by Charlie Huston. I also read articles on sleep and neuroscience, as well as watched TED talks and other related videos.

Then I conducted a sleep-deprivation experiment on myself. I wanted to know what it would be like to not sleep. (I am a wuss and didn't make it that long- I need sleep more than the average bear apparently!)

This novel is in the style of World War Z (early title: World War ZZZ, huehuehue) and so it involved a lot of characters. Too many to keep track of in my brain, unaided.

I had index cards for each one, as well as drafts notes (using Scrivener- hurrah!). I got really comfortable with character creation. I read Stephen King's On Writing and O.S. Card's Characters and Viewpoint.

I was able to craft an overarching narrative by determining which characters would inject the story with which elements, and placing them where they needed to be. They got moved around a bit as I went on, but throughout I was very aware of the overall flow of the work.

Through careful planning, the actual writing (80,000 words) only took about seven weeks. I am a machine when it comes to word output, if I've done my (months and months of) homework. A second draft saw a lot of that cut, and more added in to bring it up to 86,000 words in three weeks of the hardest work of my life.

For me, planning is super important. If I don't plan well enough, I waste days. Days where my story goes off the rails, or my characters do things which don't make sense.

It's wonderful to see some things happen more fluidly, and I've had lovely surprises this way, but I always stop and think about if that is really what I want to be doing before I proceed.

I hope this long winded reply answers your question. I do enjoy sharing this sort of thing, and I hope it helps other writers do what they love to do.

I think I disagree, but guess I haven't read a ton of books about writing. In my experience, they can be helpful, especially to people who are just starting out. Maybe not as helpful as reading the types of books that you want to write (and reading the stuff you don't want to write—it's important to read widely), but I don't know if I'd call them a waste of time. King's book is great (but that might be because I got the impression that I'd like him as a person while I was reading that), Strunk and White Elements of Style and Zissner's On Writing Well are helpful for tightening beginners' prose, Writing Fiction: a guide to narrative craft has great exercises at the end of every chapter, and I'm reading Benjamin Percy's essay collection Thrill Me right now, and it's great. I feel like a large part of /r/writing would really connect with the first and titular essay in that collection, actually. He talks about reading a lot of so-called trash genre fiction before being exposed to literary fiction and how he kind of overcorrected and became a super-fierce advocate for that-and-only-that before he realized that you can take the good parts of both to create amazing stories. I've also never read any other respected literary person mention reading R. A. Salvatore, which was cool to see since I forgot I was a big Drizzt fan when I was younger.

I know it's not explicitly geared for short stories but The Nighttime Novelist is my go-to text for how to think about structuring a larger work. Though I have yet to publish my first novel.

Short story writing is very different. Janet Burroway's Writing Fiction and Stephen King's On Writing are both wonderful craft books that shed some of the practicalities of the Nighttime Novelist and look a good writing in its simplest form.

Much more important than nonfiction books, though, is finding short story markets you'd like to read. Figure out what kind of place might accept the most perfect form of the fiction you'd like to write, and then read those magazines religiously. While you're reading, do what you can to consider what these stories are doing well and how they are pulling off what they are pulling off. Use the vocabulary learned from craft books to better articulate (to yourself, mostly) what these stories are really doing, and begin to generate a sense of what good writing looks like. Then practice, practice, practice, write, revise, and write some more until you've got something worth sending out.

At this point in your writing development, the name of the game is simply learning to write well--keep that in mind, and try to make decisions based on what will help you become a better writer. And finally remember, there is such a thing as "practicing well."

I have some experience with webcomics. I write and draw Miamaska, which has been going on for 2+years, and I'm about to start my second comic next month.

General advice for web comickers!

(or: How I learned things the hard way and eventually stumbled into a good system)

• Always have a buffer. Always update on time. Be dependable, your readers won't invest in your story if you seem flaky.
  
  
• Don't do video/audio or fullpage ads. New readers will close your tab out of annoyance, and those that stay will be extremely peeved when trying to read a chapter all at once.
  
  
• Set up donation incentives. Wallpapers, progress art for the next update, bonus page when a certain amount is reached, bonus mini-comic, etc!
  
