Reddit mentions: The best comedy fiction books

I apologize for responding to this post at a time so late after it was originally posted! I saw it and saved it so that I could respond when I had a lot of time at the computer!

1. Don't Let Me Go (#1)
   
2. Where You Are (#2)
   
3. Just Between Us (#3) by J.H. Trumble
   
4. Openly Straight (#1)
   
5. Honestly Ben (#2) by Bill Konigsberg
   
6. Geography Club (The Russell Middlebrook Series Book #1)
   
7. The Order of the Poison Oak (The Russell Middlebrook Series Book #2) by Brent Hartinger
   
8. The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg
   
9. More Happy Than Not
   
10. History Is All You Left Me
    
11. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
    
12. One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva
    
13. Whatever.: or how junior year became totally f$@cked by S.J. Goslee
    
14. Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak
    
    
    Sorry for the incredibly long list but all of these books are freaking phenomenal! I think they're all YA (young adult) but that shouldn't stop anyone from reading these treasures! I thought I'd link each title to Amazon so that you could read the description of the book!
    
    
    Books 1, 2 & 3 by J.H. Trumble were some of the first LGBT themed books I'd ever read and absolutely loved them! The three books don't necessarily have to be read in that order but some of the characters, if I remember correctly, from the first and second book are mentioned later down the line. Reading it in order might make it a bit more cohesive!
    
    
    4 & 5 by Bill Konigsberg feature two amazing characters that really shine and in due time you'll want to reach inside the pages of the book and force them to be happy together yourself!
    
    
    6 & 7 were fairly quick reads. Definitely enjoyable. There are more books in the series that I've yet to have read.
    
    
    8 is another book by Bill Konigsberg. It's about two kids who go on a road trip to find a family member. It's not as LGBT-themed necessarily as the others but it has a nice chunk of LGBT history in the third act that makes it's a really worthwhile read in that it makes you feel closer to the characters!
    
    
    9, 10 and 11. Jesus. These books will stay with you for ages. I swear. They're so damn good and incredibly well written! Adam Silvera knows how to write a good story and intriguing characters that will stay engraved in your memory days, weeks, and months (for me) after you've read them. These three books could be read in any order as the characters in each book are different. 10 was really good but in my opinion 9 and 11 are much better because the characters were way more memorable.
    
    
    12 was a really enjoyable read. The main character, Alek, is in summer school and befriends a kid named Ethan. They have totally different interests and personalities but they fit together like puzzle pieces! Alek also has a friend named Becky who has some great comedic lines.
    
    
    13 had its hot and heavy moments, that's for sure! In this book Mike is coming to terms with his sexuality and has a funny group of friends, plus it had some hilarious moments where I just couldn't help but bust out laughing!
    
    
    14 is a supernatural themed book with it's tiny share of LGBT moments. The supernatural element and overall story is really fascinating! It was a good book!
    
    
    The last book I read was the same as yours, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda! It was SO good and I was really left wondering once it started reaching the end! I hope you get what I mean as that's all I'll say so that I don't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet!
    Over the years that I've read all of these books each one has made me long for what each of the characters had with the other character that they loved so dearly. They've all left a lasting impression on me, some definitely more than others, and I am always looking forward to reading more. I just got back from the library today with a couple more LGBT themed books and can't wait to read them! If any of them really stand out I'll let you know!!

Wow! Like you, I have a fascination with SciFi, and I'm actually writing a SciFi novel!

It's great to see others so inspired with the genre.

And certainly everything that's been happening lately in rocket science and astronomy certainly seems more and more like we are increasingly living in a SciFi story!

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But yes, I was just curious: is this going to be your first short story?

Do you happen to have any favorite authors in the SciFi genre (and outside of it)?

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ALSO...

in terms of your questions above, I was noticing that many of them seem to overlap with ideas explored in this amazing youtube channel by Isaac Arthur.

I think all aspiring SciFi writers will gain a lot of insights into the possibilities (mostly according to known laws of physics) about the future.

So that channel has helped me a lot in shaping out some of my own SciFi ideas.

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ALSO... just to address one of your questions above... (since you asked!)...

For the price per KG to LEO, that's a pretty intense specific and intricate detail to put into a short story.

