My bookshelf

I’m often asked what’s on my bookshelf. What do I read? What can I recommend?

Writers become better writers by reading. It’s a fact!

Writers of fiction, especially, can learn loads from reading books in their own genre, but also from reading ‘text’ books on how to write – or how to edit.

Here are some books on my bookshelf – the physical ones plus the ones I read through Kindle – that I can thoroughly recommend.

A good read

These are novels I’ve read and enjoyed. Not just as a read, but to help me to understand how best to write a novel.

Each to their own, but you might enjoy some of these too.

• I was so impressed with I SEE YOU by Clare Mackintosh that I’m using it as the class text for a series of writers’ workshop sessions.
• SISTER by Rosamund Lupton is unusual in that it’s written in the second person, from one sister to another. It is a page turner!
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Seabold is written from the perspective of a murdered child.  A moving story.
• The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – I loved the way the story went back and forth.

I also enjoy short stories.

• The Wonderful World of Worders compiled by Jenni Doherty includes a few flash fiction stories by yours truly.
• David Sedaris has a special form of wit. I like a lot of his material – he is excellent on radio – but I am particularly attached to Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. It was the topic of a TV programme called Page Turners, hosted by Jeremy Vine. A book group I belonged to back then were in the invited audience because we’d agreed to read and review his book, among many others.
• I studied The Dubliners by James Joyce for an A Level English course I took when I was in my mid-30s. I loved the way his stories offered snapshots of the various characters and an insight into life of that era.
• I have a copy of The Complete Saki, and often dip in to read his short stories.  There is so much dialogue. Such wit/sarcasm. And terribly old-fashioned manners.

Finding inspiration / getting started

A blank page can prove to be a writer’s nightmare. You need inspiration.

• If you need to unlock your latent creativity and make your dreams a reality, try Julia Cameron’s masterpiece: The Artist’s Way. It’s a more modern version of the one I used so many years ago but I’m sure it will serve you well.
• I love the 101 places you can find inspirations for stories listed by Patsy Collins in From Story Idea to Reader. Co-written with publisher Rosemary Kind, they combined their respective skills into one good book for those looking to write and publish.
• I came across 642 Tiny Things to Write About by Po Bronson in the gift shop attached to an art gallery – I forget where! I couldn’t resist buying it.

The theory of writing and editing

These go into the detail, and may help you to become a better writer. They will certainly help you when you are faced with editing your first draft.

• John Truby, one of the most respected and sought-after story consultants in the film industry, shares all of his secrets for writing a compelling script in The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller.
• Shawn Coyne’s The Story Grid offers an excellent way of identifying the various components of your story so you can work out what needs attention.
• Judith Butcher’s Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders. Simply the best.

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Playwrighting

Since I started writing plays, shorts ones encouraged by courses attended at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth  and Bridport Arts centre, I’ve embarked on a full length play, based on the third short play.

I’ve been attending lots of workshops to improve my playwrighting skills including classes with Brian Mullin at CityLit. I took a one-day workshop with him called JumpStart Your Play and then progressed the the Advanced Playwrighting course.

I’ve also accumulated some books on playwrighting and can recommend these highly:

• Aristotle’s Poetics
• Alan Ayckbourn’s The Crafty Art of Playmaking
• Stephen Jeffeys Playwrighting
• Steve Water’s The Secret Life of Plays

Although I’m not interested in acting, nor directing, it turns out you can learn a lot about playwrighting if you view it from their perspective. These books have proved insightful.

• Actions: The Actor’s Thesaurus
• Katie Mitchell’s The Director’s Craft
• Harriet Walter’s Other People’s Shoes: Thoughts on Acting

Life!

They don’t teach you, at school, how to cope with life. Older and wiser, they say, but maybe we still need a helping hand? Someone who’s been there, got the T-shirt, and is willing to share their thoughts?

• I’ve read a lot of Paul Coelho, but the one that stays with me is The Alchemist.
• Dr Wayne Dyer’s book – Change your Thoughts, Change your Life – examines the 81 verses of the Tao, and offers guidance on how to live in peace and harmony with the world around us.
• Being a woman ‘in your own right’ is a challenge. It’s three decades since I bought Anne Dickson’s A Woman in Your Own Right.  Not much has changed, although the book has a new cover!

If you’ve read a book that you think I should add to my bookshelf, let me know!