Story Genius by Lisa Cron is in my shopping basket after it was recommended to me by a fellow writer/editor. So I've not read it yet, but it's on the list. I've also heard that Wired for Story by her is good too.
I've definitely had that same experience of reading too many craft books in one go and getting overwhelmed by which methods/techniques to internalise and apply. I made a point of not reading any craft books whilst I was writing my last short story because I wanted to trust the process I knew and not get distracted by new ideas. I'll be starting work on a new novel in the coming days and seeing as a novel takes so long to write, I think it would be a lie to say I'm not going to read any craft books during that time (!), but I am going to be discerning in my reading choices for sure.
I know you didn't ask for recommendations, but for when you do delve back into craft books, two I'd recommend that I personally found beneficial were Story by Robert McKee and the Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass.
Yeah, it’s a balance. Sometimes study is helpful; other times you need to trust that you’ve internalized the learning and just write. The latter is where I am now.
Thanks for the reply and for the recommendations! I will definitely check them out when the time is right.
Story Genius by Lisa Cron is in my shopping basket after it was recommended to me by a fellow writer/editor. So I've not read it yet, but it's on the list. I've also heard that Wired for Story by her is good too.
I've definitely had that same experience of reading too many craft books in one go and getting overwhelmed by which methods/techniques to internalise and apply. I made a point of not reading any craft books whilst I was writing my last short story because I wanted to trust the process I knew and not get distracted by new ideas. I'll be starting work on a new novel in the coming days and seeing as a novel takes so long to write, I think it would be a lie to say I'm not going to read any craft books during that time (!), but I am going to be discerning in my reading choices for sure.
I know you didn't ask for recommendations, but for when you do delve back into craft books, two I'd recommend that I personally found beneficial were Story by Robert McKee and the Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass.
Yeah, it’s a balance. Sometimes study is helpful; other times you need to trust that you’ve internalized the learning and just write. The latter is where I am now.
Thanks for the reply and for the recommendations! I will definitely check them out when the time is right.