  
• Interact with readers! Put up a comment box, do twitter and tumblr, do request drawings. It's fun, a confidence boost, and a good way to build a fan base.
  
  Regarding dialogue and pacing... what I tend to do is thumbnail an entire scene (3-15 pages for me) first and read through it a few times. I'll leave mini-cliffhangers at the end of each page (like a question, or a realization, or a character entering the scene). During this little review process, I'll also make sure the view for the reader doesn't violate the 180 rule too much, that it's obvious which bubble should be read next, and where the reader is going to look first.
  
  I don't have any experience in the print form of comics yet. So no advice there. Just make sure your comics are in print resolution as well (300+ DPI), or you'll be sorry later.
  
  Resource time
  
  I didn't have many resources starting out, but I'm gonna recommend these for you and anyone else interested:
  
  PaperWings Podcast -- podcast and blog on web comic-making (ongoing, good community, regular but sparse updates, good backlog). Has even more resources on its website.
  
  Art and Story -- podcast on print +web comic-making and the comic industry (ended, but a great backlog).
  
  Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics by cartoonist Scott McCloud, worth a read for any comicker. A little more geared towards print, but breaks down comic theory really nicely.
  
  Comics and Sequential Art, Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative, Expressive Anatomy for Comics and Narrative, by Will Eisner.
  
  Those books are pretty popular, so you can probably pick them up from the library or find them on the web somewhere.

Others have covered this well, but I wanted to throw in some thoughts. You absolutely MUST read if you plan on writing a novel. Just... required.

But don't force yourself to read things you don't like. Have you tried graphic novels? They are chock full of story but are more dynamic than your typical novel. Harry Potter may not have clicked for you because you saw the movies, but have you tried other young adult novels that don't have movie tie-ins? A lot of YA is imminently readable because they're usually in first person, fast-paced and very hook driven. There are some fun sci-fi/timey-wimey YA books out there you could try.

On the adult side, have you tried to read Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde? It's surrealist fantasy with a very fun time travel element, though they are very heavily rooted in bibliophilia--it's all tongue-in-cheek love of books stuff (the main character can jump into fiction). But he's my favorite writer on the planet and a great example of having fun with language/writing.

So I haven't actually read it but one of my BFFs loved this book to pieces: S by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst. http://www.amazon.com/S-J-Abrams/dp/0316201642. It's apparently a very bizarre "book" that is not quite a book and is supposed to be an experience unto itself. Sounds a bit like what you maybe have in mind.

Your Writing;

Some good writing in your details and solid word images. You have a good sense of humor, I would have enjoyed more of your dry timing. The story and characters, that was very difficult for me to follow. The paragraphs seemed to dance, move to one thing or another, almost like it didn't need to connect. They did connect but It felt to me I had to work hard to get it.

I stopped when Owen got to Lake Tahoe.

I found it hard to understand when it's the Mc thinking, or a dream, or something else. It didn't feel very real to me. I didn't get a any sense of a 'when', no sense of time passing, nor a viewpoint that let me understand what I was reading.

I thought Owen was a type of kid I wouldn't much like to hang out with. The red haired girl, not sure. Good world building, a firm start.

Other ways to get better feedback;

If you want to avoid bad habits before starting, be clear about how much help you can get here. Ask specific questions about areas you think don't work. Post a small intro, maybe just a scene or two from a chapter. Start a bit smaller. Build up from there.

The best help I see comes from very specific questions about your work.

More detailed critiques can be found at the link shown below. There they will read all of it and give very detailed responses, however there is a catch. You have to do a 1:1 ratio of other works in order to receive the same. So you'd have to complete a high level critique of a 2,500 plus story, then you would get the same.

If you don’t follow this rule, your post will be marked as a leech post. And if your leech post has been up for 24 hours without any new critiques from you, it will be removed.

[Destructive Readers](https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/ "The goal: to improve writing and maintain the highest standard of critique excellence anywhere on Reddit. DestructiveReaders isn't about writers being nice to writers; it's about readers being honest with writers. We deconstruct writing to construct better writers." )

Sharing the writing process;

A lot of us here are working and struggling with becoming better writers. So you are not alone in this painful process.

