I just got a huge package of stuff from Amazon today, and I am excited. To me, there is nothing better than a box of books from an online bookstore, with the exception of spending an afternoon in a bookstore. This time I splurged on a bunch of writing-related stuff, which I suppose is good for (both of) you readers. The cardbox box o’goodness also included a Pilates DVD, but that’s another post for another time.
The Art of Dramatic Writing, by Lajos Egri. I keep running across references to this as a great book for anyone who writes fiction, plays, or screenplays. Since I’ve abandoned plays for something with more narrative (read: room to ramble), I thought I’d give it a try. It is, according to some, the bible on character motivation. So we shall see what happens to both my motivation and that of my characters.
Grammatically Correct: The Writer’s Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, and Usage, by Anne Stillman. So now, when someone asked, “But is that grammatically correct?” I can pull out yet another book and tell them ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I mean, when I’m not sure. It’s like having a safety net, so I can walk the tightrope in the Smart Olympics and not get booed out of the center ring. (How many metaphors were there in that sentence? Four? Whoa. I should ease up on the diet Pepsi.)
Nobody Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog, by Margaret Mason. Lucky for you! Thanks to this book, I should never have to begin a post with “I can’t believe how long it’s been since I wrote in here…” again. Phew! And they’ll all be riveting! Really! Well. Maybe not all of them. A hundred, for sure.
I’d better get reading. And doing my Hundreds.