Of course, for your story to work well, you don't actually need to have any highly intricate facts/figures measured out that specifically.

A lot of great SciFi stories and novels don't.

BUT... then again, a lot of great SciFi stories and novels do!

I am thinking of Andy Weir's amazing SciFi novel "The Martian", and he certainly put a lot of mathematical and intensely intricate figures like that in his novel, and he made it work well!

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But keep in mind...

If you do decide to put highly specific and intricate figures in your story, and see if that works... then you're going to increase the research levels of your workload, and ideally, it would be nice if you could talk with someone who knows a lot about it, here in subreddits like this one.

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NOTE: one solution for you in terms of dealing with an intricately accurate SciFi story, is to simply write a lot of the story first...

Then after that, you do your research.

(And then you do a lot of rewriting of your story!)

So for example, for the KG to LEO, you just pick a semi-educated number yourself (without researching it initially), and then when the story's done you can really pin it down more accurately.

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I mention that because sometimes even great authors admit they can get carried away with too much research at the beginning... neglecting the story/characters/plot development, which of course are the most important elements of the story!

But then again... some authors say they become greatly inspired when immersing themselves into research... and the research actually suggests story and character ideas...

So I guess it's a balance, and also knowing what is your own best way of working...

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NEXT...

I noticed based upon all your questions, that's quite a vast world/universe you are building there!

And that's a great thing! It means you're greatly inspired by this story you want to tell, and so that's a good sign that your story is going to be a good one.

BUT... for a short story, that might be a lot of subplots and locations. Maybe too many?

If all of those locations figure as key scenes in your story, intricately described (I mean you've got Moon bases, Mars bases, and space stations going on here!) then that's certainly a lot of topics to cover in a short story.

To me, it seems that your world building is approaching the level of an actual SciFi novel, rather than just a short story.

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So one way to handle this... might be for you to write a novel instead!

(NOTE: if you want to make a living as a writer ultimately, then you'll have to do it with full length novels, rather than short stories anyways. Novels are where the money is! There are some exceptions to that rule... but not many.)

But ya, in your novel, you could develop a lead character, that has adventures or journeys from Earth, to the moon, to Mars, and beyond.

Of course your character will need to be driven by something... a desire to find something... or to avert a disaster, or whatever...

Initially your main character might not even consciously know he or she is being driven to achieve something, and avert something... but gradually comes to realize it... or maybe your character knows right from the beginning and is one a determined quest and mission...

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NOTE: Just because I'm of the opinion that you might have too much territory to cover in a short story, and you may want to consider an actual novel instead...

doesn't mean I'm right!

There are indeed some short stories that have a huge scope of the Universe as the background landscape, and a character races through a vast universe... or through a vast time-scape...

and it's achieved all in one compact nice short story!

So... ultimately... don't listen to me if you disagree with any of my tips!

(I'm just throwing tips and ideas at you because you asked!)

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EDIT: FINALLY...

I would highly HIGHLY recommend this book to you, since you seem very serious about writing this story of yours:

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Plot and Structure (by James Scott Bell).

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NOTE: as a writer, you don't have to agree with everything he says. (In fact you shouldn't!)

BUT, if you read this book, then it will give you a strong edge, to be able to push a "good story" or "good novel" into becoming "a GREAT story" or "GREAT novel"!

Reading this book, could be the edge you need to become a best selling author!

It will give you great insights into the psychology of your readers, and w
hat compels them to become obsessed by your story, making them not want to stop reading... and keep turning those pages late into the night!

There was a post about this on either /r/books or here a couple months ago. Goodreads made this interesting infographic.

One of the reasons for stopping—"extremely stupid"—cracked me up.

I wish I could find the reddit post on this, but one commenter remembered an interesting "rule" someone had told them: "subtract your age from a 100, and the remainder is the number of pages you should read before dropping the book." I like the idea that the older you are, the more precious your time is, and the better sense you have of your taste and books…therefore, it's cool to drop books a little sooner. But the younger your years and the less your experience? Gotta read a little more before you shut the experience down.

