From how to self-edit your book to a complete guide to master and write genres such as science fiction and fantasy, Amazon offers books targeting you, who are just starting your writing career, only with the aim of helping you develop your writing skills.
Amazon is today one of the platforms where, from the comfort of your home and your cup of hot coffee, orders arrive at the cheapest prices.
There is a wide variety of books that you can rely on, but finding the most useful ones is not as easy as it seems, it depends a lot on the content you need, either as a gift for a writer friend who is in the middle of a block, for a child who is just beginning to learn about literature, to plan your future novel, etc…
You know what they say… There is no better friend for a writer than a book, so, let’s get into those…
Genre Guide books
Luckily for us, many professional authors have passed on their knowledge and expertise on the genres with which they’ve succeded, and Amazon gives you the opportunity to access these helpful resources.
Romance Writer’s Phrase Book by Jean Kent
If you are writing a romance novel, and you have no idea how not to turn it into a worn and boring cliché, with overly repeated people and phrases, well, Romance Writer’s Phrase Book by Jean Kent and Candance Shelton is right what you need. It contains around 3000 descriptive elements designed for all those writers who want to add feeling and romance. These elements include descriptive characteristics, both psychological and physical, that will surely help you make your novel more attractive. It has 144 pages and you can buy it only for $ 13.71.
The Fantasy Fiction Formula
Fantasy is incerasingly popular each day, but, at the same time is one of the most difficult genres to write when it comes to world building. But, worry no more. This book will make your life much easier: The Fantasy Fiction Formula written by Deborah Chester.
Check here if you want to know more about the amazing world of fantasy.
It will teach you in 336 pages how to write strong, action-packed scenes and create dynamic, multi-dimensional characters. In addition, it offers tips on how to test a plot premise. Among its reviews, readers say that it has served them perfectly . The Fantasy Fiction Formula is perfect for beginners.
Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction: How to Create Out-of-This-World Novels and Short Stories
From mythical beasts and celestial creatures to cities full of magic in a parallel universe. Everything you have ever dreamed of writing at your fingertips. Professional authors will advise you all about world building, character creation, and storytelling in the many styles and possibilities available to writers of speculative fiction.
Basically, it gives very personal opinions and reviews of several famous writers of these genres. Among them, we can find Orson Scott Card, Philip Athans and Jay Lake.
Writing tips and tools
You need it, take it, or die in the shadows. A mechanic cannot work without his tools, and a writer cannot advance without this knowledge. No matter how good you feel your writing is, there will always be something missing, or perhaps a little trick that will give your book the push it needs to attract readers.
Read this article for tips on how to become a better writer.
Show, Don’t Tell: How to write vivid descriptions, handle backstory, and describe your characters’ emotions
The “show don’t tell” is one of the most important writing tips out there. Many beginners do not know how to apply it when working. Sandra Gerth from her great experience as a best-selling author and editor, gives us a different perspective on when we should show and when we should tell.
Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer
From a high school student to a novelist, this book applies to any writer. With more than 200 examples of literature, the strategies that its author, Roy Peter Clark, shows us in this book are as ingenious as never seen.
For a modest price of $ 5.99, you can acquire this knowledge that Amazon puts at your fingertips, 55 essential tools to turn your book into the next Best Seller.
“No matter what you write, a blog, a love letter, the next great American novel, Writing Tools offers practical advice that is a pleasure to read.”
―St. Petersburg Times
Successful Self-Publishing: How to self-publish and market your book
Self-publishing a book is a challenge, even more so when we don’t have the knowledge and experience to do it. There are so many options for editing that we get frustrated not knowing which one to choose or if we are choosing the right one. Joanna Pen teaches us how to self-publish our book without spending thousands of dollars or breaking our hearts in the attempt.
Among the tips included in the book are; what you need to know before self-publishing a book, how to self-edit a printed book, what to do if help is needed. Among many others.
If you are considering self-publishing your book but are lost on what steps you should take, or what is entailed in the process, this will clear things up for you.
If you are more interesed in the Traditional Publishing Route for your book, check this article for more information.
Character development
Crafting strong characters is not an easy task, but don’t worry. These books will be your firearm. Use them wisely.
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws
Learning to combine the abilities and weaknesses of our characters will give a more realistic touch to our story, as well as knowing how to detect which flaws will go better with your story. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi bring us this collection of flaws where we discover the possible causes behind the weaknesses of our characters.
