Recommended Reading List for Writers

Burke, James Lee — any of the Dave Robicheaux novels. Excellent for studying dialogue, very good for setting also, and just plain good reads.

Camenson, Blythe & Marshall J. Cook — “Give ‘Em What They Want” — Solid advice about pitching, finding an agent, synopses, submissions, etc. Unlike many of the other books on the market, this one deals extensively with pitching fiction.

Catron, Louis E — “The Elements of Playwriting” — In-depth work about structuring and writing plays. Manages to be exhaustively thorough while still very readable and enjoyable — well done! Oh, and see this link for a positively brilliant piece of advice about themes from this book.

Evanovich, Janet any of the Stephanie Plum novels — Good for lots of reasons. They’re well-paced, entertaining reads. They have great dialogue and characterization (check out Grandma Mazur, or Ranger, or Lula, for examples of both great dialogue and great characterization). They’re great textbooks on how to write funny, occasionally laugh-out-loud so. Janet does a lot of things right: you’ll learn a lot about effective writing without even noticing it.

Evanovich, Janet and Ina Yaloff — “How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author” — Nothing in here really qualifies as a “secret,” — but it was entertaining, a good reminder of the basics, and it’s hard to argue with the fact that it’s worked for Janet!

Hanff, Helene — “Underfoot in Show Business” — Hanff’s memoir of being a struggling writer for Broadway and early television. Funny and endearing in places, funny and cynical in others, thoroughly enjoyable throughout.

Kernen, Robert — “Building Better Plots” — Readable, logical, solid, packed with good advice. I’m really enjoying this book.

Langner, Lawrence — “The Play’s the Thing” — Long out of print (well, he’s been dead for 45 years so what did you expect?), this is Langner’s take on how to write plays. Langner was one of the movers and shakers of the Theatre Guild back in the day (and Helene Hanff [see above] was one of its protégés, as a matter of fact). The Theatre Guild brought us, among other things, “Oklahoma!”, so it’s safe to say he knew whereof he spoke. It’s clearly dated — I’m not sure at this point that I’d consider making it my only guide to playwriting — but it’s certainly worth the read. Bad: some of the pontificating. Good: for anyone interested in either the shape of American drama or its history, the chapter where he divides plays into types and gives examples of each kind is fascinating.

Lee, Harper — “To Kill a Mockingbird” — An astonishing book in many ways. An excellent study in story arcs, characterization, and the difficult task of portraying an adult telling a story about when she was a small child — you never get the feeling that her insights were beyond her age at the time…

Mitchard, Jacquelyn — “The Deep End of the Ocean” — A wonderful example of what can be done by a skilled writer to make the unlikely believable.

Mundis, Jerrold — “Break Writer’s Block Now” — Helps change your thinking about your writing productivity and thus, gets you out of your own way. Expensive but I expect I’ll conclude it was worth it.

Pearce, Michael — Any of the “Mamur Zapt” novels — Here’s why. The setting — turn-of-the-century Egypt — is painted thoroughly but unobtrusively. There’s very little historical exposition and almost no long-winded description of the place, yet the reader becomes immersed. Another way he makes it work is his main character is British, so much of what characterizes Egypt is achieved by contrast with his main character’s former experience, or by showing what he has learned about his current home. Last, setting is achieved through his characters. Yes, you read that right — the books are peopled with characters who exemplify and are the product of the Egypt in which they lived, and it shows, so his characterization becomes a part of how he establishes his setting. Very well done.

Pressfield, Steven — “The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles” — Not an ordinary book about block, because in addition to dealing with block, it talks about the difference between living up to your true self (doing the thing you know you’re ’supposed’ to do, which is possible once you get past resistance) and living a life of unsatisfied desperation.

Stout, Rex — Any of the Nero Wolfe novels — Excellent examples of characterization of one character through the eyes of another.

Tharp, Twyla — “The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life” — An excellent and highly readable book about creativity, how creativity functions in the artist, how to foster it, how to manage it, etc.

Van Druten, John — “Playwright at Work” — Long out of print (well, he’s been dead for 50 years so that’s to be expected) but if you can find it, and you find playwriting fascinating, you’ll like this book. I loved it. I also liked his novel, “The Vicarious Years.”