Other titles are enjoyable learning romps through the dull stuff of punctuation, such as The Deluxe Transitive Vampire<\/a><\/em>. Or, why you should never ever never drown your book in ly adverbs, as is explained in Nabokov\u2019s Favorite Word is Mauve<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Story<\/em>, by Robert McKee<\/a>, is a take on how to write books as if you were making a movie\u2014which is exactly what I try to convince all my authors: A novel is a mental movie; don\u2019t do anything that causes the readers to see the words that break the film and sends it spinning around the spool. Yes, I know, nobody uses film anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m one of those editors who doesn\u2019t like to see words or phrases that are \u201cout of time\u201d in novels. If I\u2019m concerned, for instance, that something a character is saying in a novel set in 1918, and I\u2019m pretty sure the phrase or word didn\u2019t come into the language until later, I\u2019ll refer to Movers and Shakers\u2014A Chronology of Words<\/a> <\/em>to confirm my suspicions.<\/em> It\u2019s a great trip down memory lane, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I encourage you to check these out, and if one, two, or more resonate with you, please bring them into your life to have them handy when the need arises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [amazon box=”1607748894″ title=”Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel HOW STORY HACKS THE READERS BRAIN<\/p>\n \u201c. . . What actually causes that great feeling is a surge of the neurotransmitter dopamine. It\u2019s a chemical reaction triggered by the intense curiosity that an effective story always instantly generates. It\u2019s your brain\u2019s way of rewarding you for following your curiosity to find out how the story ends, because you just might learn something you need to know.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen we\u2019re under the spell of a compelling story, we undergo internal changes along with the protagonist, and [his or] her insights become part of the way we, too, see the world. Stories instill meaning directly into our belief system the same way experience does\u2014not by telling us what is right or wrong, but by allowing us to feel<\/em> it ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Story Genius<\/strong>, by Lisa Cron. Ten Speed Press, 2016; page 12-13.<\/cite><\/p>\n [\/amazon]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”0060391685″]<\/p>\n \u201cTwo principles control the emotional involvement of an audience. First, empathy: identification with the protagonist that draws us into the story, vicariously rooting for our own desires in life. We must believe . . . we must willingly suspend our disbelief. . . . To do so, the writer must convince us that the world of his story is authentic. We know that storytelling is a ritual surrounding a metaphor for life. To enjoy this ceremony . . . we react to stories as if they\u2019re real. We suspend our cynicism and believe in the tale as long as we find it authentic. The moment it lacks credibility, empathy dissolves and we feel nothing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c . . . For the purposes of (story) a convincing impossibility is preferable to an unconvincing possibility.\u201d <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Story<\/strong>, by Robert McKee. HarperCollins, 1997; page 186 <\/cite><\/p>\n [\/amazon]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B011T7U27I” title=”Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies”]<\/p>\n A STORY VIEWED AS A LIVING, BREATHING THING<\/p>\n \u201cA story has many moods. It has good days and bad days. It must be nurtured and cared for lest it deteriorate. And it has a personality and an essence that defines how it is perceived. Just like human beings. In fact, comparing a well-told story to a healthy human being becomes an effective analogy to better understand the interdependency of the parts and the delicate balance of chemistry and biomechanics that allow the body\u2014and a story\u2014to move, to thrive, and to grow. . . . <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSuch it is with our stories. There are certain elements that are essential for the story to work. They are not remotely negotiable. . . .\u201d <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Story Engineering<\/strong>, by Larry Brooks. Writer\u2019s Digest Books, 2011, page 15 [\/amazon]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”1599636891″]<\/p>\n WHAT IS YOUR STORY ABOUT?<\/p>\n \u201cThat last word is a loaded gun pointed at the heart of your manuscript. Your answer exposes you, strips you naked in the light of your story\u2019s commercial and mechanical viability. It tells you what you know, and by its absence, also exposes what you don\u2019t know. . . . <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cA story is about a character, a hero . . . [.] A story is about characters doing things . . . . Plot is the stage upon which your characters reveal themselves.\u201d <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Story Physics<\/strong> by Larry Brooks. Writer\u2019s Digest Books, 2013; page 101-104 <\/cite><\/p>\n [\/amazon]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B004WPGF4Y”]<\/p>\n INTERVIEWING A CHARACTER, OR, GETTING TO KNOW HIM OR HER<\/p>\n \u201cIf, after you have created your characters, you still do not see them in your mind\u2019s eye walking, talking, breathing, perspiring, you might try a little psychoanalysis. Put them on the couch and talk to them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How to Write a Damn Good Novel<\/strong>, by James N. Frey. St. Martin\u2019s Press, 1987, page 15 [\/amazon]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”1440348375″]<\/p>\n \u201cSkillful authors play against expected feelings. They go down several emotional layers in order to bring up emotions that will catch readers by surprise. There\u2019s always a different emotion to use. A story situation is an emotional elephant. There are many ways of looking at and feeling what\u2019s happening at any given moment. Stop your story at any given moment and ask your point-of-view character what she\u2019s feeling, and it\u2019s never just one answer. Ask two characters what they feel about what\u2019s happening and they will never say the same thing.