My Favorite Books

I have loved books as long as I can remember. In fact my love of books grew into a love of writing. The best writers make it look so easy, but after 15 years of writing, I can assure you writing is hard work!  Here are the books that have inspired me to keep going. I only hope someday I can create a piece that inspires others.

 

My favorite books

 

 

10.  Conversations with God  by Neale Donald Walsch – Changed my perception of God as an external force.  I walked away from this book believing God is riding shotgun; happily going along for the ride but willing to navigate if asked.  Truly a life changing moment.

 

9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – It’s a classic for a reason.  Six-year-old Scout Finch offers a child’s perspective of racial tensions and injustice when a black man is accused of raping a white woman and her father agrees to defend him. For many it’s impossible to imagine a time of such ignorance, until you turn on the evening news and see reports of hate crimes, gay bashing and bombings. 

 

8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by JK Rowling  – I enjoyed all the books in the series, but I’ve listed the first because it was THE book that proved there was a market for intelligent, full length, youth fiction.  I liked the idea of writing a book that would cross generational gap; a book parents could read (and enjoy) right along with their kids.  This was an eye opener for me and I started writing YA fiction.

 

 

7. American Gods by Neil Gaiman – An extraordinarily imaginative book that explores the possibility that Gods, discarded and forgotten, live among us waiting for their return to glory.  Most lament the unfairness of being cast aside by fickle mortals, reduced to working odd jobs and bickering amongst themselves. 

 

6. The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III – The story of two people, divided by culture, by their dreams and their nightmares.  Their failure to communicate and cooperate leads to dire consequences.  I was reminded of this book when I watched the movie Crash, because the underlying message encourages empathy and understanding.

 

5. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom – Simple story of slowing down and appreciating the things in life that truly matter.  This is an autobiographical account of Albom’s weekly visits with his mentor and friend, Morrie Schwartz.  Even in his final days, Morrie never stopped teaching and has left a wonderful legacy.  

 

4. The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama – I read lots of self help books, so I could have included Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, but who better to offer advice on living your best life then the Dalai Lama.  After all, he’s been researching the subject for hundreds of lifetimes.  This book is a gentle introduction to Buddhist ideas and philosophy. There is a western sensibility – since the book is based on an interview conducted by a western psychiatrist and the Dalai Lama.

 

 

3.  The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold – This story will chill you to your lovely bones.  Told from the perspective of a teenage murder victim who isn’t quite ready to let go of the life or family she left behind.  Despite the unimaginable grief, each character grows and moves on with time.  Beautifully told.

 

 

2. The Stand  by Stephen King – In my opinion, this is Stephen King’s finest work. That’s saying a lot for the prolific writer who has gone on to write the Gun Slinger series, The Tommyknockers,  Misery, Bag of Bones and Duma Key – all masterpieces in their own right. The Stand was something more, frightening in the possibility it could actually happen (unlike a haunted car) and hopeful that good can indeed overcome evil.

 

 

1.  The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger –  The most romantic and heartbreaking story I’ve ever read.  The story is told with grace and clarity, despite the complexity of criss-crossing time lines and shifting points of view.

 

 

 

 

 

How to Write

Creative Writing

Creativity (or “creativeness”) is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts.” Wikipedia

Creativity is a skill, strengthened with consistency. Physical trainers will recommend variety, a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training to condition your body. The same technique can be applied to creative writing.

The following strength exercises focus on building certain skills:

1. Write a paragraph or page with short concise sentences, limiting the length of each to three words. This forces you to choose the best words to say exactly what you mean to say.

He turned away. She sobbed uncontrollably. They were through. Their love destroyed. Her sin unforgivable. Hasty lies told. Their daughter confused. Her daughter now. He turned away. Left them both.

2. Write a paragraph or page with words beginning with a single letter. This exercise, called an alliterative, is just one example of constrained writing which stretches your vocabulary and imagination. The Oulipo group is a gathering of writers who use constrained writing techniques, including:

• Lipogram – a letter (commonly e or o) is outlawed.
• Palindromes – such as the word “radar,” read the same forwards and backwards.
• Acrostics – first letter of each word/sentence/paragraph forms a word or sentence.
• Reverse-lipograms – each word must contain a particular letter

Ernest Hemingway was a master of words, using simple yet poignant words in his stories. Broaden your vocabulary and find just the right word for a particular tone or mood.

3. Begin at the end of the story and write to the beginning. They say hindsight is 20/20 so if you know where the story will end, it may be easier to see how it got there.

 

Aerobic exercises include reading and writing everyday.

All writers must read. Read for pleasure, but also read to hone your craft. Study the way in which other writers develop characters, set a scene or use descriptive language. Read several genres and compare the styles within genres. When you find a genre you enjoy reading, identify what it is you like – the pace, themes, settings, voice or specific writers. Douglas Adams and Ray Bradbury are both Sci Fi writers, but they have very different styles.

There is a reason why most writers recommend writing every day. You need to build and condition your writing muscles. Failure to do so will cause atrophy. Stephen King, Danielle Steele, Dan Brown or JK Rowling, didn’t give up when they were told no. Instead, they continued to write and improved. Acknowledge the fact that your writing is imperfect. Make space for imperfection and you will make space for improvement.

Edit your work over and over.

Unleashing your creative writing skills may feel awkward and difficult at first. When you work out the first time, your muscles don’t instantly get stronger and muscular. Creativity is a muscle that you have to exercise.

Find more Story Starters and Creative Writing articles at fictionway.com