Are there any really good books to help with novel writing?

Question

I am going to attempt to write my first novel (historical fiction). Are there any really, really good books to help out with this besides the one by Strunk and White?

I have a pretty good idea of what the novel should be like, storywise and all, but should I do the historical research first (not really a problem because I have a bachelor's degree in history) or do the outline first? How long does it take to work on an outline for a novel?

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

Answer 1

There is such an ambiguity among authors on what writing "should be", but of all the books written on the "how-to" of writing, Stephen King knew EXACTLY what he was talking about. He knows of the "bullshit" (as he puts it) surrounding these books that try to tell you how to write. He exposes the crap which authors try to sell in their "how to write" books. He is very upfront and personal, and it is an excellent read.

The title is "ON WRITING." It is the only book I found to be in the least bit helpful when I began to write.

Answer 2

I would recommend reading as many books as possible in the genres that you like to write, as well as about the craft of writing. When you are reading other fiction books, pay attention to how the authors structure their work.

Here are some of my favorites about writing:
1) "Writing Down The Bones" by Natalie Goldberg
2) "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott
3) "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser
4) "On Writing" by Stephen King
5) "No Plot? No Problem!" by Chris Baty
6) "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" by Lynne Truss

Personally, I don't write historical fiction but if I did I would probably do a basic outline of the plot first. This will give you a better sense of exactly how to focus your research efforts. As for how much time to spend on the outline, that really depends on how you best work. For me, I only use a short outline or plot synopsis-- no more than two pages. This obviously doesn't take me too long to complete. However, some people work better with incredibly detailed outlines.

I would only recommend that you don't get obsessed with making your outline perfect. Outlining is not writing!

Good luck!

Answer 3

I recommend two books - The First Five Pages and a wonderful novel called The Novelist.

I tend to do my historical research as I go along if I can. In fact, I do all my research as I go along unless I need to know something sooner than it comes up in the book in order to plant a clue or something like that.

And in spite of the fact that I advocate outlines, Im not an outliner. I wing it. Somehow Im one of those people who can hold a whole story in my head without an outline.

Pax - C

Answer 4

Well, I have no book that can help u WRITE a novel, but to SELL a novel. It's called "Writing for Dollars" by John McCollister.

U can sign up for the site Absolute Write Water Cooler! I registered there and I love it! There are so many helpful people! It's a very friendly site and u can post ur novel and have pro's or published people critique it. I highly reccomend signing up! If u do, tell them Turtle07 sent u!

Good Writing! (Good Luck basically)

Answer 5

Two excellent books I have found specifically regarding novel writing are:
The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
http://www.amazon.com/Marshall-Plan-Novel-Writing-Guaranteed/dp/1582970629/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4388864-4683214?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177987954&sr=8-1
I own this one, and although I don't follow it to the letter, it really has some excellent ideas to stimulate your organization. It's very thorough regarding planning out your novel. It has tips to think about how many main characters you should have, how many action sequences, etc.

Novelist's Boot Camp by Todd Stone
http://www.amazon.com/Novelists-Boot-Camp-Boring-Bestseller/dp/1582973601/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4388864-4683214?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177988061&sr=1-1
I don't own this one, but I've taken a thorough look through it. It is filled with army green outlined pages which annoyed me, but the advice is good.

OH. And another book that I do own is "Writing the Breakout Novel" by Donald Maass. This is another very good one to get your ideas flowing towards a more marketable story.
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Breakout-Novel-Donald-Maass/dp/158297182X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4388864-4683214?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177988377&sr=1-1

On the novel I am currently working on, I've done the outline first. I have a big chunk of it written, and the outline really helps keep me focused and organized. I work on researching as I'm creating. In terms of outlining, I just started with the bare minimum. I did a few timed sessions, 30 minutes each, probably 5 times. That got my story rolling. Great question!

Best wishes!

Answer 6

My top 3 favorites:

1) Self-editing for fiction writers
2) On Writing (Stephen King)
3) The first five pages (Noah Lukeman)

The Writer's Digest books can be pretty good, too. But not enough to pay for. Check your library for those. But the three I mentioned above are good enough to buy. I re-read those.

Answer 7

Building Better Plots by Robert Kernan

Answer 8

Lawrence Block has one titled: Telling Lies for Fun and Profit