\u201d\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Emotional Craft of Fiction<\/strong>, by Donald Maass. Writer\u2019s Digest Books, 2016; page 18<\/cite><\/p>\n [\/amazon]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B00H26IFJS”]<\/p>\n (Specifically for self-publishers interested in guerilla marketing. Note that this book isn\u2019t primarily about writing, but about selling, but the hints on how to write story elements come in in unique ways.)<\/p>\n KNOWING YOUR CHARACTERS<\/p>\n \u201cYou haven\u2019t lived until you\u2019ve been writing a scene you thought you were in control of, and something happens you never saw coming.<\/p>\n \u201cOur contention is that good storytelling is good because the characterss\u2014not the author\u2014are in charge. Bad storytelling is often a case of the author shoving his or her big nose into the narrative. You can see this happens as a reader, and it\u2019ll clang in your ear like a sour note. Author interference is what makes you shake your head and say: \u2018Why would X character do that?\u2019 What follows seems artificial and contrived.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDynamic characters shake things up. The cause chaos. They act autonomously without permission. The is very, very good, because it means that readers will be less likely to predict what\u2019s coming. If you as the author don\u2019t know what exactly will happen, how can a reader?\u201d\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Write. Publish. Repeat<\/strong>. By Platt, Truant, and Wright. Realm and Sands, 2013; pages 119-120<\/cite><\/p>\n [\/amazon]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”1555977596″]<\/p>\n “I remember the first moment terror enchanted me. I was a kindergartner at Crow Elementary School, and in the library one day I pulled off the shelf the book Universal Studios Monsters. I flipped through the pages, studying stills from Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man. I lingered on the image of Lon Chaney Jr., with his fanged underbite, his hoggish nose and shag-carpeting hair, so long that it burned into my memory and haunted me later that night, when I cried out for my parents and could fall asleep only trembling between them. I knew terror\u2014but I also knew the spike of adrenaline that comes with it. The very next day at school I returned to that same corner of the library and cracked the book again, like an addict seeking another hit.\u201d I had the same reaction when reading his book on how to write genre . . . that\u2019s also literary.<\/p>\n [\/amazon]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [amazon box=”B000U25CZQ”]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”1592402038″]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B005OI1V1A”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Educator Amy Hall’s on-line workshops for students and professionals. Her message is simple, though, for all writers:”It is impossible to improve one’s writing without a strong understanding of the way the language is structured, through its grammar.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n [amazon box=”B06XQ823N3″]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B008SLPGRA”]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B01HMXUTI0″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [amazon box=”B00EPE04V2″]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B01HMXUTI0″]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B000FC1250″]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B000FC125K”]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B00AOARCW0″]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”B01E67HHOE”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [amazon box=”B001134TNE”]<\/p>\n\n\n [amazon box=”0199208395″]<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \t\t\tI encourage you to check these reference books for writers out, and if one, two, or more resonate with you, please bring them into your life to have them handy when the need arises.\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Copyediting is as much about teaching the craft of writing to authors as it is about working the edits on a manuscript. Teaching often means recommending helpful books for any number of particular problems authors have with stories. I have at some point recommended all the titles listed below to different authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some are straightforward reference books, such as Rodale\u2019s Synonym Finder<\/em><\/a>, but indispensable: I quit counting when I reached 125 and there were still more alternative choices for \u201cred.