Copyright 2009-
Choosing Words to Create Worlds
Tom Clancy–Anything. This man can layer plots
J. D. Robb–Strong & evolving relationships
Elizabeth Peters–Amelia Peabody is a hoot, and Peters seamlessly weaves in the archaeology
Robert Ludlum–The Bourne books. Even better than the movies
Greg Iles–Blood Memory (and others). Crime/Suspense
Dick Francis–To say his mysteries are about the horse racing scene does him a disservice. His heroes are men who think themselves everyday guys but who always defeat the bad guys in creative ways.
A World Lit Only by Fire by William Manchester. The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance. Incredible to imagine what the world was like only a few hundred years ago.
Epic by John Eldredge. We are born into an ongoing story. Great book for anyone who writes and anyone who lives.
The Bible. I love the New American Standard Bible. Plenty of characters who are certainly characters! And where else can you find so many phrases that have become cliche–handwriting on the wall, apple of my eye, by the skin of his teeth, cast pearls before swine, the blind leading the blind.
Grammatically Correct: The Writer’s Essential Guide to punctuation, spelling,style,
usage and grammar by Anne Stilman. Best all-
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman. The importance of starting well.
The Elements of Fiction Writing (series) published by Writers Digest Books. I really enjoyed Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress.
The Synonym Finder by J. I. Rodale.
Madeleine L’Engle. Any of her books on writing, especially Walking on Water, The Rock that is Higher, Herself–Reflections on a Writing Life.
Julia Cameron. Especially helpful for writing exercises.
Dorothy Sayers, The Mind of the Maker. Using The Creation as an example on creating.
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
Grammatically Correct: The Writer’s Essential Guide to punctuation, spelling,style,
usage and grammar by Anne Stilman. Best all-
Getting the Words Right: How to Rewrite, Edit & Revise by Theodore A. Rees Cheney.
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