It also shows us how to avoid certain clichés when characterizing them. We can create deep and realistic characters that will certainly leave a mark on the readers.
This book has 5 stars on Amazon, 270 pages and we can buy it for a price of only $ 9.60.
On this book Michael Hauge, Hollywood Script Consultant and Story Expert, had the following opinion:
“In these brilliantly conceived, superbly organized and astonishingly thorough volumes, Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have created an invaluable resource for writers and storytellers. Whether you are searching for new and unique ways to add and define characters, or brainstorming methods for revealing those characters without resorting to clichés, it is hard to imagine two more powerful tools for adding depth and dimension to your screenplays, novels or plays. “
Writer’s Guide to Character Traits
With 5 stars this book is a complete guide to creating distinctive and unique characters, from mental disorders, behavior problems, good and bad influences, and getting their personality match their thoughts and attitudes.
It will teach you about some common and not so common psychological and social disabilities, relationship problems, everything that a criminal carries in his pack of flaws. Therefore, if you are interested in the suspense, detective, or horror genre. Linda Edelstein, author of this book, will help you strengthen the mindsets of your characters.
One of the readers left this comment as a review:
“I have used this resource book to flesh out the characters of both my novels and my screenplays. Though I have had a lot of formal psychology classes through the years, this book provides insightful summaries that quickly give me the information I need to give dimension to fictional characters. “
Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure
Under the useful concept of the Three-Act Story Structure, K.M. Weiland shares his method to achieve arcs where our characters perform memorable actions.
It delves into the psychology of realistic human change, and offers character arc guidelines that you can adapt to any story you write, like a basic math formula.
This book includes tips as:
• How to determine which arc — positive, negative, or flat — is right for your character.
• Why you should NEVER put plot against character. Instead, learn how to blend story structure and character development.
• How to recognize and avoid the worst pitfalls of writing novels without character arcs.
• How to hack the secret to using overarching character arcs to create amazing trilogies and series.
The psychological side of writing
A not very well known but very relevant resource that will be very useful to know how to apply, is to use psychology in your writing, as a method to catch the reader and immerse them in your story.
The power of the human mind is incredible, Lisa Cron, gives us the methods of manipulation and convictions to, through the science of the brain, capture the reader’s attention from the first chapter of the book, find what the mind longs for to find, what are the most appropriate expressions to capture their attention, and keep you awaiting any unpredictable event.
It teaches us to get out of wanting to write well, and to focus on not losing sight of what really makes a story interesting; the desire to know what will happen next.
As both a publishing veteran and a TV pro, Lisa Cron knows storytelling. In Wired for Story she shares her fascinating psychological approaches to the craft. Her fresh way of looking at the core essentials of writing has our neurons firing.
– Writer’s Digest
Once again, Lisa Cron, teaches us with scientific bases about human thought, how to develop a novel from the first idea to achieve a plane with well-constructed scenes that explode in a ending with a character, wealth and authority that will trap our future reader.
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel
And Lisa Cron does it again! Untangling brain science for us to use in our stories.
“Using brain science, Cron busts the myths of good writing to help you find the real story behind all that plot and metaphor.”
– The Writer
The Legacy of Stephen King.
Our dear King does not leave us abandoned, until today he has written a book just for us who are beginning to write, we will be the next generation and we must aspire to reach as high as him.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
It contains all his habits, tips, tricks, constructive skills, a masterclass from one of the best best-selling authors of all time.
King shares with us all the experiences that have shaped his work throughout his life as a writer. With a friendly, bright and inspiring writing, he will give us a light at the end of the tunnel, showing us that even the greats go through a process of constant personal construction, improvement, effort and a lot of study.
“A one-of-a-kind classic.”
– The Wall Street Journal
“This is a special book, animated by a unique intelligence, and filled with useful truth.”
– Michael Chabon.
Summing up…
There’s no reason why we have to be doing this by ourselves. Learning how to be a good writer takes a lot of time and effort. However, taking shortcuts here and there can totally make the difference. Accomplished authors and professional story tellers are giving us a piece of thir mind. Let’s g and grab it. Let’s hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. The sheer amount of experience you will gain will make it totally worth the expense.
So, it doesn’t matter what writing skill you need to strengthen, these books have it all. Go ahead and buy one of them, I’m sure you are already wondering which one you should buy first.
