Have you ever gone looking for a writing craft book and found that you didn’t connect with it? I have. This is what I’ve discovered in my short journey so far as a writer.
Finding a craft book that you connect with is hard. I thought it would be easy.
- Step 1: Buy a writing craft book on a topic you want to learn about.
- Step 2: Read it.
- Step 3: Apply it to your work.
- Step 4: Success
This is not my journey. I went through several craft books before I found one/s that “spoke to me”.
You’re thinking, how can a book speak to you? It’s just a craft book. That’s not always the case.
Remember in school, that teacher you had that just got you? Their ability to teach in a way that caused you to learn, but to grow in your learning?
Well, the same principle with craft books is the same. When you are reading one, you are being taught. Not all teaching styles suit the same person. For me, I hate bogged down explanations. I like things to be clear, and straightforward in applying to my work. If you can be funny while you’re at it more power to you.
But this isn’t the end of the story. Once you find the author/s that speak to you, read their fiction and their craft books. Read, read, and read more. But that’s still not enough and this last piece took me a while to learn. This one comes from experience (and I’m not nearly as experienced as many others out there.)
What is it? You might need to write a book or two first before what you read in those crafts books makes sense.
Read those craft books, yes, and apply it to your work. But be prepared for some or much of it to make no sense until you have books under your belt. For me, my brain would take in the information and I would “get it” on a high brain level, but it still didn’t show in my writing. It wasn’t until I kept writing and reading that things started to connect. In fact, my favorite craft books made more sense when I read them again after my second book was completed. I had to get comfortable with creative writing jargon, I had to learn my writing process and I had to spend time in the writing world.
Time and patience will be your friend on this journey. So find some good writing books to join you on your journey.
What craft books have spoken to you?
