#66 in Biographies
Reddit mentions of On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft
Sentiment score: 9
Reddit mentions: 13
We found 13 Reddit mentions of On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft. Here are the top ones.
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Specs:
Release date | October 2000 |
Honorable mention:
Pixar Ted Talk
Pixar 22 Rules of Writing
Jim Butcher's Writing Advice
Chuck Palahniuk on "thought" verbs
Chuck Palahniuk Writing Essays (almost a full book length)
Stephen King "On Writing" - Amazon link
There were many books before Save the Cat (which is an OK book for screenwriting and/or storytelling technique).
The earliest writings on story structure, though, go back right to Aristotle in Poetics.
Humans have been telling stories ever since speech had developed.
There are two kinds of storytelling books. Snyder's method is a perscriptive method. He gives you a formula and tells you that the only way to a good story is to fill those beats. Syd Field does this too in his extensive bibliography on the subject of screenwriting.
On the other hand, Robert McKee gives a more descriptive method in Story and explains the process of "writing" as opposed to "filling a beat sheet".
The best book on writing (that is, the one which gives out the greatest tips on actually taking your own ideas and putting them into a coherent story) is Stephen King's On Writing. It has nothing to do with movies, and everything to do with stories, which is exactly what great screenwriting should do.
Nevertheless all writing books give out tips, tricks and cheat sheets. Good writing comes from within the writer and, as many "gurus" insist, you cannot become a good writer, you have to be born one and get training.
Source: Screenwriter/Writer here.
I'm surprised people haven't said much about the actual writing itself. Tone is an issue, but the actual structure of your writing needs work. I'll pull a few examples that way you can see what I mean.
"Unless you’re a member of an isolated ancient tribe living under one of the six remaining trees in what used to be the Amazon rainforest, you have almost certainly heard the term “Machine Learning” floating past within the last few years."
Your first sentence is almost a paragraph. This is a problem. Writing should be succinct and to the point. Clarity and strength of word usage will make what you say much more meaningful.
"In fact, personally, I’m convinced that if humanity doesn’t eradicate itself prematurely, there won’t be anything left humans can do that can’t be done much better, faster and cheaper by a suitably designed and programmed computer (or a network of them)."
This is a sentence in your third paragraph, which is again almost an entire paragraph by itself. You also severely diminish the strength of your sentence when you use things like 'In fact', 'personally', 'I'm convinced'. Your readers know that you are convinced because you are the one writing it. You need to convince them.
"Even though a computer can do just about anything, making it do what you want it to do can be very hard indeed."
Adverbs are not your friend. - Stephen King
Strength of sentence structure is impacted when you use adverbs like 'very'. And throwing on an 'indeed' doesn't do you any favors either. Make a point to think about what you are adding to your sentences with these words. Is the answer "I am adding nothing with these words."? Then those words should not be there.
I'm going to leave you a list of books where you can learn from writers that will help you with these things. Try not to get discouraged. We all have a lot to learn, so just think of it as part of the process. I would HIGHLY suggest you at least look into Elements of Style.
Sol Stein's On Writing
Stephen King's On Writing
Elements of Style
I have This little beauty on my wishlist. Stephen King: On Writing. As a writer, everyone says it is a must read, and I have read bits and pieces of it, but never the whole thing. I want to hone my craft and be able to write incredible books and anything that helps with that is worth it, in my mind.
Several things help. I keep character notes which keep me straight on who is who in my books. But the biggest help is my beta readers. I send out between five and six chapters at a time for their immediate feedback. They have no problem telling me when my writing is crap. You have to have a thick skin and keep in mind, they are making your writing better.
A book which is a huge help, even today, is On Writing by Stephen King. His tips can help everyone, from the newbie to the veteran writer.
And YouTube.com is my friend. When I need to know how to do something, such as make a bump key, I can find a video to show me how. I also make use of experts in their fields. I have a national championship marksman, for instance, who advises me on weapons usage.
Here is a link to On Writing. It's worth the money. http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Memoir-Craft-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B000FC0SIM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1415897198&sr=1-1&keywords=On+Writing+Stephen+King
[classic choice] (http://www.amazon.com/East-Eden-Penguin-Modern-Classics-ebook/dp/B001BC5HXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397074271&sr=8-1&keywords=east+of+eden)
[New fiction] (http://www.amazon.com/Middlesex-Novel-Jeffrey-Eugenides-ebook/dp/B002HHPVPS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397074374&sr=8-1&keywords=middlesex)
[Light Nonfiction read] (http://www.amazon.com/Pluto-Files-Americas-Favorite-Planet-ebook/dp/B001NLKXF2/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397074425&sr=1-8&keywords=neil+degrasse+tyson)
[Not light nonfiction read] (http://www.amazon.com/Prize-Winner-Defiance-Ohio-Mother-ebook/dp/B000FC0T18/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397074469&sr=1-1&keywords=prizewinner+of+defiance+ohio)
[Biography. If you love your mom, you'll love this book.] (http://www.amazon.com/Prize-Winner-Defiance-Ohio-Mother-ebook/dp/B000FC0T18/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397074469&sr=1-1&keywords=prizewinner+of+defiance+ohio)
[Audio Book option.] (http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B000FC0SIM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397074772&sr=1-1&keywords=on+writing+stephen+king)
One helpful resource is "On Writing" by Stephen King. The first half is a memoir, and the second half deals with the craft of writing.
Ebooks always make me happy :) Thanks for the contest!
Do yourself a favor and read Stephen King's book "On Writing". The first half tells you what made him the writer he is today. The second half is his personal tips and tricks on the craft, including his take on the plotting vs pantsing theory as well as referencing other self-help books on writing. He also challenges new writers to commit to 1k words a day, which doesn't work for everyone but it certainly lit a fire under my ass.
edit: link for the book on amazon. 13 bucks well spent.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0SIM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Learn to write well. I recommend this book.
Plenty of writers started late. You're fine. Do NOT let bullshit like this slow you down. Here are a few suggestions:
Here are a few youtube channels about writing, and links to some books on writing.
Lessons from the Screenplay This one is focused on scripts, but the concepts translate well when it comes to the overall story.
Terrible Writing Advice These are all examples of what NOT to do.
Just Write Similar to LFTS, but of lesser quality.
Stephen King talking about writing
The Elements of Style The OG writing book.
Style: the art of writing well
Stephen King: On Writing Part memoir and part writing guide. Well worth reading.
These are good, but always be on the lookout for more resources.
My last bit of advice, and probably the most important, is be authentic. It's your story. Write what you want to read, not just what other people want. Say what you want to say, even if it's uncomfortable, even if it's not profitable. Don't be a pussy, and you'll be ok.
If you haven't already, I highly recommend his book "On Writing". It is half about the craft and half about his life, and all enjoyable. Quite a good read.