“The Making of a Story” by Alice LaPlante
I imagine that since we all like reading, a good chunk of us are passionate writers as well. Allyx and I are both Writing Majors, but we talk about tacos more than we talk about writing. Writing is a solitary activity. It’s really something that you have to improve with your own willpower, but one can never underestimate the value of others feedback. Or more relevant, a good book about writing.
“The Making of a Story” is the most valuable book I have read on writing stories. It is filled to the brim with exercises based on amazing stories included in the text. The advice is concrete, which is so important because writing is already such an abstract practice. I think what I benefited from most was the chapter on crafting believable dialogue.
If you are a writer, I strongly suggest checking this out from the library, or buying a copy. Normally I’m all for libraries, but I think if you like it, you should buy it. This is one of those books that you will pick up in the middle of the night when a certain scene about boxes is giving you trouble.
-Becky
