What is your favorite How-to write book? - CrimeSpace2024-03-28T10:02:19Zhttp://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/what-is-your-favorite-how-to-write-book?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A331977&feed=yes&xn_auth=no:) Not to worry. Another Br…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-03-25:537324:Comment:3352112012-03-25T17:54:12.217ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
<p>:) Not to worry. Another Brit writing an American police procedural (why?), used the word "Paracetamol" in his novel. That threw me. "Aspirin" would have worked in both countries, but in this case it should have been "Tylenol." Otherwise, I think British settings should keep their British terms. Most of us who read British books are familiar with them.</p>
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<p>I thought you meant style or language in general.</p>
<p>:) Not to worry. Another Brit writing an American police procedural (why?), used the word "Paracetamol" in his novel. That threw me. "Aspirin" would have worked in both countries, but in this case it should have been "Tylenol." Otherwise, I think British settings should keep their British terms. Most of us who read British books are familiar with them.</p>
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<p>I thought you meant style or language in general.</p> I wish I could remember ... i…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-03-25:537324:Comment:3349252012-03-25T16:25:08.306ZKeith Dixonhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Keithyd
<p>I wish I could remember ... it wasn't about British English in general, it was a series of tips about what words not to use, if you're American writing as British, because they mean something different in British English. Or, the other way round, that there are words that we use to say things that Americans wouldn't use. Unfortunately I'm away from my books at the moment (in a different country) so I can't look it up!</p>
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<p>It was something like a word we Brits are supposed to use…</p>
<p>I wish I could remember ... it wasn't about British English in general, it was a series of tips about what words not to use, if you're American writing as British, because they mean something different in British English. Or, the other way round, that there are words that we use to say things that Americans wouldn't use. Unfortunately I'm away from my books at the moment (in a different country) so I can't look it up!</p>
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<p>It was something like a word we Brits are supposed to use to mean 'winking' at someone ... but it was a word that was extremely old in its use and I'm not sure it meant wink anyway! No-one in the UK would have used it. Damn, wish I could remember but it's over 5 years since I read it. Anyone out there got a copy and can look it up ... ?</p> Wht did he say about British…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-03-25:537324:Comment:3352002012-03-25T14:23:57.766ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
<p>Wht did he say about British English?</p>
<p>Wht did he say about British English?</p> Definitely, definitely Sol St…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-03-24:537324:Comment:3349162012-03-24T23:13:33.532ZKeith Dixonhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Keithyd
<p>Definitely, definitely Sol Stein!</p>
<p>Then Donald Maass - Writing the Breakout Novel (and the Workbook that goes with it)</p>
<p>Also Loren Estleman's Writing the Popular Novel (though don't believe what he says about British English in the last chapter ... I got into a bit of an email spat with him about it when I tried to suggest he was wrong ... :-( )</p>
<p>Irving Wallace also wrote a cracking little book called, I think, The Writing of One Novel, which was very precise and…</p>
<p>Definitely, definitely Sol Stein!</p>
<p>Then Donald Maass - Writing the Breakout Novel (and the Workbook that goes with it)</p>
<p>Also Loren Estleman's Writing the Popular Novel (though don't believe what he says about British English in the last chapter ... I got into a bit of an email spat with him about it when I tried to suggest he was wrong ... :-( )</p>
<p>Irving Wallace also wrote a cracking little book called, I think, The Writing of One Novel, which was very precise and detailed.</p> Interesting! I think maybe t…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-03-10:537324:Comment:3338102012-03-10T22:06:11.403ZSusanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Susan
<p>Interesting! I think maybe that did it for me, too. I really like his books, have read most of them. Funny thing, tho, I met him at a conference in New Orleans, and he said he hated the movie they made of the book. But I'm sure it made him big bucks, which allowed him to write without being under the gun, so to speak. :)</p>
