Category Archives: Books

Writers Should Read

The Classics

By Annette Rey

You probably have seen the movies made from these great works written over a century ago  – Sleepy Hollow (1819) by Washington Irving, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert L. Stevenson, The Cask of Amontillado (1846) by Edgar A. Poe and many more.

We are so spoiled! I mean, we live in this fast-paced society and movies are faster to digest than the time it takes to read the original novel. So movies do perform a service. They save us time.

But, has that spoiling done us some harm?

Continue reading →

Does Your Environment Affect Your Writing Life?

Let’s Find Out

By Annette Rey

Looking for new writing inspiration? Do you want to acquire intriguing information about your own reality? Then reading this book should give birth to new writing projects.

Continue reading →

Searching for Great Characters

By Annette Rey

A Research Book

I often direct writers to unusual resources to find real-life personality flaws to apply to their character creations. Your readers will relate to these more believable characters because they are sure to have met someone like them at some time in their lives.

Life Code by Dr. Phil is one of those resources.

Continue reading →

Finding Writing Ideas in Unlikely Places

Book Suggestion

By Annette Rey

Recently I posted on the subject of owning a variety of books outside your genre or general field of interest. I suggested you read them from a writer’s point of view and then experiment with your own writing in these new areas. This is one tactic I use to beat writer’s block.

In that vein, let me introduce you to a completely odd book – certainly not run-of-the-mill selection – I picked up at a sale that has widened my reading experience and has also given me a few laughs.

Continue reading →

A Mystery Lover’s Gift

Just in Time for Christmas

By Annette Rey

I found the perfect gift for the mystery lover in your life.

Continue reading →

Dissatisfied Writers Living Conflicted Lives, Part I

Self Matters by Dr. Phil McGraw – NOT a book review

By Annette Rey

If you don’t like Dr. Phil, and it’s my experience people either love him or hate him, don’t stop reading. If you are a writer, these comments can help you.

Continue reading →

The Search for Words

When You Cannot Remember the Word (Lethologica)

By Annette Rey

When you are writing, it seems inevitable, interruptions occur that waylay your train of thought; the jangling of the telephone, the doorbell rings, a family member talks to you. That’s bad enough.

What about the pauses in your writing when you can’t remember the right word you know should go right in that spot in your sentence? You’re on a roll and your fingers are moving deftly, except for that!

I have two very good tools to help shorten that unwanted pause, and to get your mind back on writing.

Continue reading →

A Reference Book Suggestion

A Useful Tool

By Annette Rey

A book I support for writers and for just any person who wants to increase their vocabulary is: The Penquin Rhyming Dictionary. On first glance, a person who is not a poet might think this book has no use for them. But this is a great source for expanding your knowledge of words.

Continue reading →

Helpful Reference Books for Writers

Who’s (oops) Whose Grammar Book Is This Anyway? by C. Edward Good

The Big Ten of Grammar by William B. Bradshaw, PhD

Woe is I by Patricia T. O’Conner

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White

The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing by Thomas S. Kane

Punctuation, Plain and Simple by Edgar C. Alward and Jean A. Alward

Prentice Hall Reference Guide by Muriel Harris

Getting the Words Right, How to Rewrite, Edit, and Revise by Theodore A. Rees Cheney

 

Grammar Matters

By Annette Rey

A myriad of grammar guides exist and I have half a dozen of them. The one I find most extensive and simply written is Who’s (oops) Whose Grammar Book Is This Anyway? By C. Edward Good. This book was originally published as A Grammar Book for You and I (oops! Me). This is my go-to resource for sentence construction.

Continue reading →