Self-editing for fiction writers
by Renni Browne · first published 1993
60% recommend40% neutral
"Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories." "In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manusc
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Some faves for story development: * Secrets of Story by Matt Bird * Anatomy of Story by John Truby * Breakout Novelist by Donald Maass * Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King Enjoy!
on “Researchers analysed 1700 novels to reveal six story types” ↗I spent four years in college for English literature. You can do that or you can just read the book 'Self-editing for Fiction Writers' and do the same thing in a tenth of the time. The other thing you could do is to join a writers workshop, in person is always good but there's no reason why you couldn't join some remote thing. The…
on “Ask HN: If you were to switch career, what would you do?” ↗I'm going to piggy back on this so if you find the most accurate answer, I'd like to know too. In my attempt to help, one of the most helpful books for writing (traditional fiction/nonfiction) is "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" - the maxim, "Show, don't tell" is the central theme and what I would recommend you consider, but tailor it to a technical aspect. Here's an example of telling vs showing - That night, the father was…
on “Ask HN: Courses or Books in Better Writing” ↗Sure! "On Writing Well" by William Zissner "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr., E.B. White "Stein on Writing" by Sol Stein "Self-editing for Fiction Writers" by Dave King
on “Ask HN: Which everyday skill is important to master as a software developer?” ↗…or recently finished: The Book of the New Sun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun Influence: Science and Practice: http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Practice-Robert-B-Cialdini/d... Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yo... Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_M... Wraeththu: http://www.amazon.com/Wraeththu-Storm-Constantine/dp/0312890...
on “Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?” ↗Recently bought "Self-editing for fiction writers" as it was recommended as a good book about not only editing but also writing itself. The first chapter is named "Show and tell". Here the authors also state the "show, don't tell" rule. They also show…
on “‘Show, Don’t Tell’ Almost Ruined Me as a Writer” ↗