My Terminus speech is now online here: A Few Things Writers Can Learn from "Harry Potter"
Also, I was talking with someone at Terminus about good books on writing, and I realized these are my four all-time favorites:
- The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. This will teach you how to write a clean, strong sentence and paragraph, and once you master those building blocks, you can build essays, stories, arguments -- entire books.
- The Poetics by Aristotle. Over 2,300 years ago, Aristotle identified nearly all the essential elements of a compelling plot and recorded them here. I often run through the elements he identified when trying to figure out why a story's not working.
- Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card (part of the Writers' Digest Elements of Writing series). Much more recently, Card anatomized what makes a compelling character and how you as a writer can get the reader to connect with your characters, not to mention how you can manipulate the point of view for different effects. Brilliant.
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Reading this book is like having a friend teach you how to write: She gives you advice, encouragement, reassurance, and lots and lots of laughs.
Posts
Thanks so much for posting your Terminus talk on The Elements of Harry Potter! It is a very helpful analysis and I think I'm going to have to print it out and read it a couple more times.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteI found no book on Amazon by Orson Scott Card titled CHARACTER AND VOICE, but I did find one titled CHARACTER AND VIEWPOINT. Is that the book you meant?
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting your Potter analysis, as well as all the other information on your website. It's all tremendously helpful.
Yes, CHARACTER AND VIEWPOINT -- foolish me for not double-checking! I'm going to correct that in the post.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the book suggestions. My dad has always suggested Bird by Bird and Shrunk & White, but I hadn't heard/thought about the others.
ReplyDeleteCard's book is good, but honestly, I had some trouble getting through it. Part of it wasn't his fault. The format of the book is really dense, with long, crowded pages. The content is definitely worth reading, although I liked "Characters, Emotion, and Viewpoint" by Nancy Kress a lot better.
ReplyDeleteAnd now that I've discovered Card's insane political spewings (a recent development, so it didn't affect my review of his Characters book--funny, I share his religion but our beliefs are almost the exact opposite), I think I'd feel really dirty if I read his book again.
But that's just me.
just bought the orson scott card one. yay! thanks for the rec.
ReplyDeleteI want to thank you for this post. It comes at a time when I am again struggling with confidence in my opening.
ReplyDeleteAnd, possibly just listening to too many voices on the internet.
I want to thank you for this post. It comes at a time when I am again struggling with confidence in my opening.
ReplyDeleteAnd, possibly just listening to too many voices on the internet.
Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteThanks always for being so generous on your blog.
Jean
Wow, Cheryl, awesome speech! I expected it just to be about HP lore, but what a meaty writer feast!
ReplyDeletepj
Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing another talk. They are inspirational and educational. I hope to see you in person one day. Now that would really be inspirational!
Kai
Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteYou are so insightful and generous. I have a question about literary and how it applies to picture books. Can you tell us the difference between a literary one and a non-literary one?
Thanks!
One of my favorite writing books is Madeleine L'Engle's HERSELF: REFLECTIONS ON A WRITING LIFE. It is deeply poignant and honest with some wonderful insight into her journey as a writer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the link to your TERMINUS speech. I love reading your speech transcripts-- they are full of delicious writing tips and guidance.
Sarah Frances Hardy
Another writing book I'm really enjoying is the new HOW FICTION WORKS by James Wood. It's a bite-sized gem, easy to read and full of very thoughtful yet applicable info on writing. A fabulous read!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI can't thank you enough for posting this. Reading that speech just made me realize what exactly it is that I love about the Potter series. The speech is superbly written, but the last few things that you said- about writing for yourself, and not others- is what I needed to hear the most. And there is seriously nobody else I'd rather hear this from. Thanks again.
ReplyDeletePs- In case you're wondering, the previous comment was deleted by me; I had made a spelling error.
Thanks for sharing your incredible insight and wisdom! Your Terminus speech is invaluable.
ReplyDeleteAll great books on writing. Also, Stephen King's On Writing is a must for all writers.
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting your fabulous Terminus speech. I keep reading it over and over because I want to absorb all of your writerly thoughts & insights.
I think my favorite part is the encouragement you offer in your closing thoughts, because it lifts me up when I read it. :)
All the best -- and like Kai, hopefully one day I can meet you in person!
miss skye
I love Bird by Bird and wish I hadn't loaned my book out. I fear I'll never see it again. grr.
ReplyDeleteI read your Terminus talk on Harry Potter and loved it. I bookmarked it so I could come back and read it again. Now I find the resource is locked. Is this unlockable? Fixable? Is your talk posted elsewhere? I'd really like to be able to read it again. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Bryon,
ReplyDeleteIt's now available at the new-and-improved cherylklein.com, at http://www.cherylklein.com/id38.html.
Thanks for your kind words!