Fiction Writers Reference Books

The Three Best Reference Books for Fiction Writers

Grammar

Writer’s Digest sells its book the Grammar Desk Reference on its website. Written to help the learning process, previous information is repeated to highlight new facts, which works well with the memory process.

A good dictionary will give grammar tips in its introduction as well as in the definitions, usually headed usage notes.

Content

I’ve written about Donald Maass’s book The Breakout Novelist before. I bought an updated version that included excerpts from his books The Fire in Fiction and The Career Novelist. He has over thirty years of experience as an agent and very definite ideas about what makes a good novel. His view on platform is comforting for the new writer trying to become established. So many harp on the need for a public audience garnered through a blog, website, published works in well-known magazines, etc.

Publishers want to know you have ready-made buyers for your book. Mr. Maass says most novels are sold by word of mouth—not TV exposure, favorable blurbs by critics, book tours. Social media nowadays is a required skill to connect to potential readers but good writing trumps all. Hope publishers and other agents agree with him.

Lisa Cron’s book Wired For Story states that as a species, humans need stories as a means to learn how to deal with situations in a safe manner. Think: old hunter explaining how best to approach dangerous animals to young hunters. She also explains how we respond to stories and what elements satisfy us. We want to be able to identify with the characters—positive and negative qualities—and learn something about the human condition.

These two books together give balanced advice on building a career, creating characters, scenes, plot, an overall theme for your story, and the all-important tension and conflict that drive a story. Learning the difference between inner and outer conflict and how to bring them together is crucial for any story teller.