Recommending Reading

Someone asked me what books I recommend for someone who is interested in writing. Though I am not as well read as most writers, here are the volumes I can offer:

• The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White -- That's right, the author of Charlotte's Web wrote a book on writing. This should be the first book you read. More than just a book on grammar, it is a slim volume packed with short tips and stellar examples designed to make your writing concise. In the words of William Strunk, Jr., "Vigorous writing is concise." Read and reread this.
• On Writing by Stephen King - I was actually surprised at how good this book was. Don't get me wrong; I love most of Stephen King's horror novels and stories, but I was a little unsure when I heard he wrote a book on writing. Unfortunately, I guess I was biased against genre writers, a bias I have since fallen victim to myself. This book was one of the best books on writing I have ever read. Lively and entertaining, it takes the reader through all facets of the writing experience, from grammar to (Ahem!) motivation to publication. This book applies to all writers, not just horror writers.
• Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular by Rust Hills --A classic college textbook, this helped me a lot in undergraduate school. As a result, my professor praised my story about the ritual killing of a milk cow. Who knew! This gives one all the basics one needs to write fiction.
• One Continuous Mistake: Four Noble Truths for Writers by Gail Sher--I have not read this one, yet; but my girlfriend swears by it. I have been into Buddhism for the past couple years so it's on my reading list.
• The Writers Market or the Writersmarket.com--This book lists thousands of markets to submit your finished work to: book publishers, contests, consumer and trade magazines, literary journals, greeting card publishers. It also has a lot of other helpful information and articles written by the industry's "big guns." The pay Web site offers even more up-to-date listings, as well as "Favorites" folders for market search results and a "Submission Tracker" for the manuscripts you have sent. I recommend waiting until this Fall to buy the 2005 Writer's Market Online. You will get the book with all of its great articles, as well as access to the Web site for one year.

I hope these are helpful. I'm off to write!