Sometimes the best authors and novelists are also some of the best readers. At some point a reader of fiction will say to themselves "hey, I could do a better job," and they can tell a better story, so they decide to go and do it. That's all well and good, but it's not as easy as it looks. Often novels get very complicated with so many different characters, locations, and everything going on. No one is all-knowing, and therefore, it helps to have some references to help you and your creative writing.
Having written 10 e-books last year, and many short stories - I have come to realize how important it is to have the best tools for the trade. This is why I take Writer's Digest Magazine, and have one bookshelf full of writing books. One of the best books I have for quick reference, and it is very easy to use is;
"The Fiction Writer's Silent Partner - Thousands of Ideas, Facts, Possibilities, and What ifs on Topics Ranging from Characters to Vivid an Unusual Locales that Will Help You Generate Solid Fiction Ideas and Develop Your Imagination," by Martin Roth, Writer's Digest Books, Cincinnati, OH, (1991), 302 pages, ISBN: 0-89879-482-X.
The author of this book is a 40-year creative writer in Hollywood writing scripts for Hawaii Five O, Vegas, Hart to Hart, and several Movie Screen Plays. He also taught at UCLA at the "American Film Institute" and the reason I mention all this is because, this is really the best book I've found in my career as a writer, and thus, it sits in my personal library - always close at hand.
Just because you are a great creative writer, or even if you have several novels written and even if they are best-selling books now under your belt, you must understand that you cannot ever stop learning about how to develop characters better, or tricks of the trade. And as you get really good you'll discover your own methods, and how they can work with your own style. It's a constant learning process, but you must have the best tools. These consider all this.
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