For my two cents—and since your discussion interests me and perhaps mine will interest you—I rarely stop reading books. It's rare to dislike a book so much I won't give it a full run. However, I also note that when deciding what to read, I have a pretty good sense of what books I'll like. But I don't know…is that because I decide in advance that I'm gonna like a book? In which case, I'm a bit of a fraud? Ha, it's something I think about.

A book has to fail in a pretty spectacular way before I give up. I'd have to reach a subjective determination that the whole premise fails or that it lacks thorough inspiration. As an example, this is the last book I gave up on (almost two years ago). I don't read the one-line critic blurbs before I'm done with a book, so after "finishing" my read of this book, I checked out what others thought, and one of the top positive comments summed up the failure for me: "It’s The Royal Tenenbaums meets Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I’d call The Family Fang a guilty pleasure, but it’s too damn smart….A total blast." In my opinion, that was all the book was—it felt like a failed mock-up of a Wes Anderson narrative. All quirk but no character. And this was its only benefit from my discernment—if you really dig Wes Anderson, this would satisfy your craving like a guilty pleasure.

That said, I didn't think along the lines that the book was bad or poorly written—it just failed at that initial and critical level with me. Sure that's fickle and I'm using the academic criticism equivalent of the nuclear option in chalking something up to mere druthers. But, like I said, it's rare. And in life, I feel there's rare but occasional room for an unexplained subjective "didn't work for me." I hated giving up on this book in this way, because I can't enter thorough discussion or defense on my decision. And I know a team of people worked really hard to make that book, and I don't doubt others could've loved the book. I just felt like reading something else.

I really enjoy her books so I'm glad I can look for this one! Another friend said she recently read "Delicious!" by Ruth Reichel. https://www.amazon.com/Delicious-Novel-Ruth-Reichl/dp/0812982029/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468799125&sr=8-1&keywords=delicious+ruth+reichl It's a novel but her biographies about being a food critic are really great as well.

Today I made brownies and butterscotch walnut bars for our doctor and the staff. I wanted to express our appreciation for the last 2 years of visits, emails and general hand holding as we get closer to procedures.

I adore molasses anything. I have never tried tea cakes, but I will now! There's a friend who has a younger daughter around 9 years old, and she loves to bake. So this fall I'm going to start spending one or two Saturdays a month with her baking things that we want to try or that might be beyond her skills right now. She was lamenting this morning that her meringue broke yesterday and she was disappointed that she didn't get a 3 inch meringue on her cupcakes. I love her!

I've never made tea cakes but they look a lot like Mexican Wedding cookies, which use almonds. I can eat those by the dozen!

Shantaram. Rich, marvelous book.

Also Auntie Mame. FYI the movie with Rosalind Russell may change your life. At the very least it could become your favorite movie ever.

The books by Hornby that everyone mentions are good.

Motherless Brooklyn is really good. So is Ghostwritten by David Mitchell. Not so much that they're happy, but that they're engrossing. And they're not, like, Atonement.

Oh! Duh! Happiest book ever maybe: A Confederacy of Dunces. The story behind its publication is tragic, but the book, pretty much everyone who's read it says, is the funniest ever.

Catch-22 also is really, really good. And funny! If you're into irony anyway.

Happily. Here a few few quick resources I found for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_(narrative)

http://www.storymastery.com/articles/34-ten-simple-keys-to-plot-structure

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to-structure-a-story-the-eight-point-arc/


And here a couple references that might interest you if you want more detail on what we generally expect from fiction:

http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-Guide-Narrative-Edition/dp/0205750346


Now, I hope you don't mind if I assume you may feel that I have attacked your opinion of ME3 with my comments. It wasn't my intention to say that you can't enjoy it. Hell, I'm happy for you if you did. But there is a real difference between enjoying something and believing it is good.

In the case of ME3, we can see that some of the most well established principles of writing, thematic and structural elements which are integral to the crafting of a quality narrative, have been abandoned.

If you honestly want to know more, I'd encourage you to take a course in creative writing, or even better, in literary history. With a little background and perspective, you can start to understand why some books, films and games seem to be lacking and why others have a stronger appeal.

