Our founder Zara Hoffman doesn’t often read non-fiction. But when fae does, it’s normally something about the craft of writing, the business of writing, or business advice. Here are some recommendations that fall in the first category. Unlike our other reading lists, the titles on this list are in a random order.
Equip yourself for the novel-writing journey!
Starting a novel is exciting, but finishing it—that’s the real challenge. The journey from beginning to end is rife with forks in the road and dead ends that lead many writers off course. With Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish: A Guidebook for the Journey, you’ll navigate the intricacies of crafting a complex work of fiction and complete the journey with confidence and precision.
To maximize your creativity and forward momentum, each chapter offers:
•Techniques to break down the elements of the novel—from character-building to plotting and pacing
•Mile Markers to anticipate and overcome roadblocks like ineffective dialogue and “the unchanged protagonist”
•Guidelines for Going Deeper to explore and implement more nuanced aspects of storytelling, such as finding your voice and the role of theme
•Try-It-Out Exercises and 27 interactive worksheets that help elevate your writing.
No matter your level of experience or where you are in your project, Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish provides the instruction, inspiration, and guidance you need to complete your journey successfully.
Don’t let the daily grind drain your creative energy!
You can work full time and still have a productive writing life. Many writers waste time waiting for the day they can finally quit their day jobs and live the so-called writing dream. Don’t wait. You can do both—and your writing will be the better for it.
Balancing a full-time job and a productive writing life is no easy feat! This book offers writers advice, skill-building techniques, prompts, and exercises in every chapter, and strategies on how to get and keep writing while also working the 9 to 5 grind.
Readers will discover tips and exercises for:
• Setting and protecting personal writing goals
• Creating a schedule that complements their stamina
• Getting creative before and after work – and on their lunch hour
• Finding inspiration in the most unlikely of spots and at the most impromptu of times
• Writing proficiently in multiple forms (long and short) so that they don’t get bogged down writing one long project
• Becoming an active participant in writing communities so they have a solid support system at the ready
• Figuring out how (if at all) to share their writing life with co-workers, friends, and family members
You”ll also get quick, practical tutorials to help you master scenes, point of view, characters, settings, dialogue, and more.
Writer With a Day Job gives you the strategies and motivation you need to work 40 hours a week (or more!) and achieve writing success.
As a someone who was always juggling creative writing with school and now running a publishing company, our founder Zara found this book very helpful in time management.
When the ancient evil of the Blackbringer rises to unmake the world, only one determined faerie stands in its way. However, Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is not like other faeries. While her kind live in seclusion deep in the forests of Dreamdark, she’s devoted her life to tracking down and recapturing devils escaped from their ancient bottles, just as her hero, the legendary Bellatrix, did 25,000 years ago. With her faithful gang of crows, she travels the world fighting where others would choose to flee. But when a devil escapes from a bottle sealed by the ancient Djinn King himself, the creator of the world, she may be in over her head. How can a single faerie, even with the help of her friends, hope to defeat the impenetrable darkness of the Blackbringer?
Though Zara often spent the Scholastic Book Fair stocking up on Cam Jansen, A to Z Mysteries, and Magic Tree House books, fae has a very strong memory of finding Blackbringer on one of the many tables and being enamored with the cover, and then description. Though the world-building was magical, the characters were what popped off the page and cemented this book amidst Zara’s favorites in the genre.
Get advice from the best in the business on every stage of the novel-writing and publishing process!
In The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing, 3rd Edition, you’ll learn from established writers about how to make your novel a reality. Discover techniques and strategies for generating ideas, connecting with readers emotionally, and finding inspiration you need to finish your work. This fully revised edition includes an updated marketing section for navigating the unique challenges and possibilities of the evolving literary marketplace.
Inside you’ll find new essays from dozens of best-selling authors and publishing professionals detailing how to:
•Master the elements of fiction, from plot and character to dialogue and point of view
•Develop a unique voice and sensibility in your writing
•Manage the practical aspects of writing, from overcoming writer’s block to revising your work
•Determine the key elements for success in every genre
•Find an agent, market your work, and get published—or self-publish—successfully
You’ll also find interviews with some of the world’s finest and most popular writers, including David Baldacci, Lee Child, Robert Crais, Khaled Hosseini, Hugh Howey, Stephen King, Dennis Lehane, George R.R. Martin, Jojo Moyes, Anne Rice, Jane Smiley, and Garth Stein. Their insights on the craft and business of fiction will provide you with invaluable mentorship as you embark on your writing journey.
The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing is your go-to guide for every aspect of creating a bestseller.
Zara first read the Second Edition in 2010, and then got the Third Edition when it came out because while a lot stays the same in publishing over the years, some things do change, and this was a great resource to learn tips and tricks regarding writing and publishing.
Get to Know Your Character’s Sinister Side
A truly memorable antagonist is not a one-dimensional super villain bent on world domination for no particular reason. Realistic, credible bad guys create essential story complications, personalize conflict, add immediacy to a story line, and force the protagonist to evolve.From mischief-makers to villains to arch nemeses, “Bullies, Bastards & Bitches” shows you how to create nuanced bad guys who are indispensable to the stories in which they appear. Through detailed instruction and examples from contemporary bestsellers and classic page-turners, author Jessica Page Morrell also shows you how to:
•Understand the subtle but key differences between unlikeable protagonists, anti-heroes, dark heroes, and bad boys
•Supply even your darkest sociopath with a sympathetic attribute that will engage readersSet the stage for an unforgettable standoff between your hero and your villain
•Choose the right type of female villainfemme fatale, mommy dearest, avenger, etc. for your story
“Bullies, Bastards & Bitches” is your all-encompassing bad-guy compendium to tapping into any character’s dark side.
Yet another book from Writer’s Digest—can you tell that Zara really likes their content? Even though this book is now 16 years old, the information still holds true and is a great source of information around writing well-rounded characters (whether they’re actually the villain, or it’s to give your hero a dark side).
An indispensable guide in the bestselling Save the Cat! story structure series that reveals the 15 essential plot points needed to make any young adult novel a success, from an accomplished novelist and the author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.
In Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel, prolific author and story coach Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story structure guide for anyone who wants to write a young adult novel by applying the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to the world of YA fiction. In this book, you will learn:
• The fifteen “beats” (or plot points) that are necessary for crafting a successful story with a compelling character arc —including the Opening Image, Catalyst, Fun and Games, Bad Guys Close In, Dark Night of the Soul, and Finale
• The ten universal story genres that will help you drill into what makes your type of story work, including those most commonly found in young adult novels like Rites of Passage, Superhero, Buddy Love, Institutionalized, and Golden Fleece
• Quirky, original insights and writing tips like “Save the Cat,” the “Shard of Glass,” and the “Dark Night Epiphany,” that help you craft a story that will thrill and captivate teen readers
Filled with practical advice, easy-to-follow templates, and “beat sheets” analyzing the structure of popular young adult novels such as Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, and Lois Lowry’s The Giver, this book is the ultimate reference for anyone who’s ever dreamed of writing their own young adult bestseller.
Though Zara has read the original Save the Cat! book by Blake Snyder for screenwriting back in 2008 and the 2018 Save the Cat! Writes a Novel in 2020 thanks to its popularity on AuthorTube (author/writing community on YouTube), fae recommends this one for all novels because while it says “young adult” in the title, this book also includes how to structure book series—which the previous Save the Cat! did not. That said, reading both is probably the best way to get the most out of Jessica Brody’s writing advice.
Is your favorite writing book on this list? Share what you love about your pick. If not, let us know what it is in the comments.
