(in no particular order)
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, by Robert McKee
This book was a revelation into the nature of storytelling and the construction and interweaving of effective scenes. While the book is geared toward screenwriting, the concepts translate well to writing novels. Recommended for every writer.)
Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller, by John Truby
I own this book in digital and hard copy forms, and I continually refer to both when writing and revising. It’s the most insightful work I’ve encountered on developing deeper characterization and theme to augment plot and push the story to another level. I learned to add richness and complexity to every aspect of my novels without them feeling forced or contrived.
The Breakout Novelist: Craft and Strategies for Career Fiction Writers, by Donald Maass
Written by an agent who can really write, this is the only book I have ever made use of for some of its writing exercises. (Every writing book has those obligatory exercises at the end of each section, but does anybody actually do them, or are they just filler?) Full of wonderful insights into story and characterization, I’ll be using the notes I took while reading it in my next round of revisions. (Writing the Breakout Novel and its workbook are on my reading list.)
The Story Grid: What good editors know, by Shawn Coyne
This is a nuts-and-bolts book that assembles advice from some of those above and puts it to practical use. I’m not a natural outliner, and like to write without a net. But when I realized my single novel would eventually become three, it was clear my project was getting away from me and I would need to impose some kind of order on it. But I was also afraid of ending up with something too formulaic or rigid. For some reason, of all the methods I looked into, this one offered the sanest, most logical approach to checking my work, discovering omitted elements, and cutting extraneous scenes (most of them, anyway) while retaining the flexibility and feel of my original story. If you need outlining help, even retroactively as I did, this may be of use to you.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print, by Renni Browne, Dave King
If you’re like me, when you sit down to tackle a revision, you probably have no idea what you’re really looking for or where to start. You just begin reading in hopes glaring grammar or spelling mistakes, cringeworthy passages, and egregious plot holes will jump out at you and you’ll be able to catch them before they get out in public. But this book gives some systematic, actionable advice on what might be making your book suck and how to fix it.
The book has singlehandedly enabled me to ruthlessly trim fat during my last revision. Chapter 10 “Once Is Usually Enough,” was especially useful, as it dealt with cutting unnecessary repetition, both in the text and in the story. I’m sometimes guilty of making a point, and then wanting to drive it home, which I guess can be annoying….
I do take a little bit of issue with Chapter 4 “Proportion,” which righty claims that less is often more in the description and detail department, but then gives examples of allegedly awful writing from Moby-Dick and Michael Crichton that I actually quite enjoyed! So, maybe I’m the weirdo here, but I’m not going to cut all of my details just because…
Overall, though, the book is concise, straightforward, and offers a good roadmap for self-editors winging it on their own.
There are plenty of other worthwhile guides out there as well, (and so many I still have to read!) but these are a great place to start, or to use as references when revising. I hope fellow writers find them as helpful as I have.
Best of luck with your projects and send your recommendations!
McKee's "Story" is a classic. It's been a long while since I've read it, but I remember it being spot-on. His advice to be willing to fiercely edit your own stuff, and not fall in love with something you've written that just doesn't fit the project at hand, was a real pearl. It can be scary getting rid of something that you really feel attached to, but if you're serious about your craft, you will be able to make more good stuff later on!