Two Books that Change My Writing
Heyyy!
Noelle, back again: this time with more writing! More sarcastic quips! More inspirational stuff! All this and more...in this post!!
I...I don't know where that intro came from, but that bit's over now! Done, moving on. So last week I did a post on writer's block, specifically how to break it and tips on 'getting better'. I mentioned that reading really helped me, and there was two specific books I wanted to talk about (if you didn't read that post, go check it out, I think it's really helpful. But idk that's just me ^.^) So this week, you guessed it, I'm talking about those books!
Book #1: On Writing, by Stephen King
Yes, Stephen King is generally a horror writer, and his stuff isn't exactly known for pleasing the angel choir, but you have to admit, he's a GREAT writer (despite all the F-bombs and graphic descriptions of things I'd rather not read). If you've never read his stuff, I don't blame you, he's known for the horrific nightmare-stuff like It and The Stand, but he's also writen this book: On Writing.
I stumbled across this book in a Barnes 'n' Noble, purely by chance. I think I was waiting for Mom to put away her books so we could leave, and saw this sitting on a shelf filled with moleskin journals that will never be bought, because alas, those things are frickin' expensive.
After reading all of two pages, I was hooked, and my parents knew a happy reader when they saw one. So, at the end of that school year, my parents bought me On Writing as a graduation gift. Sadly, I only read about 25% of it before I got bored and moved on, and On Writing sat on my shelf, neglected, until recently, when writing stopped taking up all my time. I started reading from where I left off, this time with my trustee felt tip pen in hand and ready to take notes in the margins. And I took many notes.
He starts off the book talking about his life: how he got into writing and the ups and downs of his career. He then spends the second part* of the book talking about how you can improve your writing, but cutting out all my favourite things like adverbs, similes, and long poetical sentences. (it's like a diet except, for writers, and I am not happy about it) He isn't kind when telling you that your writing is crap; but he's honest, and that's what a writer should be. I suggest reading this one first, and getting all the hard hits out of the way.
Things to remember:
-you're reading this to improve your writing. If you think something is good, you don't have to cut it out.
-this will help you improve. I promise.
-keep an open mind
Book #2: Rip the Page (Adventures in Creative Writing), by Karen Benke
This book is aimed at young creative writers, mostly poets and non-traditional writing, though I've used it both ways. It's very bright, fun, and can be used over and over again for finding inspiration and tips from real writers (including Lemony Snicket...that's the only name I remember specifically, but there's a lot of others too)
There's a ton of great stuff in this book that really gets your creative juices pumping, including questions like: if you plant your heart, what tree does it grow? What colour are its shoes? What is the smell of a circle? It's a mixture of nonsensical poetry, basic grammar, and word lists for when you're stuck, plus some stories and tips from authors. It's my go-to for whenever I'm bored, and it really helped me get out of my sad non-writing mood.
Things to remember:
-nothing you do is wrong (though it might be spelled incorrectly)
-think outside the box
-always use the first word that comes to mind, even if it doesn't make sense
Before I go, I want to share a poem inspired by Rip the Page. It's kind of silly, but this one and many more gave me something to do between studying during finals. I hope you liked this post - if you did, tell me in the comments, and maybe I'll do more book suggestions like this! Idk, this was a fun post to write!! Cya next week and have a supercalifragalisticexpialodutious day
Noelle, back again: this time with more writing! More sarcastic quips! More inspirational stuff! All this and more...in this post!!
I...I don't know where that intro came from, but that bit's over now! Done, moving on. So last week I did a post on writer's block, specifically how to break it and tips on 'getting better'. I mentioned that reading really helped me, and there was two specific books I wanted to talk about (if you didn't read that post, go check it out, I think it's really helpful. But idk that's just me ^.^) So this week, you guessed it, I'm talking about those books!
Book #1: On Writing, by Stephen King
Yes, Stephen King is generally a horror writer, and his stuff isn't exactly known for pleasing the angel choir, but you have to admit, he's a GREAT writer (despite all the F-bombs and graphic descriptions of things I'd rather not read). If you've never read his stuff, I don't blame you, he's known for the horrific nightmare-stuff like It and The Stand, but he's also writen this book: On Writing.
I stumbled across this book in a Barnes 'n' Noble, purely by chance. I think I was waiting for Mom to put away her books so we could leave, and saw this sitting on a shelf filled with moleskin journals that will never be bought, because alas, those things are frickin' expensive.
After reading all of two pages, I was hooked, and my parents knew a happy reader when they saw one. So, at the end of that school year, my parents bought me On Writing as a graduation gift. Sadly, I only read about 25% of it before I got bored and moved on, and On Writing sat on my shelf, neglected, until recently, when writing stopped taking up all my time. I started reading from where I left off, this time with my trustee felt tip pen in hand and ready to take notes in the margins. And I took many notes.
He starts off the book talking about his life: how he got into writing and the ups and downs of his career. He then spends the second part* of the book talking about how you can improve your writing, but cutting out all my favourite things like adverbs, similes, and long poetical sentences. (it's like a diet except, for writers, and I am not happy about it) He isn't kind when telling you that your writing is crap; but he's honest, and that's what a writer should be. I suggest reading this one first, and getting all the hard hits out of the way.
Things to remember:
-you're reading this to improve your writing. If you think something is good, you don't have to cut it out.
-this will help you improve. I promise.
-keep an open mind
Book #2: Rip the Page (Adventures in Creative Writing), by Karen Benke
This book is aimed at young creative writers, mostly poets and non-traditional writing, though I've used it both ways. It's very bright, fun, and can be used over and over again for finding inspiration and tips from real writers (including Lemony Snicket...that's the only name I remember specifically, but there's a lot of others too)
There's a ton of great stuff in this book that really gets your creative juices pumping, including questions like: if you plant your heart, what tree does it grow? What colour are its shoes? What is the smell of a circle? It's a mixture of nonsensical poetry, basic grammar, and word lists for when you're stuck, plus some stories and tips from authors. It's my go-to for whenever I'm bored, and it really helped me get out of my sad non-writing mood.
Things to remember:
-nothing you do is wrong (though it might be spelled incorrectly)
-think outside the box
-always use the first word that comes to mind, even if it doesn't make sense
Before I go, I want to share a poem inspired by Rip the Page. It's kind of silly, but this one and many more gave me something to do between studying during finals. I hope you liked this post - if you did, tell me in the comments, and maybe I'll do more book suggestions like this! Idk, this was a fun post to write!! Cya next week and have a supercalifragalisticexpialodutious day
THE EVERYTHING JOURNAL
I have a journal
that contains everything
Poems
Hearts
Old smiles and old strings
It sings of sunrise
until the dawn
And then serenades the night
until the sun falls
It has
Fire
and music
Breath
and tears
It has
everything
Everything that is
and
everything that ever was
Everything at all
And a bit of my love
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comment! We love hearing the feedback!