Literature on Writing

Let's see, there is books on the mechanics of writing itself, such as grammar and style. Those have been covered, though I've not read Strunk and White, enough people recommend it that I would put that top of the list.
Another that comes recommended is
"Building Great Sentences: How to Write the Kinds of Sentences You Love to Read (Great Courses)," which is the transcript of a Great Course lecture.
and
"It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Crafting Killer Sentences."

Then there is books on descriptive writing. I have one from a creative writing class called: "Word Painting." It's served me well.


Then there is books on story craft and theory. I have quite a few of those. Truby's "Anatomy of Story," McKee's "Story: Style, Structure, Substance and the Principles of Screenwriting," and there is the Dramatica Theory of Story, which is available free on the net (a bit more academic then I think a new person might be able to digest).

 

What I'm mostly interested in is style and structure, I consider my language to be good enough (at least for now), but thanks for the suggestion anyway.

As for Carter: Sadly there is a shortage of English writing-literature in Swedish libraries (at least in my area), so I can't get my hands on the book for free. Buying a book for one chapter does not really appeal to me for the moment, especially as that book also seems to treat language rather than structure.

I will write it down together with the other titles I've collected, and see if it sounds good.
Could you give a wider description of what it covers? Sentence writing, structure, scenes, language?

Oh! A detailed list! Lovely!
I will make these titles part of my list as well, especially Strunk and White since it is so well recommended.
Thank you!

Edit: Is this the correct "Word Painting"?

 

Personally, I think Strunk & White is so bad as to be damaging. Google for "50 years of stupid grammar advice". I have a copy, I've read it, and I'd never dream of actually using it. It won't give you anything on structure, anyway.

You might look at Linda Anderson's Creative Writing: A Workbook with Readings. That covers characterisation, structure and so on, in a practical way, as well as giving lots of writing exercises. I like it, as do a couple of professional writers I know. It's the set text for the Open University's creative writing course, though I've not done that course.

 

That is indeed it. Rebecca McClanahan.

 

I'm reading it now. Interesting, very interesting.

I'll rescind my recommendation on S&W.

 

I agree with this. I've said before in this forum that I don't have a high opinion of Strunk and White. It's too thin, too idiosyncratic, and too wrong to be really useful to a writer of fiction.

I think this point bears repeating: Strunk and White is not a book intended for fiction writers. It's intended for specialists in other fields who find they occasionally have to write. If you're an architect who has been asked to write an article about architecture for a magazine, you'll find useful advice in Strunk and White. If you're a diplomat writing a guest editorial column for the New York Times, you want Strunk and White. If you're a climate scientist writing a blog post about the value of clean energy, you want Strunk and White.

If you're a novelist trying to create a work of art, stay away from Strunk and White. It will not help you. It is far more likely to damage and even discourage you.

 

@minstrel I see I'm gonna enjoy S&W any good criticism for parallel reading - @digitig that article by Geoffrey Pullum was cool

 

That article was really interesting to read. I believe this goes hand in hand with what @mammamaia mentioned, that popular does not equal good.
For now I marked SnW with a question-mark in my list, and gave it the tag "debatable". Though based on what you guys have said I don't think it is something I will risk reading for quite some time.

 

In "Things Feigned or Imagined" Stenson covers things like story structure, characterization, point of view, engagement, rhythm, etc. Lots of stuff, and I found the read itself enjoyable. Some books on writing are far too dry for my tastes. Stenson is not.

I agree with some of the more recent posters about S&W. Not at all useful for fiction writers.