Thursday Thirteen #255

Today I'm listing books. However, I haven't read these, so these are not recommendations, except in that something about the blurb on them made me think I would find the work interesting.

That there are 13 of these says something about my reading habits of late. I need to get busy. Or maybe it says something about my spending habits, although I will say that a majority of these books came from a remainder sale up the valley, (thank you Green Valley Book Fair) and so I paid little or nothing for them.

Anyway, here are thirteen books about writing that are in my "read this" pile:

1. Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir, by Natalie Goldberg (copyright 2007).  "A celebration of the memoir form . . . an impassioned call to write . . . "

2. What Would Your Character Do? Personality Quizzes for Analyzing Your Characters, by Eric Maisel, Ph.D. and Ann Maisel. Copyright 2006. "Test yourself - and your characters - 30 interactive pop quizzes designed to help you discover exactly what makes your characters tick." Doesn't that sound like fun?

3. The Writer's Devotional: 365 Inspirational Exercises, Ideas, Tips & Motivations on Writing, By Amy Peters. Copyright 2012. ". . . this invaluable volume will get your creative juices flowing."

4. Writing Creative Nonfiction, edited by Carolyn Forche & Philip Gerard. Copyright 2001. ". . . more than thirty essays examining every key element of the craft . . . " I think I bought this one because of the essay by Annie Dillard, mostly.

5. Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively, by Rebecca McClanahan. Copyright 1999. ". . . an inspiring examination of description in its many forms."

6. You Don't Have To Be Famous: How To Write Your Life Story, by Steve Zousmer. Copyright 2007."Writing can be intimidating, but with the help of (this book), you can successfully start and finish your most important story."

7. Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. Copyright 1995. "A warm, generous and hilarious guide through the writer's world and its treacherous swamps."

8. What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers, by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter. Copyright 2005. " . . .one of the most useful and provocative methods for mastering the art of writing fiction."

9. Writing from the Inner Self, by Elaine Farris Hughes. Copyright 1991. ". . . a revolutionary new way to provide writers access to a supply of unique and creative material . . ."

10. A Cup of Comfort for Writers, edited by Colleen Sell. Copyright 2007. " . . . a little writer's TLC." Also, one of my friends and a fellow bloggers, Becky Mushko over at Peevish Pen, has a story in this. I *have* read her essay, but not the rest.

11. Writing & Selling Your Memoir, by Paula Balzer. Copyright 2011. ". . . gives you the knowledge and skills you need to turn your most important personal stories into compelling and meaningful reading experiences for others."

12. Writing A Woman's Life, by Carolyn G. Heilbrun. Copyright 1988. " . . . an eloquent argument demonstrating that writers conform all too often to society's expectations of what women should be like at the expense of the truth of the female experience."

13. Breathing Life Into Your Characters: How to Give Your Characters Emotional and Psychological Depth, by Rachel Ballon, Ph.D. Copyright 2003. " . . . shows you how to get in touch with the thoughts and feelings necessary to truly understand your characters . . . "

Oh my gosh, there are actually more than 13 here in the pile. Maybe I am now collecting books on writing rather than reading them? Good grief. I think I could bring the list up to 20!

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 255th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.