The best way to improve one's writing ability is simply to write. But writers more capable than myself have already written guides on how to write. Both Orwell and Vonnegut have created extremely helpful guides. So obviously, my help is unnecesary in that area.
The second best way to improve your writing is to read. So, I have assembled this list of books that will help alleviate certain common writing problems. You are not supposed to copy these writers, just learn from them.
I use too many words.
Anything by Hemingway. He is one of the most efficient mainstream writers of all time. Hemingway manages to say everything that needs to be said, but nothing more. The Old man and the Sea is a great place to start.
My metaphors/symbols are horrible
Joseph Conrad is the master of metaphors. Listen to this quote from Heart of Darkness:
We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there, there you could look upon something monstrous, and free.
Notice how even without context you can understand it immediatly. It's deep, yet simple. There is no point to including metaphors in your writing if no one can understand them.
Another example would be
Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. The entire book is a metaphor. It's a little bit more complicated, but really exemplifies how metaphors can give a story deeper meaning.
My Characters are Bland.Toni Morrison's
Song of Solomon. All of her main characters- Guitar, Macon Dead, Milkman, Pilate, Hagar, Reba, First Corinthians, Madgelene called Lena- are developed in a beautifully intricate way. You care about every single character, even when their goals are at odd with each other.
None of the characters are static or boring; they all act in a realistic fashion. Guitar is an especially dynamic character, but is always relatable.
My POV doesn't work for my story.This problem doesn't have a direct solution, so I will just post examples of books that use different POVs.
First Person:
Heart of Darkness (again). It's a story within a story, but always in first person (I think...). Great for showing inner monologue.
The Catcher in the Rye, by Salinger. Again, inner monologue. But this book, unlike Heart of Darkness, also shows remarkable voise. Slang works much better in first person than in third.
Feed, by M.T. Anderson. Just a Sci-fi version of Catcher in the Rye.
Second Person:
I wouldn't write in second person. It sounds like one of those "Choose your own adventure" books.
Third Person:
Now things get complicated. There are a lot of different types of third person, so I'll just go over the two main types.
Omniscient
Breakfast of Champions, By Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut does out of his way to keep nothing from the reader. It very much feels like the book is written by an all knowing god. No matter which character is being talked about, no information is withheld.
Limited
Haroun and the Sea of Stories, by Salman Rushdie. If you're an extremist Muslim, don't worry: this one is just a children's story. In this case, the reader only knows what the charcter knows. This is great for stories that are mostly diologue, or if you want to build suspense.
There are many limited third person books out there, but I chose this one for a reason. "Haroun" is a book about stories, specifically fairy tells. Fairy tells are usually told in third person limited. See how writing it in third person limited just makes sense?
Other:
Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood. She switches between first person and third person throughout the book. Usually, I would highly recommend sticking to one POV. But if you insist on being "clever" and going for multiple points of view, you need to read this book first. She manages to pull it off nicely, but it makes you feel like you are reading two different books at once. This can be a bad thing if you are not as skilled as Atwood is.
My jokes aren't funny/don't workCatch-22 By Joseph Heller. It's one of the most hilarious books ever written. But the humour comes from the actual plot of the book, not from jokes randomly thrown in. Furthermore, the humour actually adds to the overall quality of the book.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. He can make a story about a starving orphan entertaining. If it wasn't for his subtle humor, this book would be excrutiatingly depressing. If you think your story might be too sad, you should check out Dicken's solution.
Of course, reading these books won't magically make you a great writer, just like watching a NFL game won't make you good at football. I'm sure that there have been some great writers who never read a lot of books. However, I am also certain that most writers are very well read, and that this is no coincidence.
If you have any problems with my guide, please post your own solutions. If you think I left anything major out, post that as well.
