Ever look to books for writing advice? I have several books listed in my resources that I read to help me on my writing journey. Each one taught me something, but collectively they taught me this: not all advice is pertinent to every story. You have to read through several books to come to this conclusion; you’ll see that some things a well-meaning author tells you in a how-to book simply don’t apply to your kind of story. I’m thinking of one author in particular who had some great advice for theme, dialogue, and tension, but he denigrated “description” and “rumination” in a novel, saying his eyes would just glaze over such writing. Some of my favorite books feature gorgeously written, engaging descriptions (Niall Williams, I’m looking at you) or thought-provoking ruminations (hello, Garth Greenwell), and the books would have been less effective without that language. In my writing, I don’t eschew description or rumination if it’s essential to my theme or the story’s overarching atmosphere.
Each of the writing-advice books I read gave me some insight into the process that is right for me. NaNoWriMo may never work for me, but having a set time to get words down on paper (or computer) does. The three-act structure can be helpful, but it doesn’t confine me. Take what you can from books (and other writers) who give writing advice and, if the rest doesn’t feel natural with your writing style, trust yourself and your own rules.
You can always make up your own advice. An interesting exercise is to read 50-100 pages from a writer you would like to emulate and try to divine her or his guidelines about writing. Did the story follow the traditional hero’s journey, or did it meander? How did the author use dialogue to move the plot? What rules did the author follow? Which did she/he flout? Why? Did it work? Can it work for your writing? Then read another author and repeat the exercise.
I have found writing-advice books to be worthwhile because in each of them I found some gem that resonated with me and helped my writing. They also helped me parse others’ writing to see how my favorite writers craft their work. They also helped me create my own standards for my writing, and I am hopeful that they made my writing better.
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