I myself find the task of becoming a good writer very daunting. I only keep going because I create a belief in myself. After that I go through the slow hard swim in the deep dark oceans of the unknown. I have no directions, no compass, only fear which if allowed becomes an anchor.

It would be good to know something about your skill level, things you've already read to improve crafting stories, classes you've taken, daily exercises or how much you write each day.

Myself; I do a daily poem, then write from 5/6 am to 9 am, that will be either my current novel or on a short I plan to submit to a magazine. I listen to Podcasts and do exercises from Writing Excuses

Books I use as my reference on writing;

• Song Writing Without Boundaries by Pat Pattison
  
  
• Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
  
  
• On Writing by Steven King
  
  
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr and E.B. White
  
  end
  
  
  
  
  

I'm surprised people haven't said much about the actual writing itself. Tone is an issue, but the actual structure of your writing needs work. I'll pull a few examples that way you can see what I mean.

"Unless you’re a member of an isolated ancient tribe living under one of the six remaining trees in what used to be the Amazon rainforest, you have almost certainly heard the term “Machine Learning” floating past within the last few years."

Your first sentence is almost a paragraph. This is a problem. Writing should be succinct and to the point. Clarity and strength of word usage will make what you say much more meaningful.

"In fact, personally, I’m convinced that if humanity doesn’t eradicate itself prematurely, there won’t be anything left humans can do that can’t be done much better, faster and cheaper by a suitably designed and programmed computer (or a network of them)."

This is a sentence in your third paragraph, which is again almost an entire paragraph by itself. You also severely diminish the strength of your sentence when you use things like 'In fact', 'personally', 'I'm convinced'. Your readers know that you are convinced because you are the one writing it. You need to convince them.

"Even though a computer can do just about anything, making it do what you want it to do can be very hard indeed."

Adverbs are not your friend. - Stephen King

Strength of sentence structure is impacted when you use adverbs like 'very'. And throwing on an 'indeed' doesn't do you any favors either. Make a point to think about what you are adding to your sentences with these words. Is the answer "I am adding nothing with these words."? Then those words should not be there.


I'm going to leave you a list of books where you can learn from writers that will help you with these things. Try not to get discouraged. We all have a lot to learn, so just think of it as part of the process. I would HIGHLY suggest you at least look into Elements of Style.

Sol Stein's On Writing

Stephen King's On Writing

Elements of Style

It will be easier coming from an objective source, rather than a close friend. Give him something to read that will help him critique his own writing. I don't know what he wrote, because you'd already pulled it down, but according to the comments here, he'd probably benefit from something like Noah Lukeman's First Five Pages - where an editor explains how you can pretty much tell amateurs from good writers within 5 pages. Most people make multiples of the errors he points out.

Get him that book as a way of encouraging him to prepare his book for publication, in the spirit of support. He'll figure out his own flaws soon enough...

Here's something I posted elsewhere a while ago, but both Harmon's rant on structure, and this link to an article about the latest screenwriting book "Save the Cat", are given with the advice to know the rules so you can break them properly.

----

Dan Harmon, creator of Community, is a student of Joseph Campbell and the use of the hero's journey in storytelling. Dan wrote about Story Structure on the channel101 forums years ago. The article's images seem to be missing, and he was writing to inspire 5 minute episodes for channel101, but it's still a great read.

• Story Structure 101 - Super Basic Shit
  
  
• Story Structure 102 - Pure, Boring Theory
  
  
• Story Structure 103 - Let's Simplify before Moving On
  
  
• Story Structure 104 - The Juicy Details
  
  
• Story Structure 105 - How TV is Different
  
  
• Story Structure 106 - Five Minute Plots
  
  There are books that go over the "Hero with a Thousand Faces" and storytelling, so you might want to check those out too if you're inspired by the idea.
  
  YouTube - The Matrix - Joseph Campbell Monomyth
  YouTube - LOST - A Hero's Journey
  [YouTube - Dan Wells on Story Structure]
  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcmiqQ9NpPE)

It looks like a great start! :) Once your book is out you'll want some really clear information on a dedicated page describing what the book is about and how to buy it.

