What is your favorite How-to write book?

[David DeLee]

Last week I attended the one day Cape Fear Crime Festival in NC and one of the speakers was Chris Roerden, a contract editor now, with something like 44 years in the business, who's written the non-fiction and winner of the Agatha Christie for Best non-fiction book, DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY, and the follow-up, DON'T SABOTAGE YOUR SUBMISSION.

Chris is a delightful speaker and I bought a copy of DON'T SABOTAGE YOUR SUBMISSION (but haven't started it yet).

So, buying it I was wondering: what is your favorite How-To Write book?

Let us know,

David DeLee

A Cold Wind - a Grace deHaviland novella

[Jude Hardin]

On Writing by Stephen King. It's full of interesting and amusing anecdotes, and the main message is to read a lot and write a lot (which is, in fact, the only way to learn how to write).

[Dana King]

I'm with Jude on this. Stein's book is good, too, but King's holds up better for re-reading you improve as a writer, at least for me.

Another great book is SELF-EDITING FOR WRITERS, by Renni Browne and Dave King. 

[Benjamin Sobieck]

I thought On Writing was too basic. I wanted more meat. It felt like King took a bird's eye view of everything. Maybe it's just me. I think the best how-to books aren't in the non-fiction section.

[Jude Hardin]

That's one of the reasons I liked On Writing, because it was basic. Any one who tries to tell you this is the way it's done is lying. There are as many ways to write a book as there are writers.

[I. J. Parker]

So true.  The important thing is to read books.

[J W Nelson]

Thanks, Jude.  Seems like everywhere a writer turns there is a "structure" that is the be-all and end-all.  I pick up On Writing and turn to almost any page for its insight. And I'm not embarrassed to say the same for Poetics. (Oh, and Hammett and Chandler, too.)

[John Dishon]

Yeah, On Writing is a classic.

For craft, though, I like The Making of a Story by Alice LaPLante

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

Cape Fear festival?  Interesting, David.  Is it in Wilmington?

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

Oh, I looked it up.  Wrightsville Beach, essentially.  Not a bad location.   The people appear to be perps, actually.  Not a bad thing.  One day???

[David DeLee]

Yes, one day. It was a good event. As for everyone looking like perps, sounds like you landed on my photo.
David DeLee
A Cold Wind - a Grace deHaviland novella

[Cammy May Hunnicutt]

My kind of guys.

(I'm trying to cure that, but it never seems to take)

[Brian Hoffman]

My favorite is Stein on Writing