\u201d It\u2019s better by far than Merriam-Webster\u2019s Thesaurus<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other titles are enjoyable learning romps through the dull stuff of punctuation, such as The Deluxe Transitive Vampire<\/a><\/em>. Or, why you should never ever never drown your book in ly adverbs, as is explained in Nabokov\u2019s Favorite Word is Mauve<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Story<\/em>, by Robert McKee<\/a>, is a take on how to write books as if you were making a movie\u2014which is exactly what I try to convince all my authors: A novel is a mental movie; don\u2019t do anything that causes the readers to see the words that break the film and sends it spinning around the spool. Yes, I know, nobody uses film anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m one of those editors who doesn\u2019t like to see words or phrases that are \u201cout of time\u201d in novels. If I\u2019m concerned, for instance, that something a character is saying in a novel set in 1918, and I\u2019m pretty sure the phrase or word didn\u2019t come into the language until later, I\u2019ll refer to Movers and Shakers\u2014A Chronology of Words<\/a> <\/em>to confirm my suspicions.<\/em> It\u2019s a great trip down memory lane, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I encourage you to check these out, and if one, two, or more resonate with you, please bring them into your life to have them handy when the need arises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HOW STORY HACKS THE READERS BRAIN<\/p>\n \u201c. . . What actually causes that great feeling is a surge of the neurotransmitter dopamine. It\u2019s a chemical reaction triggered by the intense curiosity that an effective story always instantly generates. It\u2019s your brain\u2019s way of rewarding you for following your curiosity to find out how the story ends, because you just might learn something you need to know.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we\u2019re under the spell of a compelling story, we undergo internal changes along with the protagonist, and [his or] her insights become part of the way we, too, see the world. Stories instill meaning directly into our belief system the same way experience does\u2014not by telling us what is right or wrong, but by allowing us to feel<\/em> it ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Story Genius<\/strong>, by Lisa Cron. Ten Speed Press, 2016; page 12-13.<\/cite><\/p>\n\n[\/amazon]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"0060391685\"]\n \u201cTwo principles control the emotional involvement of an audience. First, empathy: identification with the protagonist that draws us into the story, vicariously rooting for our own desires in life. We must believe . . . we must willingly suspend our disbelief. . . . To do so, the writer must convince us that the world of his story is authentic. We know that storytelling is a ritual surrounding a metaphor for life. To enjoy this ceremony . . . we react to stories as if they\u2019re real. We suspend our cynicism and believe in the tale as long as we find it authentic. The moment it lacks credibility, empathy dissolves and we feel nothing.<\/p>\n \u201c . . . For the purposes of (story) a convincing impossibility is preferable to an unconvincing possibility.\u201d <\/p>\n Story<\/strong>, by Robert McKee. HarperCollins, 1997; page 186 <\/cite><\/p>\n[\/amazon]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B011T7U27I\" title=\"Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies\"]\n A STORY VIEWED AS A LIVING, BREATHING THING<\/p>\n \u201cA story has many moods. It has good days and bad days. It must be nurtured and cared for lest it deteriorate. And it has a personality and an essence that defines how it is perceived. Just like human beings. In fact, comparing a well-told story to a healthy human being becomes an effective analogy to better understand the interdependency of the parts and the delicate balance of chemistry and biomechanics that allow the body\u2014and a story\u2014to move, to thrive, and to grow. . . . <\/p>\n \u201cSuch it is with our stories. There are certain elements that are essential for the story to work. They are not remotely negotiable. . . .\u201d <\/p>\n Story Engineering<\/strong>, by Larry Brooks. Writer\u2019s Digest Books, 2011, page 15 WHAT IS YOUR STORY ABOUT?<\/p>\n \u201cThat last word is a loaded gun pointed at the heart of your manuscript. Your answer exposes you, strips you naked in the light of your story\u2019s commercial and mechanical viability. It tells you what you know, and by its absence, also exposes what you don\u2019t know. . . . <\/p>\n \u201cA story is about a character, a hero . . . [.] A story is about characters doing things . . . . Plot is the stage upon which your characters reveal themselves.\u201d <\/p>\n Story Physics<\/strong> by Larry Brooks. Writer\u2019s Digest Books, 2013; page 101-104 <\/cite><\/p>\n[\/amazon]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B004WPGF4Y\"]\n INTERVIEWING A CHARACTER, OR, GETTING TO KNOW HIM OR HER<\/p>\n \u201cIf, after you have created your characters, you still do not see them in your mind\u2019s eye walking, talking, breathing, perspiring, you might try a little psychoanalysis. Put them on the couch and talk to them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n How to Write a Damn Good Novel<\/strong>, by James N. Frey. St. Martin\u2019s Press, 1987, page 15\n<\/cite><\/p>\n[\/amazon]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"1440348375\"]\n \u201cSkillful authors play against expected feelings. They go down several emotional layers in order to bring up emotions that will catch readers by surprise. There\u2019s always a different emotion to use. A story situation is an emotional elephant. There are many ways of looking at and feeling what\u2019s happening at any given moment. Stop your story at any given moment and ask your point-of-view character what she\u2019s feeling, and it\u2019s never just one answer. Ask two characters what they feel about what\u2019s happening and they will never say the same thing.