My First Learn-To-Write Workbook: Practice for Kids with Pen Control, Line Tracing, Letters, and More! (My First Preschool Skills Workbooks)

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From the book: “If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.” 25. Mouth Full of Blood by Toni Morrison I'm familiar with several of these books. But for new authors, I urge you caution. It is very tempting to read so many books about writing that you never get around to writing. (I did this successfully for many years!) So I will suggest paring it down to just two books: Stephen King on Writing and Blake Snyder Save the Cat. Snyder's book is mostly about screenwriting, so you could also consider Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. Written language is often very different from spoken language. Read to your child as often as you can, including longer chapter books and non-fiction books about a subject they are interested in. This will help them to become more familiar with different styles of writing.

I’m Tom Bromley, your instructor. Over the past 25 years I’ve published ten books under my own name, fifteen as a bestselling and prize-winning ghost (not the scary kind), edited over a hundred titles, and taught novel writing to thousands of students around the world. Now it’s your turn! Your child might also find it useful to draw maps or diagrams. What are all the different areas of their fantasy landscape called? How is the baddie’s base organised? Or for non-fiction, where does their shark or spider live? Writing for a real purpose can be a great way to fit in some practice. Writing cards, shopping lists, or letters or messages to relatives can be motivating real-life reasons for writing, and can show children how useful it is to be able to write well. They will also learn that we use different writing styles in different situations. Your child might enjoy keeping a diary or writing short stories based on books they have read or toys they enjoy playing with. Perhaps your child might like to create a poster or mini-book about a topic they love. They might like to create their own comic strip about a character the know well. Be sure to encourage your child to write about what most interests them, as this is the best way to keep them enthusiastic. In this memoir-like read, Palahniuk reflects on the art of storytelling through advice he shares about what makes writing and sharing stories powerful. In between anecdotes and decades-worth of postcards from his time on the road, you’ll find a love story to the world of fiction paired with concrete examples of strong storytelling. 27. “The Emotional Craft of Fiction” by Donald MaassFrom the book: “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.” 19. Take Off Your Pants by Libbie Hawker And just a heads up: if you dream of authoring a bestselling book like I have and you're looking for a structured plan to guide you through the writing process, I have a special opportunity for you at the end of this post where I break the process down. Millions of new blog posts and other pieces of content hit the internet every single day. Ann Handley’s book is a must-have guide that shows content producers what it takes to stand out in a space where competition is fierce. With an accessible style, she takes on everything from how to write to grammar and usage to best practices. Perhaps my favorite part is Handley’s formula for creating content with a focus on empathizing with the reader and telling a great story. This isn’t just a how-to-write guide, it’ll also help you uncover what to write. 2 Write Tight: Say Exactly What You Mean with Precision and Power by William Brohaugh From the book: “We don't turn to story to escape reality. We turn to story to navigate reality.” 17. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders From the book: “When you grow up in a Westernized culture, the traditional plot structure becomes so embedded in your subconscious that you may have to work hard to create a plot structure that deviates from it… Understand this and keep your mind open when reading [this book]. Just because a piece doesn’t conform to the model you are used to, does not make it bad or wrong.” 15. The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

It focuses on how to craft quality writing that boosts business and helps find and retain customers. Plus, it includes writing tips, content help, grammar rules and much more. Despite the growing world of hashtags and abbreviations, writing matters more now than ever. 34. “The Breakout Novelist: How to Craft Novels That Stand Out and Sell” by Donald MaassFrom the book: “Don't be afraid to write crap — it makes the best fertilizer. The more of it you write, the better your chances are of growing something wonderful.” Books about writing nonfiction 37. On Writing Well by William Zinsser