Hey everyone! Just thought I'd post a few of the books I've found over the years that have been extremely helpful to me. Maybe they'll help you too.

The Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrylin Kenyon (a Writer's Digest book) This book is so cool! It's full of names and their meanings from almost every culture. In the back there's an index by name and also a reverse lookup index where you can find names by their meanings. I've gotten a lot of interesting ones from this book.

179 Ways to Save a Novel by Peter Selgin This book is good if you're looking for specific help with a specific issue, and it covers a lot of them: everything from style to substance to writer's block!

Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular by L. Rust Hills Despite it's title, this book helps a lot with novels too. It is very entertainingly written by an experienced editor. If you need help with making your stories more exciting, this is your book.

Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks Terry Brooks has written many successful fantasy series, and he has some plain good advice for writing them. I really related to his desire to tell a good story.

Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle This is one of the best books I have ever read, let alone a book about writing. If you're looking for inspiration, or feeling like you're not good enough, or wondering whether faith and art can really get along, please read this book!

Well, I guess that's all for now. Hope it helps somebody.

Wow...if I could buy books where I live, I'd definitely pick some of these up...but perhaps, a Christmas wish-list? Especially interesting are the first two you posted about...I'd love to get my hands on those!

eruheran

Yeah, I'm going to look those up.

One really good book that I'm working through is called "Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within" by Natalie Goldberg. Now, it is a secular book so some things are unnecessary to go over or you can disregard them all together. She does practice Zen, which I disagree with, but her basic idea of writing is incredible! The original print is from 1986, and my mom had to go through the book for college and it's been a great asset for her in her writings.

Here are a few of her tips for practice writing:

1.) Keep your hand moving. (Don't pause to reread the line you have just written. That's stalling and trying to get control of what you're saying.)

2.) Don't cross out. (That's editing as you write. Even if you write something you didn't mean to write, leave it.)

3.) Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar. (Don't even care about staying within the margins and lines on the page.)

4.) Lose control.

5.) Don't think. Don't get logical.

6.) Go for the jugular. (If something comes up in your writing that is scary, dive right into it. It probably has lots of energy.)

I think it's all really interesting. Especially if you're a really rigid writer.

I have heard of that book. I think they have it at my school library. I'll have to check it out. I love the way that's put: "Go for the jugular". lol.

Oh, the Character Naming Sourcebook sounds intriguing. I'll be on the lookout for that one. Same with Madeline L'Engle's book.

There are so many good resources out there, it is tough to narrow down to just a few. But two of the most recent writing books I've read are:

Manuscript Makeover - Elizabeth Lyon
I'm reading through this one right now and have found a wealth of information from basics to advanced techniques, all designed to enable you to dig deeper and make your novel the best it can be.

The Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose, and Techniques to Make your Novel Great - Donald Maas
The title and subtitle pretty well describe it. He covers how to infuse your fiction with passion and personal conviction, create vivid, compelling characters, heighten the story tension, and many other topics. Well worth reading.

I'd love to hear more recommendations from others.

That's my kind of advice! x)

It is quite interesting. I've only gotten part way through it since I started working this summer at camp, but it ends next Thursday and I'm looking forward to more reading/writing time. ^^

A really good book is How To Write A Short Story by Lee Roddy. It helps a lot with any story you are writing!

I want The Fire in Fiction. I just don't buy very many books, I mostly rely on random places throwing them into my lap. So when there is a book I want to buy I procrastinate for forever, years sometimes. No, I'm serious. I'm a total bookworm, I read like crazy, and I don't buy books. Is there something wrong with me?

I'm the same way! I have a whole list of books I want to buy, but have I bought them? No. :P Amazon.com is a great place to buy books because they're cheaper there, by the way.

Janin, I found The Fire in Fiction valuable both in the initial read and as something to refer back to as I was tackling specific situations in my novel. So it is worth buying if you can bring yourself to do so!

And I second Calenmiriel's suggestion - Amazon usually has the best book prices, and free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Of course, if you have a birthday or something coming up, you could hint around for a gift.

http://www.christianbook.com/ has amazing prices too. That's where my mom buys schoolbooks, so sometimes I'll order something and split the shipping. I am a total bookworm as well. Completely.

Are/were you homeschooled? I love CBD too.

And I recommendNo Plot? No Problem! by Chris Batytoo.