EDIT: As I look at your post again, I wonder why you are asking me for specific examples at all, when I have clearly outlined a major structural failing of the narrative in my last post. Oh well, maybe this additional information will be of use to you anyway.

one of my favorite books ever. excellent recommendation!

on that note, most of john irving is really fantastic: deep, researched, poignant, compelling. some others to consider (ordered by my perceived "greatness"):

• a prayer for own meany
  
• the cider house rules
  
• the fourth hand - irving's attempt at a humorous novel that wouldn't have so much of his morose signature style...he gave up about a third of the way into writing the book with that approach
  
• a widow for one year - great book, and the movie (i.e. door in the floor) is a fucking great as well...one of the most perfect roles for jeff bridges ever - 'nuff said
  
• a son of the circus

I just finished reading Ella Minnow Pea

> Ella Minnow Pea is a girl living happily on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina. Nollop was named after Nevin Nollop, author of the immortal pangram,* “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Now Ella finds herself acting to save her friends, family, and fellow citizens from the encroaching totalitarianism of the island’s Council, which has banned the use of certain letters of the alphabet as they fall from a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop. As the letters progressively drop from the statue they also disappear from the novel. The result is both a hilarious and moving story of one girl’s fight for freedom of expression, as well as a linguistic tour de force sure to delight word lovers everywhere.


I loved it so much, I started reading it, and 'accidentally' finished it all in one sitting! Very captivating and interesting, without being overly complicated (so great for reading while being semi-distracted by other passengers, etc.)

High Fidelity or About a Boy, by Nick Hornby

Every single one of my guy friends who reads loves these books. High Fidelity tends to be more celebrated. But they're both fantastic and funny.

The Book of Joe and Plan B, by Jonathan Tropper

If I'm being cynical, I'd say that Tropper and Hornby tend to write chick books for guys. But that's not going to give you a real idea of what these books are. They're mainly about finding your way as a man, but it often turns out that finding the right woman -- or figuring out that you've already got the right woman -- is part of that process. The male protagonists tend to be meandering in their lives. Love just helps them get on the right track. And they're written from a male point of view, so you're not going to get a lot of purple prose about beating hearts and sweaty abs.

Killing Yourself to Live, by Chuck Klosterman -- This is a different type of book than the others I've listed. Klosterman is a guy who is best known for his non-fiction. And the subtitle of this book is "85% of a true story." So it's sort of based on real events. Basically, he's writing a column for Rolling Stone magazine where he travels to all these places where famous musicians died. Along the way, 3 relationships end. So he does some deep thinking -- I've never read anyone who digs deeper into pop culture than Klosterman -- about the meaning of life and death, and about relationships and love. The book features some discussion about relationships, but it also dissects Kiss's solo albums and talks about Mtv's The Real World. (Hmm, now that I think about it, I wonder if those references are going to be a little dated?)

The Best of Roald Dahl - a great collection of short stories.

The Portable Door by Tom Holt - funny & a good story.

Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich - fast-paced, entertaining non-fiction.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby - better than the movie. Easy read, funny.

Isn't 'birth of civilzation' but it's certainly amazingly awesome.

Flashman, by George MacDonald Fraser. Best historical fiction I've ever read. 18th Century British soldier who gets to see the major events of the worlds largest empire ever.. Hilarious and very historically fun.

I bought the book Damn Fine Story just recently. It's a really really good read. Focuses in on how to keep an audience engaged with narratives and story telling using examples and such, as well as some useful philosophy in creating a story. Funny, and super engaging and useful.

You mention commanders, that invokes images of the military, if you ever plan to do anything with your work and you are in the military, check into things because I recall even personal work on private time, if not written off by a general automaticly is owned by the military.

As for just writing, I copy pasted my reponse to another post like this. Doing, and reading are your best friends and picking up some writing help books are a good idea.

There are plenty of books like this. https://smile.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1538987966&sr=8-4&keywords=James+Scott+Bell

My main recommendations revolve around self help books like that above, and actually reading other people's fiction. I believe that will be the biggest help to you based on my own experiences.

I was diagnosed with BPD at apx the same age. I wasn't really suicidal, although I did put up a good front occasionally. I was a cutter, and to be honest, I still occasionally do. No one knows, though. I'm 31 now (well, I will be in a few days-I'm practicing saying it).

