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ON LEARNING HOW TO WRITE

A good book about writing will serve as catalyst first and entertainment second. Any writer parsing a manual for tips should be inspired to get up every few pages to scribble something down. If you're not constantly scrambling for a pen, the author is doing something wrong.

The New York Public Library houses 3,945 books on the subject of writing. Most of them say the same thing, though some say it better than others. Every writer will have his own list of favourites (though he may squirrel them away when guests come over). My own standbys are each a mixture of memoir and instruction. They contain contradictory advice but somehow harmonise; each suits a certain mood and writing disposition. Here they are, in no particular order:

"On Writing" by Stephen King (2002)
You may be surprised at how likable--how salt-of-the-earth--King is, at least in his moments of reflection. The blockbuster American author comes across as a regular guy who just so happens to sell millions of books. This makes his advice all the more appealing. King delivers practical tips (establish a schedule, get a good desk, do two drafts and one polish) with a self-effacing but wise demeanour, like your favourite high-school teacher.

"Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott (1995)
Lamott's advice directly countervenes a lot of what King suggests. She's big on showing your work to other people in its early stages, for example, where King advises to squirrel it away. But her messy, lively approach is an appealing counterpoint to King's sturdy discipline. Lamott does not mince words. She's a divisive writer, but if you like her works of fiction, then this manual will come as a godsend.

"Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg (1986)
Goldberg's book is meant as an instruction manual in the truest sense: it is arranged in succinct chapters designed to allow skipping and includes the best practical advice of any writing book. There are exercises, prompts and suggestions, and the context (usually personal narrative) to give her words their necessary galvanic force. "Writing Down the Bones" is a slow read; it is difficult to cover more than a chapter without reaching for the keyboard. Which is as it should be, no?

~ MOLLY YOUNG
 

Picture credit: Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline (via Flickr)