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The Emotional Craft of Fiction<\/strong>, by Donald Maass. Writer\u2019s Digest Books, 2016; page 18<\/cite><\/p>\n[\/amazon]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B00H26IFJS\"]\n (Specifically for self-publishers interested in guerilla marketing. Note that this book isn\u2019t primarily about writing, but about selling, but the hints on how to write story elements come in in unique ways.)<\/p>\n KNOWING YOUR CHARACTERS<\/p>\n \u201cYou haven\u2019t lived until you\u2019ve been writing a scene you thought you were in control of, and something happens you never saw coming.<\/p>\n \u201cOur contention is that good storytelling is good because the characterss\u2014not the author\u2014are in charge. Bad storytelling is often a case of the author shoving his or her big nose into the narrative. You can see this happens as a reader, and it\u2019ll clang in your ear like a sour note. Author interference is what makes you shake your head and say: \u2018Why would X character do that?\u2019 What follows seems artificial and contrived.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDynamic characters shake things up. The cause chaos. They act autonomously without permission. The is very, very good, because it means that readers will be less likely to predict what\u2019s coming. If you as the author don\u2019t know what exactly will happen, how can a reader?\u201d\n<\/p>\n Write. Publish. Repeat<\/strong>. By Platt, Truant, and Wright. Realm and Sands, 2013; pages 119-120<\/cite><\/p>\n[\/amazon]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"1555977596\"][\/amazon]\n\n\n\n \t\t\tI encourage you to check these reference books for writers out, and if one, two, or more resonate with you, please bring them into your life to have them handy when the need arises.\t\t\t<\/p>\n","category_list":"Books<\/a>","author_info":{"display_name":"Theodora Bryant","author_link":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/author\/tbryant\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","bloom_image":"","et-pb-post-main-image":"","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":"","et-pb-portfolio-image":"","et-pb-portfolio-module-image":"","et-pb-portfolio-image-single":"","et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":"","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth-large":"","et-pb-image--responsive--desktop":"","et-pb-image--responsive--tablet":"","et-pb-image--responsive--phone":""},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":" \t\t\tI encourage you to check these reference books for writers out, and if one, two, or more resonate with you, please bring them into your life to have them handy when the need arises.\t\t\t<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Books<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Theodora Bryant","url":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/author\/tbryant\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","featured_image_src":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23814"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23814\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Craft of Writing<\/h2>\n\n\n
(Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)<\/span>“]<\/p>\n
<\/cite><\/p>\n
\n<\/cite><\/p>\n
\n
\n\u2014Benjamin Percy<\/p>\nGrammar and Punctuation<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"GrammCrackers.com\"](\"https:\/\/www.book-editing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/gclogo-2.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMiscellaneous Titles About Words and Phrases<\/h2>\n\n\n
Thesaurus \/ Word Reference Books<\/h2>\n\n\n
Unusual Dictionaries<\/h2>\n\n\n
Are These Reference Books In Your Personal Library?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Craft of Writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"1607748894\" title=\"Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel
(Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)<\/span>\"]\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/cite><\/p>\n\n[\/amazon]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"1599636891\"]\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nGrammar and Punctuation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B000U25CZQ\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"1592402038\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B005OI1V1A\"]\n\n\n\n
Miscellaneous Titles About Words and Phrases<\/h2>\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B06XQ823N3\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B008SLPGRA\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B01HMXUTI0\"]\n\n\n\n
Thesaurus \/ Word Reference Books<\/h2>\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B00EPE04V2\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B01HMXUTI0\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B000FC1250\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B000FC125K\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B00AOARCW0\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B01E67HHOE\"]\n\n\n\n
Unusual Dictionaries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"B001134TNE\"]\n\n\n\n[amazon box=\"0199208395\"]\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"ub_ctt_via":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","bloom_image":"","et-pb-post-main-image":"","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":"","et-pb-portfolio-image":"","et-pb-portfolio-module-image":"","et-pb-portfolio-image-single":"","et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":"","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth-large":"","et-pb-image--responsive--desktop":"","et-pb-image--responsive--tablet":"","et-pb-image--responsive--phone":""},"post_excerpt_stackable":"