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Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

IWSG Day: Favorite Craft Books

August 3, 2021 By Jessica Ferguson 22 Comments

The days and months are flying. It’s August already–another IWSG day. The purpose of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Our awesome co-hosts are PK Hrezo, Cathrina Constantine, PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, and Sandra Cox!

August 4 question always option is:  What is your favorite writing craft book? Think of a book that every time you read it you learn something or you are inspired to write or try the new technique. And why?

I think you’ll agree there are so many good craft books and we can learn from all of them. But let me ask how you read a craft book? From beginning to end? Spot read? Scan a paragraph here and there. Read just what you need? I have to admit I’m pretty guilty. Years ago I read a book called Writing Pop Fiction. The title alone tells you how long ago that was. 🙂 The author suggested the new writer (me) take 12 (or whatever) sheets of paper, each signifying a chapter and jot down a few things that might happen in each chapter. That pretty much helped me write my first two books and I find myself still reverting to that method when I’m having problems. But most times, I create a basic Beginning, Middle and End of my story or book. I think I learned that from Syd Field’s Screenwriting book.

When I read a craft book, I do so with a highlighter. Even if I read on my kindle, I highlight in various colors. I like to be able to revisit without reading the entire book.

One of my favorite how-to books is by Walter Mosley. I LOVE this book. I’ll quote here from my old blog: 

I love this instruction from This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley.

waltermosley.jpg

Poets know that poems are songs, but few of us realize that novels are too. If there is no music to your novel, no sound, then the book will be at best incomplete. You must have a rhythm to your characters, a unique cadence to the way each one speaks, an identifiable cacophony to the world(s) they inhabit, and a beat to the story that, when varied, gives the read an almost unconscious sign of events about to unfurl.

No one will tell you how to score your novel, so that means you have to discover the music for yourself.

This little book is about 128 pages; it was wonderful from beginning to end.  When I finished This Year You Write Your Novel, I felt rejuvenated, excited about writing and anxious to get back to my own books and stories.

Another book that I find wonderful for novelists and screenwriters is The Screenwriters Bible by David Trotter.

I liked it so much I bought my writing son-in-law a copy. As you can see, I’m heavy on the highlighter here. 

Books on the craft of writing are a must, but we need to actually read good books. We can learn so much from our favorite authors. I don’t know about you, but when I read a good story with characters I like, or that fascinate me, I feel encouraged to sit down and write.

Do you read with a highlighter in your hand?  How do you study a novel?

 

 

Filed Under: IWSG, Uncategorized Tagged With: craft of writing, David Trottier, encouragement, IWSG Day, The Screenwriters Bible, walter mosley

You Got Rhythm: Another Look A Walter Mosley

July 16, 2012 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

I love this instruction from This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley.

Poets know that poems are songs, but few of us realize that novels are too. If there is no music to your novel, no sound, then the book will be at best incomplete. You must have a rhythm to your characters, a unique cadence to the way each one speaks, an identifiable cacophony to the world(s) they inhabit, and a beat to the story that, when varied, gives the read an almost unconscious sign of events about to unfurl.

No one will tell you how to score your novel, so that means you have to discover the music for yourself.
                                                                            
I’ve finished reading This Year You Write Your Novel and I wasn’t disappointed in it. It was wonderful all the way through, from beginning to end.  I might be quoting from it for a long time. Near the end of the book, Mosley writes: And so when you perused the previous pages, you may have been a little let down. Perhaps you were looking for an epiphany, and all you found was a joke. If you find that the previous paragraph expresses your feelings, I say, “Don’t despair.” This book is meant only to teach the rudiments of novel writing. Greatness lies in the heart of the writer, not in technique.
That comment from Mosley brought tears to my eyes. Why? Because of his honest voice. Because of his sincerity. Because I can look back on every word he wrote in this small book and know that his heart was open and sharing. When i finished This Year You Write Your Novel, I felt/feel rejuvenated and anxious to get back to my own rewriting. I have specific things I can look for, listen for as I revise. I also picked up Mosley’s novel The Man In My Basement. The first page yanked me into the story and wouldn’t let me go.
The Denver Post called Mosley one of the country’s best writers.  The New York Times states: Mosley is a kind of jazz musician, a Wynton Marsalis of the printed page…”
We would do well to find our own rhythm, allow our characters to live and march to their own beat. One way we do that is to read other writers, read poetry, write, read aloud and rewrite. Do you think of your novel as a song? Do you think it makes sense to do so? Why or why not?
If you’d like to learn more about Walter Mosley, try THIS interesting article from 2010.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: rhythm, The Man In My Basement, This Year You Write your Novel, Uncategorized, walter mosley

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