Description by Monica Wood. Clearly differentiates showing vs. telling. Teaches how to effectively employ description to move a work forward rather than bogging it down. Addresses tricky aspects, such as transitions from present time to flashback.

Elements of Style by E.B. White. A thin book that packs a punch, covering the most important conventions to consider in all categories of writing. Recommends appropriate punctuation and points out common grammatical and spelling errors.

Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger. When you’ve finished the last revision, there’s only one more thing to do before you try to market your script…read Linda’s book.

On Writing by Stephen King. While his story is interesting and a valuable read, it is the rest of the book that is a gem for writers. He doesn’t mince words in giving his straight-forward opinion on what we do and how it should be done.

Screenplay by Syd Field. A masterful tour through the art of screenwriting, this book tells you clearly, honestly and succinctly how to do it.

Structuring Your Novel: From Basic Idea to Finished Manuscript by Robert C. Meredith and John D. Fitzgerald. An in-depth study of structure that asks all the important questions you need to get your novel on track.

The Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction Into Film by Linda Seger. Sage advice from Hollywood’s “script doctor” on adapting a story for film.

The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. A journey into the world of “story” for all writers, Vogler incorporates Joseph Campbell’s work on the hero’s journey and applies it to the art of writing screenplays and stories of all genres. Here you will find detailed information on the stages of the journey as well as expanded descriptions of the archetypes encountered along the way.

Turning Life into Fiction by Robin Hemley. “The fact that something really happened does not make it good fiction” (Intro p3). This book offers important perspective about the differences between memoir and fiction and is a valuable resource when translating real life events into story.

Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg. A “wild” ride into the freeing art of experimental and experiential writing exercises. This book will have you jumping in and taking chances you never thought you could, all the while enjoying the ride.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. In a world of conventions and rules, this book is a refreshing take on finding purpose in our work and everyday lives. The author offers poignant analogies and personal insights about writing and creativity.

Words Fail Me: What Everyone Who Writes Should Know About Writing by Patricia T. O’Connor. Provides practical examples to explain writing conventions in a frank and matter-of-fact tone.

Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York’s Acclaimed Creative Writing School by Gotham Writers’ Workshop. Comprehensive and informative guide that covers everything from why the names you choose for your characters are important, to business details, such as how to submit the book to an agent.

We would also like to share a few of our favorite books, and why we think that you as a writer would enjoy reading them.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. This tragicomic and romantic book generated a sensation in book clubs with strong characterizations and an engaging story line.

Cat’s Eye and Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Atwood spins satirical, fantastical and imaginative tales.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris and Bird by Bird and Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. Both Sedaris and Lamott share the capacity of turning true life stories into collections of alternately ironic, barbed and poignant short stories.

Green Dolphin Street, Pilgrim’s Inn, Child From the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge. Now out of print, any novel by this author is worth reading for her characters, settings, and storylines, but it is the sheer beauty of her descriptions that have you re-reading them. A prolific author, these are just three of her most well known novels.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville. This is a powerful example of dramatic story line infused with rich description, humor and strong characters. Classics revisited offer more insights and fun than the first time around.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Eva Luna by Isabel Allende. Readers willingly suspend disbelief to immerse themselves in the delightful and dark tales spun by Marquez and Allende. While their genre is magical surrealism, the action is not completely outside the bizarre twists we call “coincidence.” Protagonist Eva Luna is a picara, or strong and independent female with a penchant for wild and unusual adventures.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. This astonishing first novel is full of short descriptions that pack a punch and put you right there.

These is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner. An amazing example of how a journal format can work.

Poetry by E.E. Cummings, Emily Dickenson, Robert Frost, George Manley Hopkins, Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver, Williams Carlos Williams and all the poets of the world. It does not serve fiction or poetry to delineate a set boundary between the two, because one form feeds the other. If you have not before, open yourself to the rhythms and landscape of poetry.

Boulder Art Resource Newsletter This bi-monthly publication from the Boulder Public Library is a fairly comprehensive listing of grants, awards, entry deadlines, etc. across the country for all artistic disciplines. The Newsletter is mailed to its members and posted on their web site:
www.artsresource.org

www.aar-online.org
The Association of Authors' Representatives, Inc. (AAR), is a not-for-profit organization of independent literary and dramatic agents. Their site offers a database of members. The profile of each agent will indicate what genres they represent and if they are accepting new clients. Each member of AAR has a strict Canon of Ethics to abide by. Number eight of that Canon reads: “The AAR believes that the practice of literary agents charging clients or potential clients for reading and evaluating literary works (including outlines, proposals, and partial or complete manuscripts) is subject to serious abuse that reflects adversely on our profession. For that reason, members may not charge clients or potential clients for reading and evaluating literary works and may not benefit, directly or indirectly, from the charging for such services by any other person or entity. The term 'charge' in the previous sentence includes any request for payment other than to cover the actual cost of returning materials."

www.artsresource.org
The Boulder Art Resource posts their newsletter here (see description under Resources).