Check out the Amazon.com Associates program. Ever listen to a podcast and they ask you to visit their page and click through if you're going to shop Amazon.com? Well Amazon gives a small percentage of each sale when the shopper comes from a referral partner. Since some of your sales will come directly from your author platform, why not take advantage?

For example, I really liked How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (referral link) by Orson Scott Card. I read it in college and it really gave me some insight on the topic, and I highly recommend it for new authors.

Now if you click on that link and buy the book, I get 3% of the sale price, and if you wander off in the same session and buy other stuff, I think I get 1%. I don't remember the details, since I haven't really used the referral link stuff. But that's how it works. You can read up on the program yourself.

You already have! You wrote this post yourself, right? If so, congrats - you're off to a great start.

Think about all the stuff you already write every day: notes, emails, tweets, Reddit posts. Re-thinking writing as something you already do makes it easier to dive deeper.

So continue writing. Write consistently and with intention. Set aside half an hour each day to do nothing but write. If you're feeling uninspired, writing prompts are very useful. There are plenty of resources out there.

Just as importantly: read a lot. Particularly the type of writing you wish to do. If you want to write books, read more books. If you want to write articles, read more articles (and also books). And then actually write them.

TL;DR - You're already writing, so just keep on writing. Set aside time to write each day, use writing prompts, and read what you want to write. Have fun!

I have a book called 3 AM Epiphany that is filled with writing exercises. I just open the book to a random page and to the exercise that comes up.

I've been doing 1 everyday for quite a while now. The one I did last night was #120 Chapers: Write a very short story using chapters and chapter headings that interact with the content. Come up with the chapter titles first, mix them up, and then let the story arise naturally from the title chapters. 500 words. (The book's description of each exercise is significantly more thorough, usually a whole page). I wrote a story about a hitman getting killed by his mark.

Another was, #92 Father and Son. Write A very short story about a Father and Son doing some kind of unusual activity. 400 words. I wrote about a father giving his son ayahuasca for the first time.

Last, from 3 days ago, #33 Goodness: Write a short story about a character who likes to help other people who rarely thinks of himself first. Don't punish them for it, don't make a big deal out of it, and give little or no background information about the character. 500 words. I wrote about a therapist helping a woman who has night terrors and keeps encountering a demon.

I feel like limiting what I can write about actually makes me more creative. It is also forcing me to deal with situations and relationships that I wouldn't have thought to write about on my own. I also enjoy that I often have no idea where the story is going to go when I set down my pen.

I haven't been writing very long. I have a lot of trouble coming up with smaller things to write about because all of my ideas are novels. I'm not quite ready for a novel yet(I'm thinking about doing nanowrimo however). These exercises have been good for me, my writing ability has improved noticeably and I have smoothed a lot of the rough edges off of my prose by looking back on the previous days exercises and circling problems(thought verbs, passive verbs, etc..)

Good Luck.

I've read "Wired for Story", the article author's book. She lists plenty of studies.

To answer your question, I place that book in my top list of characterization advice. She also does an excellent job of reminding authors not to make beginner mistakes, mistakes she used to endure when when was an editor.

My other top pick is "Writing for Emotional Impact". Wow. That one was brilliant too. It's about screenplay writing, but gets straight to the heart of why readers are engaged with some writing more than others. And it has over a hundred examples from movies. (more or less)

Sorry it's so expensive, especially since it has a few typos. You may be able to find it free online or do an inter-library loan.

The Elements of Eloquence is neat. It basically a compendium of rhetorical tools you can use to make better sentences.

You might also be interested in free verse poetry, which, if we're being honest, is nothing but very carefully written prose. I'm currently going through this book and enjoying it.

I also want to second Francine Prose's Reading like a Writer, which someone else already mentioned. It's fantastic.

I'm a comic book artist that went to school for it, still aspiring.

For understanding things like panel layout, pacing in comics, etc, check out Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics and Making Comics are pretty good for helping both artist and non-artist get what makes comics comics. Knowing how to create the visual comic, even if you can't draw, will help you direct your script.

