10 great books about writing fiction

I love to read novels, but I am also interested in the writer's workshop. I want to know what are the different ways to create a good story and why sometimes even a great idea does not work and after reading a few pages the book turn out to be disappointing. If you are also interested in the process of creating the novel or you are a beginning writer, check out what is worth reading to learn about writing fiction.

I looked for guides how to write novels and create a bestseller to know the tools that a writer must learn to use to create interesting, memorable story with good narration, a credible background and psychologically convincing characters. Knowing that I can read novels more consciously, sometimes I can figure out why story does not convince me or what is main problem with someone's style (e.g. I think: hey, you should read a book on how to write dialogues, because these are terrible :)).

Of course I realize that there are some brilliant books that had been written against the advice given in these guides, but - as they say - to break the rules, you should first know them. Therefore, in view of all aspiring writers and people who are interested in the process of the creation of the novel, I made a list of ten great books about how to write a good novel.

What every aspiring writer should read and what every reader interested in the writer's workshop should know? Here is my list of ten guides to creative writing!

1. Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Albert Zuckerman
2. How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling by James Frey
3. Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain
5. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
4. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne
6. The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner
7. Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury
8. On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner
9. Elements of Fiction Writing - Characters & Viewpoint: Proven advice and timeless techniques for creating compelling characters by an award-winning author - Orson Scott Card
10. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg

This is the initial list of books that I think are worth exploring. If you are writing in English you should also read The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. However, if you write in another language, look for a good manual of style and grammar. Even if you feel strong with grammar, you should still read about it!

If you know other interesting guides about writing books - I encourage you to publish their titles on my blog!

The Pact - touching novel about teen suicide

There aren't many interesting and well written novels about suicide, especially among teenagers. That's why I decided to tell you about The Pact: A Love Story by Judi Picoult, a good novel, where author with sensitivity and tact has addressed this issue.

Judi Picoult is a bestselling writer, she is an author of Nineteen Minutes, House Rules, My Sister's Keeper (which is an excellent novel in my opinion). You can see her full bibliography on Wikipedia.

"I wanted to write the anti-Romeo and Juliet story: the families that are too close, insteady of enemies" - as the author explains on her website an idea for this novel.

Summary from Amazon: "Until the phone calls came at 3:00 a.m. on a November morning, the Golds and their neighbors, the Hartes, had been inseparable. It was no surprise to anyone when their teenage children, Chris and Emily, began showing signs that their relationship was moving beyond that of lifelong friends. But now seventeen-year-old Emily has been shot to death by her beloved and devoted Chris as part of an apparent suicide pact."

We deal with the drama of two families - one family has to deal with death of their daughter, the other one - with son that was arrested and accused of murder. The novel tends to reflect on how well we known people, who live with us. Do we really know another person, even if is our daughter, son or partner?

It turns out that almost everyone expected that Chris and Emily will be together. With time, however, Emily felt worse and worse - the pressure from the environment that they will be a perfect match was unbearable. Especially that Emily has treated Chris more like a brother than a lover. All these problems caused that she began to have suicidal thoughts. She shares her thoughts with Chris, and he attempts to prevent her from committing the act.

I have mixed feelings about The Pact. On the one hand is an interesting idea and subject, on the other - some parts in the novel are simply unbelievable. Yes, it's a painful book, with dramatic moments, but - in my opinion - it should be written more fairly, with more dramatic and surprising story, because it is hard to resist the impression that from the beginning Picoult favors Chris and she in on his side, which leads to the conclusion that he didn't do it. Besides, many chapters in the book are unnecessary and only slowing down the plot.

It might not be the best novel Picoult wrote (I recommend everyone to read My Sister's Keeper - great novel), but because of the subject and many various and interesting information about the phenomenon of suicide among teenagers, I think this book is worth reading. 

I think you will be moved by The Pact: A Love Story and you'll long not be able to forget it.

Guide: Kindle - which version to choose?

Reading books with Kindle is becoming increasingly popular. Everywhere you can see people bent over a small device - in parks, at school, bus or on the plane. If you also would like to become an owner of e-book reader, but you don't know which one would be the best for you - I encourage you to read my arguments, which can help you decide which version of Kindle you should choose.

Kindle (Wi-Fi) - $109 NOW it costs $69 with special offers, $89 without it (see description)
This is the cheapest and lightest Kindle. Ideal version for whose who just want to read. If you do not plan to play games, watch movies, browse the web or listen to audiobooks and reading e-books is the only purpose of buying Kindle I would recommend you this version. 

 

Kindle don't have speakers (so no audiobooks supported), multi-touch (has 5-way controller) or 3G, but their big advantage is the weight and price. It has also less internal memory (2GB instead of 4GB), but it doesn't matter to me – I never read so many books at once :). The battery lasts for one month, without using a Wi-Fi.

Kindle Touch (Wi-Fi) - $139 (see description) - (currently unavailable)
If you would like to listen to the audiobooks (also in MP3 format!), have a full-touch screen, more memory (4GB) and longer battery life (two months instead of one) – this is a great choice for you.

Kindle Touch 3G - $189 (see description) - (currently unavailable)
As above, except that in this version you will also receive free 3G, so you don't need to look for Wi-Fi in order to use the Internet. So if you care to always have access, this model will be perfect for you.

Kindle Touch is currently unavailable, but Amazon has introduced two new e-book readers - Kindle Paperwhite for $119 and version with 3G for $179. I don't have an opinion about them. You have to check details on Amazon page, where it is written that this is "World's most advanced e-reader - higher resolution, higher contrast touchscreen with built-in light and 8-week battery life".

Kindle Keyboard (3G) - $189 NOW it costs $139 (see description)
It is worth to buy this version only if you plan on doing a lot of notes and would rather have buttons instead of using the keyboard screen. The downside is the larger size and weight of the device.

Kindle DX - $379  NOW it costs $299 (see description)
I think this version is only good for people, for which 6' is a too small screen, because Kindle DX is the only model that have 9.7' screen. But it is also the heaviest model (weighs two times more than the Kindle Keyboard and over three times more than the Kindle Classic). 

Buy Kindle with special offers or not?
Another question is whether to buy a version with the advertisements or not? Is it worth to save some dollars and get the ads? They are not invasive, never appear when reading, but I still think that it is worth to spend a little more to have peace and do not see any advertisements. Especially since you are buying the Kindle for years. It is Better to do a one-time expense, than watch the ads at all times when the screen saver turns on.

So which Kindle you should buy?
I think everyone should first consider what do they need the Kindle for. I've done some looking at the specifications on the Amazon website. Comparing the versions I had in back of my head the thought that I will use it only for reading. So - as I said above - I chose Kindle for 89 dollars. Why? Because of it's size, weight and price :). And I do not regret the decision. Kindle as a e-book reader works great!