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Study the Craft of Writing

I counsel writers at Elaine’s, mostly because I’ve made so many mistakes, and each month I offer one craft tip to help writers avoid pitfalls.

This month’s tip focuses on the importance of studying the craft of writing. Storytelling is an art, and it takes time and effort to improve. It’s called a “writing practice” because you never stop learning new techniques and finding new ways to express stories. Writing is hard, but the good news is, resources exist to help you.

Read everything that succeeds in your genre, then go back and dissect bestsellers to determine why readers enjoyed them. Reading bad writing can help too, because it’s easier to spot mistakes in other people’s work than in your own. Read widely, because you can find helpful techniques in other genres, and nonfiction can inspire story ideas.

When I first started writing, I read 30 craft books, and by now, I’ve probably read over one hundred. Here are seven of my favorites:

• The Writer’s Journey, by Christopher Vogler.
• The First Five Pages, by Noah Lukeman.
• Save The Cat Writes a Novel, by Jessica Brody
• Story, by Robert McKee
• Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass
• The Writing Life, by Annie Dillard
• On Writing, by Stephen King.

I recommend listening to writing podcasts and visiting literary websites.

My favorite podcasts (other than the Elaine’s Literary Salon podcast) are Writers Ink, Writing Excuses, and The Creative Penn Podcast.

Helpful websites include JaneFriedman.com (business advice), writerbeware.com (scam alerts), and AuthorsGuild.org (advocacy and community).

If you want to be a serious author, approach writing as a profession and never stop learning.