Also, there is no official, streamlined way to write a comic script. Just make sure you put in all the necessary details while keeping things clear for the artist. Like if there's a bad guy with a secret weapon, make sure the artist knows that the moment he shows up so the artist can plan for it. And unless you're planning for a particular effect, don't make a guy do more than one thing in a panel.

You are not writing a story or a novel, you are writing a set of instructions for an artist and nobody will really see the script. I've seen scripts say things along the lines of, "The detective removes his hat, revealing a masculine, sexy face, like (insert actor here)".

It's also important to know about comic book panel layouts and whatnot because often it's acceptable for the writer to give the artist a drawing of a suggested layout.

Plenty of writers started late. You're fine. Do NOT let bullshit like this slow you down. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Have a place where you can easily focus. Whether it be your room, the library, or in the middle of nowhere, just find somewhere you can be without distractions.
   
   
2. Read. Read a lot, and read deeply and critically. Underline parts you like, and try to think about the author's process. Want to write thrillers? Read a bunch of thrillers, learn what's been done, try to think of what hasn't. If there's a story you want to read and it hasn't been written, it's up to you to write it. And you don't have to break the bank buying books to read. The library should be your first resource, as well as any places in your area where people drop off unwanted books. Used book stores if you want to buy something, and there are plenty of places online to get cheap E-books. Project Gutenberg is a good place to start for classics. You may even want to try reading poetry. In my opinion reading and writing poetry is excellent for when it comes time to write some prose that isn't just functional. Here's a good place to start
   
   
3. Write. For fuck's sake just WRITE. Don't spend days just thinking about your story, write it. Or at least write down all your ideas and compose an outline. Outlines are very useful for determining what goes where, and doing macro-level thinking about the overall story. If you feel like you're stuck, make an outline. If you're not stuck and are being lazy, stop being lazy. Write the damn story, and don't stop. Do not stop after 3 paragraphs and start editting. Just write, even if it's shit. Especially if it's shit. Often it's the only way to advance your ideas. It is fine if your first draft is dogshit. What is not fine is not having a first draft after six months.
   
   Here are a few youtube channels about writing, and links to some books on writing.
   
   Lessons from the Screenplay This one is focused on scripts, but the concepts translate well when it comes to the overall story.
   
   Terrible Writing Advice These are all examples of what NOT to do.
   
   Just Write Similar to LFTS, but of lesser quality.
   
   Stephen King talking about writing
   
   The Elements of Style The OG writing book.
   
   Style: the art of writing well
   
   Stephen King: On Writing Part memoir and part writing guide. Well worth reading.
   
   
   These are good, but always be on the lookout for more resources.
   
   
   
   My last bit of advice, and probably the most important, is be authentic. It's your story. Write what you want to read, not just what other people want. Say what you want to say, even if it's uncomfortable, even if it's not profitable. Don't be a pussy, and you'll be ok.

Every comment in here is amazing advice to start, but I'd also like to add in the Gotham Writers' Workshop book. It runs you roughly $5-15 on Amazon, but offers you a good way to hone and practice your narrative skills by offering you a diverse story selection with exercises that are geared towards making you think, imagine, and create.

Link to book: Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School https://www.amazon.com/dp/1582343306/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.MruzbS4CWM04

On Writing Well by William Zissner and Elements of Style by Strunk and White will help you write with clarity and succinctness. King's On Writing and Lamott's Bird by Bird will give you good general advice (and the reading list at the end of King's is great), but yeah, they don't get into the nitty gritty details too often (which is why some people like them and why some people don't).

Thrill Me by Benjamin Percy is a great collection of essays on fiction. It's somewhere between On Writing's and Bird by Bird's generalness and the specificity of On Writing Well and Elements of Style. You might even disagree with some of Percy's essays but he tackles topics that are important to think about regardless.

And I can't recommend Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft by Janet Barroway and Elizabeth and Ned Stuckey-French enough. It's a little pricey—look for it at your local library before you buy—but it's basically a undergraduate class on writing, complete with readings and exercises.

