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Question: What is a good book I should read to become a better reader and writer!?
I know the poetic devices!. I know that people can use writing as an art form, and not use flowery writing to sound smart!. I love the art of writing, and word play, riddles, jokes, and humor!. I am seventeen, but I hope to become a writer one day!. I enjoy the traditional books like the maltese falcon, huckleberry finn, the awakening, slaughterhouse five, and the grapes of wrath!. I also enjoy nonfiction(Fast food nation, or the narrative of the life of frederick douglass, the hot zone), and a little fiction for humor and fun!. So, what do you suggest I do or read to become a better writer or a better reader for practice!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Lets skip past the "I read this and think it's great!.!.!." style suggestions for a moment!. Let's concentrate on what you should read as an aspiring American writer:
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Stowe - This is probably the most influential novel in history!. The bedrock of protest literature, and as early as my list will start!. (These will all be American works too, though a solid foundation in the ancients, the medieval classics, and the romantics will be of great benefit to your writing!.)
Walt Whitman - He's got a collection called Leaves of Grass and it's monumentally important in American Literary History!. Whitman is the guy who carved out a firm footing for American Literature to stand on!. Pay special attention to his most famous work "Song of Myself!."
Mark Twain - You need to read his two most famous novels Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn as well as every essay and short story you can get your hands on!. This guy is American Realism at it's finest!. A master of satire, and dialect!.
Ambrose Bierce - Another realist, very influential!. Read "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge," it is an early example of disregard for chronology in story telling - something used in almost every contemporary written work!. also his dictionary, The Devil's Dictionary, is a great place to get some sarcastic little definitions to use with your friends!.
Jack London - I prefer his short stories to long stuff, but you should read Call of the Wild too!. He is a naturalist!. American Naturalism is one of the more overlooked, but vastly important literary movements in American Literature!. He exemplifies this period, so we'll leave it with him!.
Harlem Renaissance writers - Read DuBois, McKay, Hughes, and Wright!. These guys may demonstrate some the most eloquent, socially relevant writing in all of history!.
Raymond Chandler - Read "Red Wind" for a taste!. You'll probably get addicted!. This guy is the "founder" or noir/hard-boiled fiction!.
Faulkner - Obviously!. A modernist, influential, 'nuff said!.
Hemingway - Same reason as Faulkner!.
Lolita - This book should challenge you in more ways than one!. Have a reliable dictionary around and pay attention!. This is considered an example of "flawless writing"!.
Vonnegut - Read them all, and like them!. The most important American in the past 100 years in my opinion!. Watch how unobtrusively he can make a point in his writing!. Everyone knows what he's saying, yet it doesn't distract from the story!. That's post-modernism, sir!. And this is the movement we'll spend the remainder of our time in!.
White Noise by Don DeLillo - This book exemplifies post-modernism!. And it's great and well written!. I'm not sure why this guy isn't more popular, but to you he should be a deity!. A very talented author!.
Bret Easton Ellis - Read them all in order!. He's brilliant, the best guy we have right now!.
Tim O'Brien - His exploration of truth, reality, the nature of a story, and the relevance of his material makes him a must read for all people, especially would-be writers!. If you read at least four O'Brien books you will instantly be a better writer for it!.
That, sir, is the briefest list I could reasonably come up with going back to the antebellum period!. And there are so many I skipped that I think you should have to face - Crane, Pound, Faussett, Burroughs, Gardner, Ginsberg, Kerouac, Palahniuk, McKay, Williams, etc!. - but that should be a good starting point and here's why:
To write well you must know why people write the way they do today!. And I don't mean that formula/genre gibberish, I mean the good stuff!. You need to develop a sense of how literature has evolved and is evolving!. Reading stuff from different eras and authors gets you familiar with a variety of ways to construct a sentence, blend paragraphs, etc!. It's also imperative to know what's been done, by whom, when, and why - the reason for that is because when looked at objectively one can see that literature is simply an ongoing effort, we build up, refute, or compliment the works of the past with what is done now!.
Start with literature, then move to writing manuals!. (not On Writing by King!. Start with Stein on Writing by Stein or The Art of Fiction by Gardner)!. The literature is the most important, all the writing manuals are going to teach is how to talk like a writer!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Try these!.!.!.
Of Mice and Men (so many archetypes and the theme shows up numerous times!. Once you really read it and interpret things, you'll notice how deep the book really gets)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Lots of lessons learned and basically showing loss of innocence throughout the entire book)Www@QuestionHome@Com
On Writing by Stephen King
The Making of a Writer by Joan Lowery Nixon
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C!. FosterWww@QuestionHome@Com
Well, as said before, On Writing by Stephen King is a must!. Another great one is The Elements Of Style!. Both will help you develop as a writer!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Honestly, there is not just one title you can read to improve your reading and writing skills !.!.!. anything and everything you read will do this!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Read more classics such as the ones you've been reading, and keep writing and editingWww@QuestionHome@Com
A Child Called It and The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer--Great BooksWww@QuestionHome@Com
On Writing by Stephen KingWww@QuestionHome@Com
i would say to kill a mockinbird good movie and book and stephen king master of horrorWww@QuestionHome@Com