Honestly? You probably won't find the right things to say. Just research it, help her try to understand, and make sure you get both of you the help you need. As parents, we have to take care of ourselves in order to take care of our children.

The cutting is a dissociative state-you've had all the emotion/pain you can stand, and you just...go away to where things don't hurt anymore. I think the physical pain releases endorphins or whatever that we interpret as positive emotions, and we're okay. Or causing pain makes us feel in control of ourselves, when we're really not. I don't know.

The suicide attempts are serious-make sure there's not some other additional issues, and get that shit stabilized first and foremost. If you have to hospitalize her, then do it. Suicide is permanent, and not to be dealt with. You can't bring her back. If there isn't anything else going on, then it may be that she feels that out of control of herself.

I've found a couple facebook groups on BPD, and books. This book helped me immensely. It helped me understand what was happening, and that it was okay to need help, and ask for it, and accept it. Hell, I still read it. And Girl, Interrupted (book is better than the movie-Winona Ryder's character in the movie has BPD) helped too.

And if it's any consolation-I was diagnosed young, as well. I had a few rocky years, but, I'm 31, I have a college degree, a decent job, a lovely husband & 2 wonderful kids.

[All of these.] (http://www.amazon.com/20-Master-Plots-Build-Them/dp/1599635372)

Here they are, broken out:

> Quest: A character-driven story that has a hero go on a journey for something that changes him in some way.

> Adventure: A plot-driven story that focuses on reaching a series of goals.

> Pursuit: The Chase plot, very action oriented.

> Rescue: A Rescue Arc as the main story, also very action oriented.

> Escape: A Great Escape plot, similar to the Rescue, except the captive rescues himself/herself.

> The Riddle: Basic Mystery plot revolving around a Driving Question.

> Rivalry: Character-oriented story based on the interactions of two opposing characters, The Hero and The Rival.

> Underdog: A story where the Underdogs Never Lose. Revolves around an underdog (maybe they are underprivileged, poor, disabled, etc.) who triumphs despite overwhelming odds.

> Temptation: The story revolves around whether or not to give into a temptation and the consequences, Pandora Box-like.

> Metamorphosis: A story revolving around a physical transformation of some kind, generally a true Metamorphosis is a one-way street.

> Transformation: A story revolving around an inner-change, rather than a physical one.

> Maturation: A Coming of Age Story, where the a character matures physically, emotionally or spiritually.

> Love: Your basic Boy Meets Girl Romance Arc, with two characters falling in love as the main story.

> Forbidden Love: Star-Crossed Lovers who spend most of the plot trying to be together despite the world trying to tear them apart.

> Sacrifice: Revolves around a characters and their sacrifices, lethal or otherwise.

> Discovery: A story that unearths those skeletons in a character's Mysterious Past.

> Wretched Excess: Story where the character is in a downward spiral from drugs, greed, depression, insanity, etc.

> Vengeance: Your basic Revenge story, very character-driven.

> Ascension: Follows a character's rise to power.

> Descension: Like-wise to Ascension, follows a character fall from power.

I know you mean this as a joke, but with some interesting narrative and the right setting you could make this a very serious and involving game. You could learn about the characters around you, become endeared by their stories, even create a mystery as to what, if anything, everyone is queueing for. Here is some inspiration, both in form of Russian novels, The Concert Ticket by Olga Grushin and The Queue by Vladmir Sorokin

I always thought this type of thing would make an engaging game. Create my dream!

Might I suggest 'Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man' by Fannie Flagg...
It is a coming-of-age tale of sorts, chronicling the life and misadventures of one Daisy Fay, as she grows up in the deep south surrounded by a dysfunctional family and quirky friends. She is ambitious, headstrong and wilful, and the book is a charming piece of literature that will simultaneously make you relive the freedom and curiosity of a childhood spent in a pre-web and cell-phones era, and urge you to reclaim that kind of joie de vivre in your present life.

https://www.amazon.com/Daisy-Fay-Miracle-Man-Novel/dp/0345485602

Huge disclaimer: I haven't read any of these yet! But I somewhat obsessively keep a list of books I'd like to read, and these are all on there, with the "dysfunctional family" theme in common.

The Middlesteins

The Corrections

The Family Fang

I own the last two, but haven't quite worked down the book pile far enough to reach them :)

I have a few other titles in mind, but these seem to fit your request the best.