Doesn't seem like you're as interested in getting help with writing as you are in getting help with illustration.

Still, regarding writing, I strongly recommend reading Scott McCloud's two seminal books on comic books: Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics.

I learned as much about comics from reading those two books as I learned about film from reading Story, by Robert McKee.

I.e., my appreciation and understanding of both media forms increased exponentially.

I think these are both worthy reads. Fairly easy to dip in and out of too:

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer - Roy Peter Clark

The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase - Mark Forsyth

The last one I found especially interesting.

You may not want to read an entire book to answer this question, but on the off-chance that you do, I'd recommend Francine Prose's "Reading Like a Writer." Sometimes it's easy to get so caught up in the magic of the story--savoring the beauty of a sentence, flipping frantically to find out what happens next--that you forget to look for where the rabbit is hidden! But this book helps you figure out what to look for, if that makes sense.

New to this sub, but I wanted to comment here...if anyone wants a great book on building tension, Karl Iglesias' Writing for Emotional Impact is packed with awesome tips.

You might look at S. by Doug Dorst. It's not exactly a journal, but it is exactly the book equivalent of found footage.

At any rate, epistolary novels above been around for a long, long time.

What separates them from found footage, though, is the notion of pulling the reader in. With found footage, you're watching the movie as if you have discovered this footage and are now watching it. A journal-as-novel accomplishes something similar, but discovering a clever way to spin the book the reader has as something they've found—well, that's something special.

here's the prompt book i mentioned, and this is a nice summary of good prompts online. Also a big fan of writing.com's writing prompts IOS app, if you have an iphone (unsure if there's an android equivalent). Cheers!

I recieved this book as a gift and found it to be incredibly helpful. If you're looking for a really thorough rundown of the entire process, I definitely recommend it.

Give Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud a read. While writing theory is only so useful, McCloud nicely breaks down some things about comics writing that aren't immediately apparent. The flow of reading on a page, how art can interact with words, etc. I've found it pretty useful, and it's a brief read.

When i first started writing I read a book called How not to Write a Novel.

http://www.amazon.com/Write-Novel-Them---Misstep---Misstep/dp/0061357952/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

It similar to your book but took a more constructive angle. You seem to be doing well sales wise so my opinion doesn't matter but your book seems a little mean spirited.

They have some books on Amazon that goes in depth on police procedure if you want something deeper.

I haven't read this, but it is an example of what is out there to help you and should give you better info than reddit.

https://smile.amazon.com/Police-Procedure-Investigation-Writers-Howdunit/dp/1582974551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536556585&sr=8-1&keywords=writing+police+procedure

Well, solidify the idea you want to convey first, then, make a map or something so you can travel through all those characters you like to create, place them, on the stories, fiction, non-fiction, western, drama, etc, etc,
some things that may help you:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Fiction-Writers-Readers/dp/0452281547

http://www.amazon.com/On-Becoming-Novelist-John-Gardner-ebook/dp/B00AB7NYZU

http://www.amazon.com/The-Writers-Journey-Structure-Edition/dp/193290736X

This website is based off of Scott McCloud's facial expression explanation from his book Making Comics and seems to be what you are looking for. It doesn't give you the words, but it can help you visualize your character's emotions and give your own spin to describing them. I hope this helps!

https://www.amazon.com/Things-Write-Francisco-Writers-Grotto/dp/1452105448/ref=la_B00VSA6ECE_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487390211&sr=1-1

This book and their whole project is a gift for anyone who LOVES to write (by our very natures!) and can use some genuine inspo.

Look into.

"-)

I prescribe these two books for you to read in this order:

Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

1. https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Tools-Essential-Strategies-Writer/dp/0316014990
   
   On Writing Well, 25th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
   
   
2. https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-25th-Anniversary-Nonfiction/dp/0060006641/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539787015&sr=1-4&keywords=on+writing+well
   
   Read these two books carefully and apply the advice to your own writing.
   
   Good luck.

I just stumbled upon S. by Doug Durst and JJ Abrams which sort of falls into this category as well. There's a "people who viewed this also liked..." rabbit hole to venture on from there. I should've thought of that first!

