Success at self-publishing fiction depends on having a good novel to sell and that, in turn, depends on the quality of both the story and the storytelling. Here are some books to help you create and tell stories that people want to read.
Story Engineering
by Larry Brooks
(Writers Digest Books)
I love this book because it helped lift my storytelling to a new level. Larry Brooks concentrates on what he calls the 6 core competencies of successful writing: concept, character, theme, story structure, scene execution and writing voice. He doesn’t lay down prescriptive rules. Instead he helps you understand the reasons why some stories work better than others and apply the same principles to improving your own books.
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Plot and Structure
by James Scott Bell
(Writers Digest Books)
There are quite a few books that try to explain how plot works, but this is one of the few that really show you how to tackle the process of plotting. My own copy is dog-eared from frequent use, and it has definitely helped to improve my writing. Starting with a quick look at plot structure, James Scott Bell rapidly moves on to ways to find ideas and develop them into a strong story. The book is packed with useful advice and exercises to trigger your creativity and help you find ways to strengthen your plots. Highly recommended, whether you like to plot in detail before you start writing or prefer to dive straight in and see where your characters lead you.
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Description and Setting
by Ron Rozelle
(Writers Digest Books)
Don’t be fooled by the title of this book. It’s not about poetic descriptions of sunsets. It’s about drawing your readers into your story and bringing your characters alive. Using well-chosen examples, the author explains how to cut the clutter from your story, explores the issue of showing rather than telling and shows how to use all your senses while creating scenes. She also looks critically at the tools you can use – including adverbs, metaphors, cadence and punctuation – and shows how to use them for best effect.This is a useful book for writers who are just getting started and for the more experienced. I found it helped me see what I was doing right as well as showing me ways to improve.
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The Writer’s Journey
by Christopher Vogler
(Michael Wise Productions)
Some of the most enduring stories are the ancient myths so it’s sensible to try to learn from their success. Christopher Vogler classic book looks at the structure of mythical tales and how we can use that structure to add strength to your own plots. He uses screenwriting to illustrate his points, but these are equally applicable to novels.
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