Tolstoy's great-grandniece has a good post apocalyptic book called The Slynx.

Day of the Oprichnik and The Queue by Vladimir Sorokin are both good. The Queue is written in all dialogue though, which can be off-putting to some.

Omon Ra by Victor Pelevin is pretty damn funny.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is considered a precursor to 1984 and is worth a read.

Yuri Olesha's Envy is another funny one. Short, too.

Petersburg by Andrei Bely is generally considered the Russian Ulysses.

The Foundation Pit by Andrey Platonov is a biting look at Stalin's collectivization.

The Golovlyov Family by Shchedrin is about a family so awful they wouldn't be out of place in a Faulkner book.

Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky is my favorite of his story collections. Pretty trippy stuff.

Sure. But writing is a craft, just like any other craft. Most of it is just learning a complicated set of mechanics. What one person can do, another can do. What makes the difference is drive more than genius.

Read a good, fun book on writing that will get you pumped. Maybe How to Write a Damn good Novel by James Frey, or Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. Or better yet, if you can, take a class in fiction writing, or join a real world fiction writing group in your town.

i read these two books, hugely helpful:


link 1

link 2

i know everyone has their opinions about the best books but i really enjoyed both and they're very motivating

Good on you for stepping into it. There are lots of would-be SF/fantasy writers who spend years and years on worldbuilding, but somehow never quite get around to the actual writing of the novels.

As it turns out, worldbuilding is the fun, easy part of writing. The actual writing is the terribly hard part. Because when a person starts writing, their writing is shit. When you read back over what you've written, it's full of awkward phrases and boring cliches, and the dialog is so bad it's unreadable. Lots of new writers look at their output and get depressed, and then because they have no idea how to improve their writing, they retreat back into more worldbuilding.

The solution is you have to keep pushing it out, every day. Your output gets better with experience.

If there's one book that inspired me to write better, it's James Scott Bell's Plot and Structure. The ebook is $10. Put that on your phone and take a week to read it through. This book is part of a writer's tools series. I also have Characters, Emotions and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress and it is also good. You might do well to look at that entire series.

Then there's a book by Mary Buckham I think is indispensable, Writing Active Hooks. Learning how to use hooks is a critical part of a fiction writer's skill set, but no other book I know of tackles the subject head on. You set a hook to keep your reader interested, and before that one times out you can set another one, pulling your reader deeper and deeper into your book. It's the secret weapon you have to have.

Can't tell if contest is finished or not, but I'll bite.

Ella Minnow Pea

I haven't read this book yet, but a friend of mine who is an English teacher just finished it and she said it's really good. It's a series of letters, where as the book progresses the use of certain letters in the alphabet becomes banned. At the end of the novel, I believe LMNOP are the only letters left. If you want to, we could read it together!

I like big books and I cannot lie

WSAYWT: Canada West. Top down.

AOTD: I'm a pretty slow reader, maybe do like 6 novels in a year (most of my reading is focused on comic books). But I got a new book for xmas based off a reddit post I saw, Ella Minnow Pea. It's pretty fun so far, a light read.

GD: Had to have the plumber come out for the second time since moving into this place in August of last year. Sounds like we're going to have a reoccurring problem with the main kitchen sink drain line, which is common for our whole building (3 flat).

At $325 to roto the drain, I think I may just buy one myself and do it every now and then.

The Berlin Noir Trilogy is great. Raymond Chandler type private eye in Berlin before, during and after WW2

The Flashman Papers is a really funny satirical series about a cowardly, racist, drunken (etc, etc) Victorian English soldier

and Pillars of The Earth is a big epic novel about building a cathedral and the town around it. Super good, everybody loves that one. Ignore the lackluster TV miniseries.

I liked Submarine by Joe Dunthorne. It's a debut novel, the writing is exquisite, intelligent and accessible, and the protagonist is fascinating.

There's no easy answer. Here are a few starting points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxDwieKpawg
Pixar's Stanton on story

http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X
Great book by James Scott Bell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcmiqQ9NpPE
Part 1/5 of series by Dan Wells, you can find the rest, all are good.

I hear you, don't give up.

