Writing resources, cheap.

[SteveMill]

i'm often recommending books on creative writing techniques and i'm aware that I'm fortunate to be in the position of being able to afford to lay down the cash.

I've been reading a very good general technique book - Solutions for Writers - by Sol Stein (famous playwright, author, editor and teacher) and realised it only cost me a quid or so.

I got it from the TSP (see link below) . It's a book club you see advertising introductory offers in the Sunday broadsheets, 5 books or so at 1p each plus p&p. I got a bunch of good creative writing related books in that offer, including 2 by Stein. And the great thing is - you never have to buy any more books - just tick the NO box and send the monthly catalogue offer envelope back.

If money is short but you want to start a collection of how-to and reference books then this is a very cheap option.

http://www.etsp.co.uk/index.asp

[KiwiNZ]

That is a good link!

BTW, what is your creativity doing at the mo?

[SteveMill]

Hi K

I'm deliberately writing things that are outside my comfort zone - non sci-fi, non fantasy, non action things.

I've done two major pieces, which are competition entries, or soon will be with a little revising. The first is called the death of frank stiller - a short story of a conversation in a bar between a vietnam veteran and someone who wasn't drafted, years down the line. Its general theme is the effect of war on someone, even years later, with a nice twist at the end.

The second short story is my best writing so far I think - about an old, depressed and beaten down woman taking her old soldier husband, who never recovered from shellshock and was labelled a coward, to a Rememberance Sunday War Memorial service and rediscovering her faith. It needs a rewrite but I'm entering it for a big competition.

I'm also thinking of trying my hand at a Star Trek novel as Pocket are now accepting outside submissions. They have to be through an agent though so I probably won't take the idea any further unless my tutor's contacts turn up one that deals with this sort of thing. It's a shame as I could write a damn good Trek novel all but standing on my head.

mostly I'm reading books on technique as a displacement activity from the hard work of actually writing.

[KiwiNZ]

Hey Steve.

Good to see you are still active. Make sure you let us know where to read the stories once you release them to the public! Best of luck for the competitions! I have no doubt you'll do well! Show them kids

Why don't you work on the Star Trek fiction anyway and by the time your lecturer comes up with an agent you have a more or less finish product to present Obviously only if you have the time

[SteveMill]

Time is the problem - I'm reluctant to commit time and effort to a trek novel if I don't have an agent when I could be writing something I can submit without an agent.

A Trek novel, my thinking goes, would be relatively quick to write as like Rogue, readers are familiar with the background so you don't have to do all the hard work of creating and conveying it. And if I ever earn any money writing I can claim the DVD Box Sets 'research' as tax-deductible.

Hopefully you'll be able to read my prize-winning stories in print sometime. If not you'll be able to read my 'these are way better than the crap that won' stories on the Space Ritual.

I'm always fighting temptation to write a Rogue novella about what happened to Max, but I resist as I probably wouldn't learn much from doing it and there would be no chance of publication.

[KiwiNZ]

Hopefully you'll be able to read my prize-winning stories in print sometime. If not you'll be able to read my 'these are way better than the crap that won' stories on the Space Ritual.

will do either way

I'm always fighting temptation to write a Rogue novella about what happened to Max, but I resist as I probably wouldn't learn much from doing it and there would be no chance of publication.

You are sooooooo selfish

[therjw]

I also reccomend the Teaching yourself Writing a novel by Nigel Watts if you can find it. It tells you the various technics and stuff to do when prepairing and making a story