<p>Interesting! I think maybe that did it for me, too. I really like his books, have read most of them. Funny thing, tho, I met him at a conference in New Orleans, and he said he hated the movie they made of the book. But I'm sure it made him big bucks, which allowed him to write without being under the gun, so to speak. :)</p> I have Carolyn Wheat's HOW TO…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-03-10:537324:Comment:3337332012-03-10T20:59:38.289ZDavid DeLeehttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DavidDeLee
<p>I have Carolyn Wheat's HOW TO WRITER KILLER FICTION. It's great. It was her analysis of Robert Crais' novel HOSTAGE that turned me on to his books.</p>
<p>David DeLee</p>
<p>A Cold Wind - a Grace deHaviland novella</p>
<p>I have Carolyn Wheat's HOW TO WRITER KILLER FICTION. It's great. It was her analysis of Robert Crais' novel HOSTAGE that turned me on to his books.</p>
<p>David DeLee</p>
<p>A Cold Wind - a Grace deHaviland novella</p> For plotting I really love Ca…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-03-10:537324:Comment:3335432012-03-10T18:05:38.943ZSusanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Susan
<p>For plotting I really love Carolyn Wheat's How to Write Killer Fiction. For editing/revising, I love Chris Roerdon's Don't Murder Your Mystery. Both terrific books, but probably best suited to intermediate-advanced writers who've already written 2-3 novels.</p>
<p>For plotting I really love Carolyn Wheat's How to Write Killer Fiction. For editing/revising, I love Chris Roerdon's Don't Murder Your Mystery. Both terrific books, but probably best suited to intermediate-advanced writers who've already written 2-3 novels.</p> Stein on Writing by Sol Steintag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-03-09:537324:Comment:3336812012-03-09T05:32:37.588ZminervaKhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/minervakoenig
<p>Stein on Writing by Sol Stein</p>
<p>Stein on Writing by Sol Stein</p> Yep--not saying they don't wo…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-02-21:537324:Comment:3322502012-02-21T18:02:51.545ZJon Loomishttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JonLoomis
<p>Yep--not saying they don't work for people--clearly there's a big market for them and a pretty much limitless supply of titles to choose from. My take is that, as a teacher, I can do a better job of explaining craft to my students, based on outside readings and their writing, than just about any how-to book I've encountered. I like King's book pretty well, although he's such an uneven craftsman it's hard to take it seriously at times. I like Jerome Stern's "Making Shapely Fiction." But…</p>
<p>Yep--not saying they don't work for people--clearly there's a big market for them and a pretty much limitless supply of titles to choose from. My take is that, as a teacher, I can do a better job of explaining craft to my students, based on outside readings and their writing, than just about any how-to book I've encountered. I like King's book pretty well, although he's such an uneven craftsman it's hard to take it seriously at times. I like Jerome Stern's "Making Shapely Fiction." But mostly what works for me as a teacher is talking to students about how established writers do what they do, and then trying to apply those lessons to student work. </p> Effectiveness for these types…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-02-21:537324:Comment:3319442012-02-21T17:49:42.094ZCharles A. Kinghttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/jeeks43
<p><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Effectiveness for these types of books depends on which marker the writer is at along the 'path.' A newbie, besides reading the genre, might get more out of William Noble's <u>"Shut Up!" He Explained</u>. (dialogue) <u>Steal this Plot</u>, and another I think is called <u>Make…</u></span></p>
<p><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Effectiveness for these types of books depends on which marker the writer is at along the 'path.' A newbie, besides reading the genre, might get more out of William Noble's <u>"Shut Up!" He Explained</u>. (dialogue) <u>Steal this Plot</u>, and another I think is called <u>Make That Scene</u>. These are nuts and bolts texts. Noble is (was?) a professor at Middlebury. <u>Self-Editing for Fiction Writers</u> by Dan King (there was a co-author I can't recall, sorry) is helpful and really good as a quick reference book. <u>Style</u> by Joseph Williams too. ... Genre-wise? How to <u>Write Killer Historical Mysteries</u> by Kathy Emerson is good, and</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">Hallie Ephron's book I second. Mr. Block had another book, <u>Spider, Spider, Spin Me A Web</u>, (I think, it might have been <u>Tale</u>) taken from his WD columns back in the day.</span></p>