If you like that you'd really like this book.

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385722435/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_fKr5xbKR8TD5R

Edit: Not sure why I've been down voted for this. Perhaps by offering the Amazon link? It's not an affiliate link or anything. I'm not getting anything from it. Just a good book along the same topic.

I'm Matt and the book would be without a doubt be High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. This is my favorite book of all time. It connects with me on some level. I can understand the desire to quantify everything, put it on some sort of best of, all time, desert island type list. The idea that listening to too much music can make you simultaneously feel too much and not feel enough. The characters and their constant need to relate something that's happening with a song, or a book, or a film. The songs that are a part of your life. I feel like I could have written this. There are some songs that I can't help but associate with people or with a moment. Music and films that take me to a certain place emotionally. And a basic inability to relate with actual people on the most fundamental level. Whether that's because of the music, and movies, and books, or whether I have those because of that inability. This book is like an old friend. Something that's comfortable, that I can always turn to. I've read it over twenty times. I'm on my third copy, the second being left with someone in India (read it twice on the trip). There really was no other choice for this. I can't recommend it enough.

I would recommend my two of my favourite books

Ready Player One By Ernest Cline

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

I hope that you find a book you enjoy. Because Bookworms rule!

This was really helpful, thank you. When you say 'pick a story', have you ever come across a comprehensive list of stories? I've read 20 Master Plots by Ronald Tobias but they seem to be more generic and keywordy like 'underdog' rather than the phrasing you've given which I find sparks more of an image, "sometimes sacrifice is necessary".

Sanderson is also part of a podcast called "Writing Excuses". It's 15 minutes of a group of writers speaking their thoughts on a particular topic of writing. It has a lot to teach. I would also recommend a book called "Damn Fine Story". It helps to understand different aspects of good storytelling by breaking down iconic pop culture narratives like Star Wars and Die Hard. If you haven't read "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss it's hands down my favorite fantasy book, very influential and inspiring.

There are tons of good YouTube videos and channels where you can learn all about storytelling and its different components. This one looks into screenplays but still has much that is relevant to writing.

You may enjoy the fiction of Nick Hornby. He's light, funny, and yet manages to tell very real, human stories. Some of his best-known works include High Fidelity, About A Boy and A Long Way Down

Neither of these are thrillers but I was literally transfixed in place when I started reading the Black Hawk Down book. Knelt awkwardly on the floor where I'd picked the book up for hours till I was done. Almost felt like it would have been a betrayal to walk away from those guys before they got a resolution.

And, on a lighter note, Ella Minnow Pea is a super sweet book about what happens when successive letters of the alphabet are ruled illegal. The book itself follows the same rules, chapter by chapter, and the sense of growing claustrophobia and desperation as the letters disappear is really powerful. You, as a reader, have a vested interest in the outcome of these characters in a way i've never felt before.

aw, I think it's just a human thing. Everyone wants to pick their favorite everything, "What's your favorite color? Fruit? Ice cream flavor? Book? TV show? Movie?" Seems like children are the only thing that's exempt, you aren't supposed to have a favorite if you have multiple kids. Guess we could add lovers to the list if one is poly. Although I think everyone agrees that Nathaniel, JC, and Micah are special to Anita?

Hey, if you read this far I wanted to bring up something I once saw you write. I don't expect a reply, I understand that you're through with the AMA, but think it's natural that you might still read responses and maybe see this. Your books were really a big part of my life for several years and I feel thrilled to have the chance to be writing something you might read.

If I'm remembering correctly at one point you were upset that people wanted more plot, because you felt that meant more death, blood, and gore for Anita, who's already experienced quite enough. That really made me think. And what I came up with was, you're right, business as usual is too bloody and gory and I understand your wanting out of having to write and research so much death as well.

But, here's the thing, I think you've already proven that you can do whatever you want with this series and your publishers won't give you too much flack. Most of the plots in Anita involve someone turning up dead and then police work to solve the mystery, but what if you tried out a completely different sort of plot, just threw Anita and cohorts into some strange situation and then watch how they reacted?

I mean, I write myself and one year for my birthday I got a book called 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them and sometimes I find it really fun to imagine my characters in some of those situations. It helps me get to know them better too. There are so many other plots out there where no one has to die.

