I tend to obsess. A lot. Especially when I'm embarking on a new endeavor our starting an journey that's new territory for me. And though I've been a storyteller for most of my life (mostly in the form of random and unnecessary lies) novel writing is still very much uncharted territory for me, so I did what I always do when I'm not sure about something, I research it until my eyes bleed. This lead me to purchasing a lot of books about writing books.
Now most bookstores have a full section for books on writing books, usually it just marked as reference though. Now essentially the books all say the same thing and most of them don't even do that well. In my opinion most books on writing books aren't worth the paper they're printed on, and that's saying a lot, because I don't usually say such things, but I feel it has to be said. Now there are a few good writing reference books out there, but those are usually the one that offer insight into the writing process of already established authors, the books that offer and step by step instructional on how to write a book are worthless, because in the end you're not actually writing a book you're feeling in a worksheet with some fancy details.
There is no formula for writing a successful novel and there is no magic book out there that's going to show you how to do it, the only thing you can really do is write. One of the biggest obstacles of writing a novel is the pursuit of publishing, and unfortunately most books on writing books are just someone else's successful attempt to get published, but just because it was put in print doesn't always make it helpful or even relevant in most cases its just an attempt to get 20 bucks out of an over enthusiastic aspiring writer.
Now there are some great books on writing books out there, but they are the exception rather than the norm. As a matter of fact everything I come across a good one I'll come back here and let you guys know about it (since we're pals and all)
Till next time,
Lefty
You're absolutely right.
ReplyDeleteMost books on writing aren't worth your time. The only thing to do is finish the manuscript, polish as much as possible. Have a few writers review and critique it and shop it around.
D-Man! Thanks for the comment.Yeah what I've found is that most times those Books on writing Books do nothing more than distract you as a writer. I found it's best to just write my own story, take my own path, and deal with the reprecussions afterwards. Pretty much how I do life, which may or may not workout for me, but so far its served me fairly well. So hey, what can you do? I do read a few of the books on writing books for general direction or generalized technique, but I prefer to map out my own blueprint.
ReplyDelete