A Book For Writers

I always urge writers, especially those new to the craft, to start a persoanl library of books about writing. When I started writing, I wanted to learn all I could about this craft that was so fascinating to me. I scoured the library non-fiction shelves and read many. Then I started purchasing books so that I could refer to them over and over.

One of the books I bought several years ago offers a great deal of information in a rather unique way. Scott Edelstein wrote 1,818 Ways To Write Better & Get Published. The title definitely makes a browser stop and look. I did, and I ended up buying the book. The author has used a unique approach in creating lists--list after list of information to help writers improve their writing and get published. The Table of Contents allows the reader to quickly determine which list is going to be most helpful to them for a particular reason. I read the entire book and then have gone back and read certain areas again. And sometimes again!

The book is broken into sections as listed below:
1.The Writer's Attitude
2. The Writer's Craft
3. Writing Successful Fiction
4. Writing Successful Nonfiction
5.  Publishing Opportunities
6. Finding Information and Support
7. Doing Business With Editors
8. Selling Yourself and Your Services
9. Dealing With Agents
10. Keeping Track of Business
11. Legal Matters
Under each section, there are several subtopics.

The author is a freelance writer and editor. The back cover recommends that the book be used "...to improve your writing. Refer to it for business advice. Keep it as a quick, handy all-purpose reference guide."

The publication date is 1991, so there may be some things that have changed since then, but there is still a lot of good information for both the new and seasoned writer.