Resources
Books
The First Five Pages: By Noah Lukeman.
There are two things that really sold me on this book. First, Lukeman is brutally honest about what it takes to get published. He’s been a literary agent for well over fifteen years and knows his stuff. Second, I never liked rules when it comes to art, and one of the first things he says is, “There are no rules to assure great writing, but there are ways to avoid bad writing. This, simply, is the focus of this book: to learn how to identify and avoid bad writing.” ‘Nuff said! (a recommendation by Kody Kline).
Excerpt From: Lukeman, Noah. “The First Five Pages.” Simon & Schuster, 2000. iBooks.
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A Dash of Style: By Noah Lukeman.
It is funny how life works out. In high school, I hated English. Twelve years later, I’m a writer. But my dislike for English left me with a weak grasp on grammar mechanics and punctuation. Basically, this book is all about punctuation, and again, Lukeman states these are not rules. He lays down simple explanations for marks, how they should be used, and follows up with examples. By the end of the book: I had a powerful thirst to use a colon. (a recommendation by Kody Kline).
The Hero with a Thousand Faces: By Joseph Campbell.
To me, the Monomyth is an integral part of story telling and form. Star Wars anyone? This is a quick and easy read, and will provide a better understanding of how to apply the Heroes Journey to your own story. (a recommendation by Kody Kline).
Websites
Noah Lukeman’s official site:
Wikipedia, the Heroes Journey:
Stonehenge Writers 