Thirteen Writer Woes and the Books to Cure Them

I'm a writing book whore. I can't deny it. I know every how-to-write book says this one is "the only writing book you'll ever need". But yeah, whatever. Not true. Every book on craft that I pick up, I learn SOMETHING new. A new technique, a new way to look at things, an a-ha moment on something I was having trouble with. These books feed your writer brain like Reese's chocolate easter eggs feed your soul. So I figured I would compile a list from my personal stash of writing books to recommend.

*This is an old post that I have updated and added new books to. 

Thirteen Writer Woes and the Books to Cure Them

Problem #1:You're a pantser and are dying to figure out a way to SIMPLY plot without having to become something you're not. 

Though I have a little nerdgasm looking at pictures of people's plotting white boards with all their notes and post-its and color-coding and index carding, the idea of actually doing that to one of my stories makes my throat close up. But, at the same time, I crave some organization, some rough map of where I'm going. Enter my favorite book, *pets its cover* Seriously, life-changing. I can now write entire synopsis (to sell on proposal) before I've written any of the novel. Don't worry that it says screenwriting, it totally applies to novels as well.

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder

This was another life-changing book for my writing life. I always had plotter envy. Some part of me thought that was the "right" way to write a book and I was just cheating. Well, this book helped me embrace my pantser-ness and learn ways to work with some of the downfalls of pantsing. I recommend this to any writer. I've had plotters who have read it an gotten a lot of out of it too. Highly recommended. 

Story Trumps Structure by Steven James

Another book that goes with the screenwriting method of writing is My Story Can Beat Up Your Story by Jeffrey Alan Schechter. This one has some great techniques for that loose style of plotting. Lots and lots of good stuff. I've made worksheets from some of his stuff that I use with every book.

Problem #2: You keep getting partial requests but not follow-up full requests. So, you may, um, suck at openings. 

Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton

This is a tiny little book with a lot of great information.

The First 50 Pages by Jeff Gerke is also a great one for analyzing your opening pages and getting a reader hooked.

Problem #3:  You're writing your first book and are absolutely overwhelmed by the process.

Your First Novel: An Author Agent Team Share the Keys to Achieving Your Dream

Problem #4:  Your stories seem to lose focus or meander during the process.

Or maybe you're getting feedback from critters saying--I'm not really sure why your character is doing this or this scene doesn't seem to have a focus/point. This means you need to get down to the bones that hold a character and story together. This one is a classic you'll hear recommended over and over.

 Goal, Motivation, & Conflict by Debra Dixon

Problem #5:  You know you can write, but your books still aren't getting that agent, publisher, or enthusiasm from readers. 

You get feedback like, "You clearly have talent, but the story or characters just didn't resonate with me or reach out and grab me."

The Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great

Problem #6: When you go back to edit your book, you have to cut a ton of scenes because they just aren't moving the story forward or adding anything.

Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time

Problem #7 You need to write some hawt scenes, but whoa, shock of all shocks, sex isn't that easy to write! Who knew?

*I do a workshop on writing love scenes, so if you're ever around when I'm doing one, I encourage you to attend! :) You can see where I'll be on my Events page.

Passionate Ink: A Guide to Writing Erotic Romance by Angela Knight

Problem #8: You've been told you need to "tighten" your writing or you need a refresher on grammar.

I'm not sure how you can make a book about grammar engaging, but somehow, Constance Hale makes it happen. I actually enjoyed reading the book, and it's a good refresher for the basics but also the not-so-basic intricacies of grammar. Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale.

Want to write tight?

The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well by Paula LaRocque

Problem #9: You just want a kickass book on writing and want to hear Stephen King talk about what adverbs have to do with hell. 

On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft

Problem #10 - Your characters jump off the page and readers instantly feel connected to them, but your plot is weak or downright absent.

This book has been a life saver for me because plot is always my biggest struggle. It's one of those books you want to read slowly and more than once because there's a brilliant nugget on every page. Pretty much anything James Scott Bell writes about writing resonates with me. I don't plot ahead but this helps me analyze structure after the fact. I also made worksheets from some of his questions to use when I'm brainstorming a book.

Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) by James Scott Bell

Problem #11 - You can come up with the most twisty-turny, compelling plot ever, but your characters are cardboard players stuck in there just to serve the plot or are completely unbelievable.

The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines

Problem #12 - You're writing is "good" but you can't seem to make that draft sing and stand out. 

I had the privilege of seeing Margie Lawson speak at a local conference on fresh writing and it really was a revelation. (When you read MELT INTO YOU, the prologue was totally inspired by that class. I came home and wrote it the night after her lecture.) Her editing system and focus on taking the clichés out of your writing is amazing. She doesn't have a book, but she has lecture packets. And though twenty bucks may seem pricey for a packet, I can assure you these packets are THICK and chock full of awesomeness. Check them out here.

So those are some of my faves. Every time I open one of these books, I learn something useful. It's like my prescription when I have writer's block.

Problem #13 - You're running out of ways to describe expressions and ways for characters to express certain emotions. 

The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi is a great reference source listing all kind of emotions and then the physical expressions of them.

