I have coughed up big bucks for writer conferences over all my writing years. But you know what has taught me the most about writing?
Books on craft and critiquing others’ work!
And I would not be able to critique others’ manuscripts without the knowledge absorbed from these books.
In the past I’ve spoken about a few books on writing, yet it was not until my latest purchase that I realized I have a stack of books on craft (I think it might be time to re-read them all again).
Why do I find books on craft so helpful? Because I can absorb the information at my pace. I can read, highlight, pause, contemplate, and read again. I can go back and look up specific information when I’m stuck on a manuscript (It’s not nice to pause an entire conference so you can skim through your manuscript and make a note).
My advice for books on craft is, the newest…the bestest (not a word I know). Writing is always changing with what is acceptable and what is “historic writing.” If you are reading a book published in 2001, while a large chunk is still relevant, a lot is not. (Yes, I understand Stephen King’s book on writing is timeless, shriek, no I haven’t read it)
Bonus: my latest interview can be found here.
P.S. If you have any books on craft that you love let me know!