The six mores are must reads if you ready to take your writing seriously.
- Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
- Story Genius by Lisa Cron
- The Emotion Thesaurus/ The Emotional Wound Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
- The Fire in the Fiction by Donald Maass
- The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
- Writing 21st Century Fiction by Donald Maass
- Read the Latest
- Don’t Forget Your FREE eBook!
In my previous post, 6 Books to Read if You’re Serious about Writing, I explain that as writers, we are constantly learning and growing in our craft. This means the we are forever students of the craft of writing. The more we write and study writing and story, the better our work gets. We grow confident in our ability and the stories we tell. We try new methods, throwing away the ones that don’t work for us, and polishing the ones that do until it’s a part of our own unique process.
The same is true for me. I’ve been continuing to learn and study my craft and this new list of books are some of my favorite that have help me not only in my process, but also in the development of my craft. Applying what I’ve learned in these books has taken my writing from having one full request with my first query attempt to nine full or partial requests with the current book I’m querying.
A fair warning: you will notice that I have three books on this list by Donald Maass. I discovered him about a year or so ago and proceeded to read every books of his I could get my hands on. If nothing else, read Writing the Breakout Novel and watch it change your writing.
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
This book changed my (writing) life. If I had to choose one from this list that you had to read, it would be this one. While the copy I have is an old one and slightly out of date, it is chock full of fabulous advice to write a “Breakout Novel.”
A “breakout novel” according to Maass is a book kicks a sudden jump in an author’s sales and status as a writer. It could be a best seller, but it doesn’t have to be. As a writer who’s simply trying to break into the industry, I found his advice, lessons, and tips so inspirational and helpful. He touches on everything from character and setting to plot and conflict. I started practicing some of his suggestions and saw an immediate response from feedback from critique partners to agents. This is definitely one to add to your list.
Story Genius by Lisa Cron
I hear about this one from another writer. Story Genius uses brain science to create novels that resonate with readers on a cognitive and emotional level. In it, Cron explains how our brains are wired to crave certain things in every story we read, and she lays out how to create that kind of story.
I find that concept of using brain science to generate meaning, logic, and urgency in a story that will stick with readers very intriguing and added this to my library.
The Emotion Thesaurus/ The Emotional Wound Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
Less craft books, and more practical, tactical advice for diving into your characters emotions and emotional journey. I have relied on these multiple times when trying to figure out how to “show” a character’s emotion or complexities and not “tell” them. Each book lists hundreds of emotions or wounds along with the internal, physical, and mental responses based on that emotion.
For example: from The Emotion Thesaurus, pg 76:
Defeat: physical signals and behaiors:
The chin lowering to one’s chest
Hands that go limp
Slowly shaking the head
Internal sensations:
Feeling a pulse in one’s throat
Mental Responses:
A desire to flee or be alone
And there’s so much more under just that one emotion. If you struggle thinking of character wounds/flaws/ shards of glass, or struggling to adequately describe emotion without repeating yourself, these books are very helpful.
The Fire in the Fiction by Donald Maass
I’m sure you’ve read a book where the story just falls flat. There’s no passion, no love, no fire propelling the story further and it feels like the author just had to crank something out on a tight deadline and that poor book was the result.
The Fire in the Fiction shows you how to take you story and infuse it with YOUR passion. A lot of the tricks and tactics in Writing the Breakout Novel are in this book, but he takes it a step further and pushes you to create work that is uniquely yours and filled with passion and conviction.
And if that’s not enough to convince you, I heard of this book from an Instagram post by the bestselling Stephanie Garber. Maybe you’ve heard of her YA trilogy, CARAVAL?
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
While this book is fairly dry reading, it is a very practical look at what to check for when you’re preparing to query or submit to publishers. It feels a bit liking writing 101, but it’s helpful to take a bird’s eye view at your project before submitting it. Agents and editors often request a sample of five to ten pages to make your decision. This is crazy frustrating when you’ve spent months or even years crafting a novel of 90k+ words. Five pages? That’s it?
Because you have such a short opportunity to make and impression, those first five pages have to count. Lukeman lays out the most common mistakes that authors make in the opening pages, and tackles how to fix the problem.
Writing 21st Century Fiction by Donald Maass
Again, Maass comes in with another winner. This time, he tackles writing current modern fiction that can transcend genre by creating memorial and “living” characters, while using ideas like “micro tension” to keep readers turning the page.
What I really appreciated about this book, was a lot of the literary devices that transform writing into a beautiful living experience for the reader. Things like parallelism, symbols, and metaphors. Again, some of it feel lit writing or literature 101, but it really is a fabulous tool to keep in your writer’s toolbox.
As 2024 comes to an end, you may be thinking about your 2025 goals. If writing more, finishing your novel, or starting to query agents is on your list of goals, grab some of this books and keep working hard!
Ready to get started querying? I got you covered there too! Download my FREE Query Tracker Spreadsheet and never loose track of your queries again. This is the exact spreadsheet I use to keep track of all my query information.
Read the Latest
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- Big News! My Book is Being Published!
- How to Land a Literary Agent: Part Two
Don’t Forget Your FREE eBook!
What’s sweeter than summer love?
This collection of short and swoony romance tales will take you to the mountains, beach, amusement park, ice cream shop and more, as thirteen couples find their way into each other’s arms and hearts. Featuring first kisses and second chances, heartbreaks healed and misunderstandings mended, there is something for every romance reader in Summer Sweethearts.
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