So do you suffer from any of these above afflictions? Which one? Do you have any of these books? What's your favorite craft book and why?

Teaser Tuesday: A Peek of Sam & Gibson from BREAK ME DOWN

 

How about a little teaser from BREAK ME DOWN? This one is Sam (Tessa's BFF) and Gibson's (Kade's brother) story.

*Note: This is an unedited copy so may change or have typos that I missed.

Excerpt:

He squatted down and picked up the sanding machine. It’d been a while since he’d tackled any home improvement projects. His position as head of PR at Vandergriff kept him too busy. But when he’d first bought his house, it had been in pretty rough shape. He’d taken on weekend projects to get it how he wanted it. He’d learned a lot and messed up more. A handyman, he was not. But he understood the satisfaction Sam probably got from doing this herself. It could be cathartic.

“I don’t suggest you turn that on unless you know what to do with it,” Sam said from behind him.

He turned around, finding her at the bottom of the stairs, raven hair damp and twisted into a messy bun atop her head. Face scrubbed clean. She looked so young standing there. He was used to seeing her with her dark eyeliner and hair done in some quirky way. But this version of her was just as breath-stealing. He held up the sander. “Don’t turn it on, unless I know what to do with it. There’s a dirty joke in there.”

She smirked, some of that trademark attitude back, despite the lingering ghosts in her eyes. “So do you? Know what to do?”

“With a woman or home improvement equipment?”

“I already know you know what to do with a woman.”

He tilted his head. Flirty Sam. Yes. Yes, he liked this. “I’m not quite as skilled with machinery, but I can hold my own. Why? Gonna put me to work to earn my keep?”

She walked forward, her beat up Vans silent on the floors. “Hmm, now there’s an idea.”

The tone of her voice had slipped into a dangerous place, one he recognized. One his body recognized. “I don’t mind helping.”

She tucked her hands in the back of her jeans, her vintage No Doubt T-shirt stretching thin across her breasts as she considered him. “Is that right?”

He lost his focus for a moment just looking at her. Her shirt read 'Just A Girl', but that was far from the truth. She was so much more. A f**king mystery wrapped up in smarts and sex appeal and kink. And he’d only gotten to touch her once, but he hadn’t forgotten a second of it. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I can help with whatever you need.”

Her smile was quick, not too big, but enough to punch him in the gut. “Those are mighty vague terms, Gib. You should know how dangerous that is in negotiations. I could make you strip naked and clean the bathroom grout with a toothbrush while I sip iced tea and watch.” 

He set the sander down and ran a hand over the back of his hair. She’d meant it as a joke. He tried to smile but only managed a tight grimace. Any image where he got on his knees for her pushed that forbidden button inside him. “Right.”

The silver ring in her eyebrow twitched up as if she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. “Nah, never mind. I know how you can help. LEAVE.”

Pre-order for $2.99: Amazon | B&N

Friday Reads: An Organizing Book For the Right Brainers & Visual Learners

So at the beginning of the school year, I get that same new year feeling I get when January rolls around, that feeling of a fresh start. And with that usually comes a focus on my two regular challenges: diet/exercise and organizing.

I'm back on track with the diet thing and have even started a private Facebook group called the Healthy Habit Exchange if you want to come join us and share tips and encouragement.

Request an invite here.

But I've also started working on the organizing thing again. Last year I did a big purge in my house when we remodeled, going with the minimalist mentality. So too much stuff isn't my problem this year. However, organizing my schedule and not forgetting things is an ongoing challenge. I've discovered that a lot of my issues come from the fact that I'm a visual person and pretty right-brained. Organizational apps and calendars on my phone are pretty useless for me. Unless I see it right it front of me all spread out and big picture, it's forgotten the minute I type something in. And yes, I can set up reminders but that doesn't help me see the overall view of what my week or month is looking like relative to everything else.

So I've gone to a paper planner and have made it like an art project, which is feeding my creative brain and tricking me into writing everything down because it's fun. Isn't is pretty? This is the

Happy Planner

from Create 365 if you're interested. It's very, very nice and worth every bit of the twenty-five dollars it costs. There are

other designs

besides this one as well.

But while I was poking around on Pinterest for planner stuff, I came across a few articles about how to organize for the ADHD brain. I clicked on them and was like--wow, this is so me. Now, I'm not ADHD. The list of symptoms doesn't fit me. BUT I definitely suffer from hyperfocus, especially when I'm writing, and that means all these other things get forgotten or dropped. And the strategies that work for people with ADHD totally click with how my brain works when it comes to organizing. It was an a-ha moment, honestly.

So with more research, I found this book:

Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD

. It was recommended on a few sites and most said--ignore the fact that it's aimed at those with ADHD, these tips can help a lot of people who have struggled with traditional left-brained organizing techniques.

Those recommendations were right on. I found this book so helpful. And more than once thinking--yes, this! Like, for instance, putting things in nice covered bins or boxes never works for me. Once it's out of sight or under a stack, it's dead to me. I will never remember what's in there and I won't go digging through it. And if things get stored in the back of my pantry, I may as well throw them away. If I can't see them, they no longer exist.

