12 thoughts on “#MondayMeme – #MondayBlogs”

    • OH, Carmen, I’d be lost without some of those books. Yes, I write mostly by instinct, because I’ve never been to college or taken a writing class, but over the last three years, I’ve learned some very valuable techniques from writing books.

      I would modify your thought, perhaps, to suggest writers should be more selective about the writing books they read. There are so many, and some have very contradictory ideas in them. I’d say look for the ones by authors who really know their stuff, or pick a favorite writing blog, with truly good ideas coming out of it. (Lakin’s Live, Write, Thrive comes to mind). But many of the novels out there have very obvious errors and problems that scream “beginner” or worse, “unprofessional.” Some of the books on writing could really help clean their problems up.

      As a newbie, myself, I hope and pray my writing is getting stronger with each book. I’d have to live to be 134 to reach the level I’d like to obtain, but every improvement in style and substance makes me happy, so I keep learning. And that often means reading ABOUT writing, and picking the approach that fits me best. My favorites include, among others, anything by James Scott Bell. I’ve learned so much from his books. No, I don’t do every single thing he suggests, but I have definitely begun to see the wisdom behind most of what he advocates.

      Just my two bits on writing books: don’t spend more time reading them than you do writing your own books, but do learn from the mistakes and experience of others.

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      • I don’t contradict you and I partly agree with everything you say, Marcia.
        Only that I speak from my own experience. One day I realized that, for several days in a row, I did nothing but read about writing – dialogue, action beats, etc but wrote not a single word.
        Yes, there are books that help and I read some of Bell’s most instructive books. Yet…..
        So your suggestions at the end of your comment fits better the post!

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        • I do agree that sometimes reading ABOUT writing can take over one’s life and serve to keep you away from the actual writing, itself. You are absolutely correct that you can’t let that happen. But I do think good writing books are a must, even for those who’ve written for a long time, since trends in what sells are always changing. Good writing is good writing, but there are things you can get away with today that you couldn’t years ago, and vice versa. Writing a book today that sounds like it was written decades ago could possibly be an issue when it comes to younger readers, for instance.

          Anyway, good books on the art of writing are a must for me, but I certainly agree that you shouldn’t be reading them (or anything else) during the hours you are supposed to be writing. 🙂 You MUST write, preferably every day, regardless of what else is going on in your life.

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