Edit: Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker, from what limited preview is available, also seems to use a footnote format that could be appropriated.

Thank you for your help. You seem to always be dispensing quality advice in general for a single upvote.

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060777052/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_b7szDbY7MJ13P

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

Amazon

Play Books

The Best Punctuation Book, Period: A Comprehensive Guide for Every Writer, Editor, Student, and Businessperson

Amazon

Play Books

On Writing Well

Amazon

Play Books

I haven't read it myself, but I've heard good things about Police Procedures & Investigation, perhaps that's worth a look: https://www.amazon.com/Police-Procedure-Investigation-Writers-Howdunit/dp/1582974551

Thank you, but I just translated what I learned elsewhere. I checked this out at the library for free and read it in about 2 days, changed so much for me:

https://www.amazon.com/Characters-Viewpoint-Elements-Fiction-Writing/dp/1599632128

Excellent! I recommend reading Immediate Fiction before your first encounter with a creative writing teacher. Bad teachers can really mess up your game and it helps to be able to focus on what really matters.

I have read many, many books about writing, but there has only been one (so far) that came to me with exactly the right message at exactly the time I needed it. Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver. Six month after reading it I actually completed a novel for the first time. And a year after that, it was published. I don't know if anyone else is in need of Cleaver's message, but it certainly spoke to me.

How about Writing Fiction from the Gotham Writer's Workshop. It's got a good bit of useful advice about everything.

I'll second Zinsser.

Finally, maybe something literary criticism-ish and structural. How about Reading Novels by George Hughes?

I have to admit I don't care for either King or Strunk&White. Sorry.

This is a book. And Also its a Good book, one to read. The auther who goes by the Name of Daryl M. Corteney really has a nack for Good science Fiction telling. Also the Story.

But seriously.... http://i.imgur.com/C7wJx.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Moon-People-Dale-M-Courtney/dp/1436372135/

The book Writing for Emotional Impact will change everything for you. Best book ever for screenwriters (any writers, really). Deserves to outsell the Bible.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

On Writing Well

Elements of Style

Thrill Me

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

I found this book very helpful.

https://www.amazon.com/First-Five-Pages-Writers-Rejection/dp/068485743X

Short version: your opening is a promise of what the rest of your story is about.

If you're serious about this, the very best thing for you to do at this moment would be to read "Characters and Viewpoint" and it will answer the question you're asking, and the myriad of questions you aren't.

I found that Orson Scott Card's book "Characters and Viewpoint" has helped me lay the foundation for great characters.

You may want to look into the 642 Things to Write About series. I've pasted a link to the original book as well as a couple that are advertised as being for young writers:

https://www.amazon.com/Things-Write-Francisco-Writers-Grotto/dp/1452105448/

https://www.amazon.com/642-Things-Write-About-Writers/dp/1452127840/

https://www.amazon.com/642-Big-Things-Write-About/dp/1452154759/

I'm a huge fan of How Not to Write a Novel by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman.

Just posted this URL in the other submission, but if you're interested in plunking down $16: http://www.amazon.com/Moon-People-Dale-M-Courtney/dp/1436372135/

That book is gold. Here's the Amazon link if anyone is interested (not affiliated, just a fan.)

Let me just hunt down some links:

how not to write a novel

A good albeit dry one I read recently

First 50 pages

Edit: moved the links around

It doesn't deal with just one book, but Reading like a Writer tells how to analyze books yourself.

Scott McCloud's books are a good primer.

Lee Lofland's book might be a good start for you. Police Procedure & Investigation A Guide for Writers

The two that always get mentioned are 'Writing Fiction: A guide to Narrative Craft' http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-Guide-Narrative-Craft/dp/B003IG7P1K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313794096&sr=8-2 and 'Reading Like a Writer' http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Like-Writer-Guide-People/dp/0060777052/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313794216&sr=1-1 .

I like this one: 642 Things to Write About

i recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Down-Bones-Freeing-Paperback/dp/B0035A3PSQ/ref=pd_sim_b_71

http://www.amazon.com/M-Epiphany-Uncommon-Exercises-Transform/dp/1582973512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325037885&sr=1-1

Orson Scott Card wrote this book on creating believable characters. It was one of my bibles when I was writing fiction.

