Rachel’s Recommendations
Recommended Reads:
A Fantastic Adult Novel about Mental Health, Family, and Love
I’ve been doing some exhaustive research on mental health issues, depression, suicide, and mental institutions, and White is for Witching, by Helen Oyeyemi came up on my search for best books to read. And it was fantastic. The story is strange, creative, unusual, and...
A Creative YA Book About the Enduring Nature of Love
I’ve become a big fan of Marcus Sedgwick and his creative young adult novels. Midwinterblood is the second one of his books I’ve read, and it was just as good as the first one (The Ghosts of Heaven). What I love about Sedgwick is that he’s very experimental with his...
A Delightful MG Book about Track, Responsibility, and Trust
I am a super-fan of Jason Reynolds and read pretty much every book he comes out with—whether it’s middle grade or young adult. So it was with great anticipation that I picked up his newest book, Patina, the second in a semi-series about kids who run on a special...
Writing resources
On Story
- Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, by Robert McKee
I know this is a screenwriting book, but it’s probably the most comprehensive book on storytelling. A great resource! Dense reading, but full of great information. - The Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell
Another dense read, but Joseph Campbell is one of my favorite commentators on story and story structure. Every writer should read this one at least once. - The Power of Myth, by Joseph Campbell
This was actually a series of interviews Campbell did. It’s better to listen to the audio version or watch the DVD. He’s so passionate about story, and that’s contagious!
On Writing (general)
- Wired for Story, by Lisa Cron
Great book on the science of the brain and how to craft well-told stories that will appeal to the storytelling side of the brain. I got this book years ago but still pull it out every now and then to refresh my memory. - Steering the Craft, by Ursula Le Guin
This one’s not so much a technique kind of book as it is a book reminding writers of their obligation to their readers. Some of her ideas are a bit old-fashioned, but most of them are still valuable today. - The Fire in Fiction, by Donald Maass
Another great one on creating books that appeal to readers. Again, I always read these kinds with a grain of salt–because my goals are a bit different, but we all want readers, so I think we can always find value in the suggestions offered, even if we don’t become hardcore users of them.