Today is National Writing Day so I have two things. Firstly one of the day’s activities is to write a small piece (the size of a post-it note) on the theme of connection. I’ve not been writing much recently so I thought I’d have a go and see what came out –
Connection.
“I have missed the things I was not aware of. I have missed the gentle touch of hand to shoulder, or the quick hug of greeting. I took them for granted and they left me. I have missed the brush of lip to cheek, the supportive grasp of my hand. I should not have undervalued them. I miss them above all things. I am sorry. Please come back. “
I was thinking about the lack of connection we have all been experiencing this last year and the little things that we never used to even think about. You can find out more about National Writing Day and the #fillthebox project at firststory.org.uk
The second thing I wanted to bring you was a round up of some of my favourite books about writing. So for any budding authors out there these are some books that I’ve found useful over the years, or which I have discovered more recently.
Story by Robert McKee – Technically this is a book about screenwriting but it has a lot to say about structure and pace and timing which applies equally to novel writing.
On Writing by Stephen King – Part memoir part tutorial this is really good read and a must for writers of suspense fiction (but also other kinds!). He has a lot of interesting things to say about how and why he writes.
The 21-Day Novel by Alice Thornton – Great for stopping you from faffing about and getting your first draft onto paper. It’s not going to get you a completed novel in 21 days, but it will give you a great start.
About Writing: A Field Guide for Aspiring Authors by Gareth L Powell – This is a very useful and motivating book. Gareth writes amazing SF novels so he knows what he’s talking about.
The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler – a fantastic book about the power of storytelling and about using mythic structure as the backbone for your stories.
I’m sure there are many many more that I’ve missed – these are just a few that sprung to mind. Do you have a favourite?
