What people recommend, in their own words, with the receipt.
Game designer; wrote A Theory of Fun for Game Design and worked on Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies.
12 things
On WritingBook Stephen King
Moving more towards populist writing, Stephen King's On Writing is also quite excellent, and more in touch with many of the sorts of stories that games tend to tell.
A mailbag reply to a reader asking for book recommendations on creative writing craft.
raphkoster.com ↗·2016-03-05Wrong?
Making Movies WorkBook Jon Boorstin
That said, for cinematic thinking, I really like Jon Boorstin's Making Movies Work , since it goes beyond writing and into cinematic storytelling in general.
A mailbag reply to a reader asking for book recommendations on creative writing craft.
raphkoster.com ↗·2016-03-05Wrong?
Character Development and Storytelling for GamesBook Lee Sheldon
My favorite book specific to games writing in particular is Lee Sheldon's Character Development and Storytelling for Games .
A mailbag reply to a reader asking for book recommendations on creative writing craft.
raphkoster.com ↗·2016-03-05Wrong?
1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus CreatedBook Charles C. Mann
It's sort of like Connections but for world history since that date, with a huge emphasis on the way globalization changed the world.
A year-end post naming the three non-fiction books he most often gave as gifts in 2011.
raphkoster.com ↗·2012-01-19Wrong?
The Art of FictionBook John Gardner
For general writing books, among many others I like John Gardner's The Art of Fiction and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. They perhaps tend a little more literary than others.
A mailbag reply to a reader asking for book recommendations on creative writing craft.
raphkoster.com ↗·2016-03-05Wrong?
Bird by BirdBook Anne Lamott
For general writing books, among many others I like John Gardner's The Art of Fiction and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. They perhaps tend a little more literary than others.
A mailbag reply to a reader asking for book recommendations on creative writing craft.
raphkoster.com ↗·2016-03-05Wrong?
How to Write Science Fiction and FantasyBook Orson Scott Card
If you really want to delve into genre fiction, as many games do, Card's How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy has a lot of good material in it, regardless of what you think of the author's politics.
A mailbag reply to a reader asking for book recommendations on creative writing craft.
raphkoster.com ↗·2016-03-05Wrong?
A Poetry HandbookBook Babette Deutsch
I am tempted to also mention Babette Deutsch's A Poetry Handbook , even if you don't plan to write verse, because anyone who wants to master cadences of language, and the use of techniques of rhythm, assonance, and the like, would benefit from poetic training.
A mailbag reply to a reader asking for book recommendations on creative writing craft.
raphkoster.com ↗·2016-03-05Wrong?
Hamlet on the HolodeckBook Janet Murray
From a less practical and more visionary side, Janet Murray's classic Hamlet on the Holodeck should be eye-opening as regards the possibilities for storytelling using interactive and immersive media.
A mailbag reply to a reader asking for book recommendations on creative writing craft.
raphkoster.com ↗·2016-03-05Wrong?
The Information: A History, a Theory, a FloodBook James Gleick
It begins with African talking drums and the curious poetry they contain embedded in their beats, and from there embarks on a tour of all of information theory.
A year-end post naming the three non-fiction books he most often gave as gifts in 2011.
raphkoster.com ↗·2012-01-19Wrong?
The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from YouBook Eli Pariser
In short, this book is about the fact that we have set up our digital world to lie to ourselves. Repeatedly. We have built it, step by step, to confirm our biases and to never show us anything that troubles our placidity.
A year-end post naming the three non-fiction books he most often gave as gifts in 2011.
raphkoster.com ↗·2012-01-19Wrong?
The Writer's JourneyBook Christopher Vogler
Christopher Vogler's distillation and updating of Campbell in The Writer's Journey is worth a look, even if it is still hammering on the monomyth.
A mailbag reply to a reader asking for book recommendations on creative writing craft.
raphkoster.com ↗·2016-03-05Wrong?
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