There are so many good writing books out there, I’ve got ten more books on writing and the craft to recommend.
1. Save The Cat! Writes A Novel by Jessica Brody
Whether you’re familiar with the Save The Cat! method for writing screenplays or not, Jessica Brody’s book uses that method to be able to structure your novels in the same way. It makes it really clear how to structure your novel to keep up the pace with no saggy Act two bits in the middle.
You can get your copy here.
2. The 21st century Screenplay by Linda Aronson
This is a definite go-to if you’re looking for something a bit more in depth on the process of screenwriting. Yes, it’s a bit chunky, but that’s because Aronson has rammed it full of useful information as to what structure stories were created from, such as fairy tales, and how we can try to develop new stories to make ours stand out.
You can get your copy here.
3. Do Drama by Lucy Gannon
If you want a small book filled with encouragements and nuggets of information too, this is one for you. It’s not preachy as to “you should do this, this, this and this”. Gannon uses her experience as a writer to encourage other writers.
You can get your copy here.
4. Story Genius by Lisa Cron
This book was a bit of a surprise to me how much it made writing make sense. Cron talks about using an emotional pull as part of the story building so you can invoke a particular emotion in your audience and keep them hooked to keep reading or keep watching. It wasn’t something I’d fully clicked into before, but this definitely helped me think about it once I’d read it.
You can get your copy here.
5. Elements of Style 2017 edited by Richard De A’Morelli
I am no doubt the first or the last to get caught out by grammar when trying to write something. Constant questions of whether I use this punctuation or that punctuation or use this style or that style. In De A’Morelli’s edited version of Elements of Style breaks it all down into sections you can dip in and out of to uncover the rules and give you the confidence to use it all in your own work.
You can get your copy here.
6. Rocliffe Notes: A Professional Approach For Screenwriters And Writer-Directors by Farah Abushwesha
Having a clue as to what you’re needing to do to build yourself a career as a writer or writer/Director is chaotic to say the least. In Abushwesha’s book, she breaks down a lot of careers with help from those that actually do those jobs for a living to demystify what exactly they do. I’ve found this book so useful I’ve ended up dog-earing a lot of important pages to refer back to.
You can get your copy here.
7. Don’t Screw Up Your Story by Clive Frayne and Lucy V Hay
Now, Clive Frayne and Lucy V Hay are well known in the industry for being insightful and really knowing what they’re talking about. In this collection of three micro-books, these two have condensed writing craft down to three subjects: Concept, Characters and Plot. Their guide cuts to the point to ensure your story is sharp and intriguing to those you’re pitching to for greenlighting or publishing. Each little book takes roughly an hour to read too.
You can get your copy here.
8. Screenplay: The Foundations Of Screenwriting by Syd Field
Syd Field’s book was a really insightful read for me where he taught the alternative method of planning your screenplay by splitting your script into 4 acts (Act 1, Act 2A, Act 2B, Act 3) and having a certain amount of cards per act to build up your stakes towards the climax at the end of Act 3. Each event would have their own that you could build into a sequence. It was definitely a different way of looking at screenplay writing.
You can get your copy here.
9. Short Films – Writing The Screenplay by Patrick Nash
When you’re starting out, a lot of creatives say writing and making your own short films to show off your skills is a great way to get yourself noticed. If you’re absolutely terrified about doing that, read Nash’s book to break it down clearly on how to write your own short film script that you could use to shout about the skills you’ve got, as well as learn something new along the way.
You can get your copy here.
10. Writing For Television – Series, Serials and Soaps by Yvonne Grace
When you have no idea what it entails, writing for TV in any format is a terrifying thing. Grace’s book breaks it all down and guides you towards writing the best that you can and understanding what roles you’ll likely come across as a writer that work with you.
You can get your copy here.
I hope my second list of insightful writing books I’ve read has been useful. Are there any that I’ve missed that you found useful? I’d love to hear them in the comments below. You can check out what were in my Top Ten here.
Happy reading!