The 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them

If you want to get better at roleplaying games, try reading something that is about creating stories interspersed with more game content.

NTA

Now, go read Dear Committee Members for a smile!

https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Committee-Members-Julie-Schumacher/dp/0345807332

Plot and Structure By James Scott Bell: Far and away one of the best book I've ever read on writing.
http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X

I actually just started Techniques of the Selling Writer by Swain, which I have heard great things about but I haven't read far enough to give my own opinion.
http://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain/dp/0806111917

I really enjoyed Dear Committee Members. It's quite snarky.

Hi, Micheal! What was it like working with Bing for HIDY?

Also, have you ever read this book?

Dear Committee Members is a very funny epistolary novel. It's about an academic dealing with absurd job-related frustrations and his ridiculous social life. It's got serious moments, too. All around a very good read.

One of my favorite books, Ella Minnow Pea, involves a search for that very thing.

The next Thursday book comes out next week! In the meantime, Shades of Grey is good as well as his Nursery Crime books and The Last Dragonslayer. If you're looking for something different try Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn.

If you liked The Perks of Being a Wallflower you should read Joe Dunthorne's Submarine
It's so heartbreakingly funny and Oliver, the main character must be an infj.

Gore Vidal's Narratives of Empire series has a few books to choose from. Then there's Flashman. Hilarious.

A few recommendations that come to mind:

• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon
  
• The Mysteries of Pittsburgh - Michael Chabon
  
• On the Road - Jack Kerouac
  
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
  
• High Fidelity - Nick Hornsby
  
  
  

I'm not familiar with that story, but for yourself (e.g., an adult), you might enjoy Ella Minnow Pea. The people in the book are forbidden to use certain letters as the letters fall off a memorial statue in the town, and the letters also disappear from the book as the story progresses.

The problem is plot. Ideas are cheap. Read books about plot to understand what ingredients are needed to sustain tension and interest.

This is a good one, but there are plenty of others.

Yes and there is also a film.

There's a book along these lines: Ella Minnow Pea.

http://www.amazon.com/Ella-Minnow-Pea-Novel-Letters/dp/0385722435/

https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Minnow-Pea-Novel-Letters/dp/0385722435

This one!

This is my favorite

Read this

Reminds me of Ella Minnow Pea.

This is basically how Ella Minnow Pea starts.

The first of the series.

"Plot and Structure" by James Scott Bell.

http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X/

not totally sure what you're getting at with "the disappearance of words," but Ella Minnow Pea came to mind.
https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Minnow-Pea-Novel-Letters/dp/0385722435

First one that comes to my mind is High Fidelity - http://www.amazon.com/High-Fidelity-Nick-Hornby/dp/1573225517

It would be a bit dated and not some great work of literature or anything but it would qualify I suppose.

There's actually a very clever little book called Ella Minnow Pea about a town who begins to ban certain letters. As they ban each letter, the author will no longer write with it throughout the book. It's a really quick and interesting read. Amazon link here.

Here's the deal, you don't know what you don't know about your story.

Maybe you're an outliner, maybe you don't know how to build a scene, maybe you don't know your character's motivations.

Writers block is not a lack of a muse, it's your brain realizing that it is short of something and needs some knowledge to press on.

Depending on how you want to approach this, you have to know the basic unit of storytelling which is the scene. Research it, practice it, do it. From there, build your scenes into plot. Or do that in reverse and build your plot and fill it with scenes. Learn how to make characters into people.

I also like wired for story since it fills the gap between plot and scene by focusing on characters and how they fit into story.

Sitting in a chair, putting sentences in front of you is good, doing so with a bit of knowledge is better. Without knowing how to build scenes, make characters, and plot out a story (even as a pantser or discovery writer), you will get discouraged and flail around in the dark.

Listen to the writing excuses podcast and try out their various tips on novel writing, they have a three act structure that is good but their talk on it is crap. This is better.

You can't place up walls well without blueprints, you can't build walls without carpentry skills, and you can't finish a house without effort. Writing a novel is similar.

TL:DR Educate yo-sef. Keep writing while you're learning. Your first draft will be crap, but it will be worse crap if you go into it blind.