Well, writing in general with your own ideas is always the biggest plus. But if you're wanting to use a prompt book or something I suggest the 3am Epiphany or Gotham Writers Workshop: Writing Fiction

Do yourself a favor and read Stephen King's book "On Writing". The first half tells you what made him the writer he is today. The second half is his personal tips and tricks on the craft, including his take on the plotting vs pantsing theory as well as referencing other self-help books on writing. He also challenges new writers to commit to 1k words a day, which doesn't work for everyone but it certainly lit a fire under my ass.

edit: link for the book on amazon. 13 bucks well spent.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0SIM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Vogler is meant to be a more accessible introduction to the hero's journey concepts (https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Journey-Mythic-Structure-3rd/dp/193290736X as recommended by shawn coyne of the story grid book /podcast)

Pixar Ted Talk

Pixar 22 Rules of Writing

Jim Butcher's Writing Advice

Chuck Palahniuk on "thought" verbs

Chuck Palahniuk Writing Essays (almost a full book length)

Stephen King "On Writing" - Amazon link

There are books about that such as:

• How not to write a Novel
  
  
• Getting the Words Right.
  
  Two low level editing tools I use on my stories are text to speech software and the hemmingway editor. Getting the computer to read your story in its uncarying monotone will really makes the awkward bits stand one. Ditto for the Hemmingway app, every time I massage anything its highlighted until the highlighting disapears I'm invariable happier with the final product then I was with what I started with.
  
  Oviously these tools won't help you with the high level editing like decising if particular chapters, scenes or paragraphs should be cut entierly because they don't contribute enough to the story.

On Writing Well.

Immediate Fiction, Jerry Cleaver.

http://www.amazon.com/Immediate-Fiction-Complete-Writing-Course/dp/0312302762

http://www.amazon.com/Moon-People-Dale-M-Courtney/dp/1436372135/

Also, here are some links to things that helped me out:

http://thejohnfox.com/2016/05/story-idea-generator/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1452105448/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483422424&sr=8-1&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=642+things+to+write+about

https://www.skillshare.com/classes/writing/Mini-Class-Flash-Fiction-How-to-Tell-Pint-Sized-Stories/2104850910?via=search-autocomplete

Not necessarily just for short stories, but I would suggest the Gotham Writers Workshop Writing Fiction Guide.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-Practical-Acclaimed-Creative/dp/1582343306

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card.

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Science-Fiction-Fantasy/dp/158297103X

Read more and then read this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/193290736X/

I'm not sure if this will help. But The International Crime Writers Association Links might offer something useful. Also the book Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide for Writers (Howdunit)

No, but this has actually been sort-of-done. Check out this. I'm not a big romance reader but holy shit, this book was amazing.

https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Journey-Mythic-Structure-3rd/dp/193290736X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BLP9OJJ5V1W6&keywords=vogler+writers+journey&qid=1574454754&sprefix=vogler%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-1

AND it's dirt cheap now.

I have a feeling this is going to be an unpopular opinion here, but...

Moon People

That's the typical quality of a self-published book. Doesn't mean they're all like that, but enough are that it's damaged my view of self-publishing.

Here's a list of some of my favorite books on writing:

• The Art of Fiction
  
• Techniques of the Selling Writer
  
• Sin and Syntax
  
• The First Five Pages
  
• The War of Art

I quote Orson Scott Card on this matter "[writers] imagine their poor reader won't be able to understand what's going on if they don't begin with a prologue showing the 'world situation.' Alas, these prologues always fail." This is from the book [How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy] (http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Science-Fiction-Fantasy/dp/158297103X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382479922&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+write+science+fiction+%26+fantasy+by+orson+scott+card). It's a book I'd suggest you read, if you haven't.

...and read this: http://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Comics-Scott-McCloud/dp/006097625X .

Along the lines of comic flashfiction, you can work on tiny stories within this larger vision you have and kill two birds with one stone.