Recommended Book List

     A big part of writing is reading.  The following is my recommend reading list for writers about writing.  Also, I have included a list of recommended reading for pleasure, ideas and inspiration, for what is a writer without inspiration?

    An uninspired writer, of course.

    Does that mean he or she is not a writer?  No.  Only that he or she may need a jump start to get going again.  Reading is the best jump start I know.

    Some of the writers books listed are mostly concerned with format and style.  The proper format is important when submitting a manuscript.  Catch the editor’s eye, please his or her sense of saved time with a clean, easy to read manuscript and you are already a step ahead.
S. Joan Popek
 

Read for Pleasure List The Bible:The King James Version  The language in this version is poetic and beautiful.  It is filled with stories that encompass  the entire range of human emotion. Excitement, adventure, faith, love, death, world catastrophe, war, divine leadership, foolish choices—it’s all there—plot, conflict, characterization, dialog—every element of a good story. Even if you are not relegious or even Christian, you can learn about writing from this book. Patricia L. White A Wizard Scorned The Seventy-Ninth Prince S. Joan Popek The Administrator Sound The Ram's Horn   By E. L. Noel THE L'AROBI FRAME Tony Chandler MotherShip Alex Domokos with Rita Y. Toews PROMETHEUS Mary E. Trimble ROSEMOUNT  By Priscilla A. Maine Angels Unaware   The following books can be found at Amazon.com Isaac Asimov I. Asimov The complete Stories of Isaac Asimov William Shakespeare King Henry The IV (And anything else he wrote.) The Best of Jack Williamson Jack Williamson Edited by, Gardner Dozois The Year’s Best Science Fiction Annual Collections. (each year he edits and publishes  the short stories judged “best”  in the S.F. field.) The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations Oxford University Press Oxford, New York, Toronto, Melbourne. Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer Terraforming Earth by Jack Williamson Genesis by Poul Anderson Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer Wizardborn  (The Runelords, Book Three) by David Farland

Writer’s Books Jump Start Your Writing Career With Electronic Publishers  by S. Joan Popek Are you tired of rejections?  Are you tired of submitting to markets where the submissions outnumber the needs of publishers 1,000 to 1?  No one enjoys constant rejection of work that they have poured their soul into.  Are you really interested in getting published?  This book can help! Atlantic Bridge Publishing The following books are available from Writer’s Digest Book Club. http://www.writersdigest.com The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells by Ben Bova The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference World-Building by Stephen L. Gillett The Writer's Digest Guide to Manuscript Formats by Dian Dincin Buchman and Seli Groves  Getting the Words Right: How to Rewrite, Edit & Revise by Theodore A. Rees Cheney Freeing Your Creativity by Marshall J. Cook Writer's Encyclopedia, Third Edition by the editors of Writer's Digest Writing for Money by Loriann Hoff Oberlin 20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them) by Ronald B. Tobias Dialogue by Lewis Turco Elements of the Writing Craft by Robert Olmstead The Art & Craft of Novel Writing by Oakley Hall The Art of Compelling Fiction by Christopher T. Leland Voice & Style by Johnny Payne Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella Writing Horror edited by Mort Castle Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Albert Zuckerman

You probably won’t read all of these books, but choose the ones that you feel will help you to achieve the highest quality of writing you are capable of or that you would just enjoy reading.  If you only use one or two tips from a few of them, you’ve gained something.  You’ve gained knowledge and skill.