There's a lot more than just putting things in sight in the book. It's a quick read with lots of pictures and a ton of great tips. Some are on the extreme side (like only having one towel per family member), but there's way more good stuff to takeaway than stuff that didn't resonate with me. And it plays into the minimalist mentality as well. So if you're looking for something that's going to tell you how to organize a tone of STUFF, this isn't the right book unless you're willing to purge.

So anyway, though I usually reserve Friday Reads for fiction, I thought I'd pass this along since I know there are a lot of right-brainers (or those with ADHD) out there who maybe could use these tips too. If you're highly left-brained, this book will probably give you hives though. So be warned, lol. 

Check out the book:

Amazon

|

B&N

So are you left-brained or right-brained? Anyone else in love with their paper planner?

*Note: I have not been asked to endorse any of these products, but the links are affiliate links.

Printable Book List!

 

Ask and you shall receive. A number of readers have asked if I have a printable book list that shows the order of all the books in my series in one place. The books are listed in order on this site under the Books tab, but if you want to have an easy document to scan, this is an easy peasy version that includes EVERYTHING in the series.

Here you go! You can also click here to open in full screen.

 

Teaser Tuesday: A Snippet from OFF THE CLOCK

 

It's Teaser Tuesday! How about a snippet from OFF THE CLOCK (the new series releasing in January). 

This scene is from when the hero and heroine first meet back in college. (The main story takes place years later, but you know me and timelines. I like showing the past without having to do flashbacks, so the first few chapters are college. :) )

EXCERPT:

Marin’s gaze slid over to the stairwell. If she stayed on the other side of the hall in the shadows, she could probably sneak by unnoticed. She moved to the right side wall and crept forward on quiet feet. But as soon as she got within a few steps of the shaft of light coming from the occupied office, a large shadow blotted it into darkness.

She’d been so focused on that beam of light that it took her a moment to register what had happened. She froze and her gaze hopped upward, landing on the guy who filled the doorway. No, not just any guy, a very familiar guy. Tall and lean and effortlessly disheveled. Everything inside her went on alert. Oh, God, not him.

He had his hand braced on the doorjamb, and his expression was as surprised as hers probably was. “What the hell?”

“I—” She could already feel her face heating and her throat closing—some bizarre, instant response she seemed to have to this man. She’d spent way too many hours in the back of her Intro to Human Sexuality class memorizing each little detail of Donovan West. Well, his profile, really. And his walk. And the way his shoulders filled out his T-shirts. As a teaching assistant, he usually only stopped in at the beginning of class to bring Professor Paxton papers or something. But each time he walked in now, it was like some bat signal for her body to go haywire.

It’d started with the day he’d had to take over the lecture when Professor Paxton was sick. He’d talked about arousal and the physical mechanics of that process. It was technical. He’d been wearing a T-shirt that read Sometimes I Feel Like a Total Freud. It shouldn’t have been sexy. But Lord, it’d been one of the hottest experiences of her life. He’d talked with his hands a lot and had obviously been a little nervous to be in front of the class. But at the same time, he’d been so confident in the information, had answered questions with all this enthusiasm. Marin hadn’t heard a word in the rest of her classes that day for all the fantasizing she’d been doing.

But now she was staring. And blushing. And generally looking like an idiot. Yay.

She turned fully toward him and cleared her throat, trying to form some kind of non-weird response. But when her gaze quickly traveled over him again, all semblance of language left her. Oh, shit. She tried to drag her focus back to his face and cement it there. His very handsome face—a shadow of stubble, bright blue eyes, hair that fell a little too long around the ears. Lips that she’d thought way too much about. All good. All great.

But despite the nice view, she couldn’t ignore the thing in the bottom edge of her vision, the thing that had caught her attention on that quick once-over. The hard outline in his jeans screamed at her to stare—to analyze, to burn the picture into her brain. The need to look warred with embarrassment. The latter finally won and her cheeks flared even hotter. She adjusted her glasses. “Uh, yeah, hi. Sorry. I thought I was alone in the building. Didn’t mean to interrupt . . . whatever.”

He stared at her for a second, his brows knitting. “Interrupt?” 

Goddammit, her gaze flicked there again. The view was like a siren song she couldn’t ignore. Massive erection, dead ahead! She glanced away. But not quick enough for him not to notice.

“Ah, shit.” He stepped behind the doorway and hid his bottom half. “Sorry. It’s uh . . . not what it looks like.”

She snorted, an involuntary, nervous, half-choking noise that seemed to echo in the cavernous hallway. Really smooth. She tried to force some kind of wit past the awkwardness that was overtaking her. “Ohh-kay. If you say so.”

He laughed, this deep chuckle that seemed to come straight out of his chest and fill the space between them with warmth. Lord, even his laugh was sexy. So not fair.

“Well, okay, it is that. But why it’s there is just an occupational hazard.”

“Occupational hazard? Must be more interesting than the sleep lab.”

Pre-order the book:

Nook

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**Note: This is not a final copy so could have typos.