Almost the same: I taught writing (of different sorts, at different levels) for many years. Later, when writing for myself, I realized I was – at least subconsciously – asking myself, “Am I doing what I told my students to do?” Whereupon I’d begin, as you say, to over-analyze, the two cures for which are,
1/ read the work of other good writers, and
2/ stop analyzing and start writing.
Phil
Isn’t the term “analysis paralysis”?
I think the recent expansion of the “writing advice” industry, not just in book-form but also in blogs, podcasts, prescriptive software, seminars and university and college courses is extraordinary. As Guido and Phil say, one antidote is to read stories, not instructions that tell you how to write them.
But JK Rowling has a lot to answer for…
Seconding bobueland: If you Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland, is truly inspirational. And it makes more sense to me now than it did when I fell in love with it twenty years ago.
I also got help and inspiration from a book called The Writer’s Path, by Todd Walton and Mindy Toomay. And then The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. My younger sister, a journalist, loves Anne Lamott’s Bird By Bird.
Typing is one thing, writing another, and publishing is the greatest hurdle of all.
The best book I know on publishing is Thomas McCormack, The Fiction Editor (NY: St. Martin’s, 1988) It’s short, informative, well-written, and no bull. Tells you what editors are seeking, how they respond to submissions, and the help they can give to authors.
The reason there are so many “how to write” books: they never expect you to publish. Just as 20,000 MFA degree-earners per year never get to market. That’s a lot of hopefuls out there, all potential buyers of books that teach “how to write.”
Druid’s right: McCormack is great, not least because he quit trade editing and became a playwright, a real one, and thus knows both sides. Other books on writing? Try books, just…books. Find your public library. Go in, browse, stay a while. Way too many people announce they want to write but never take time to read outside their comfort zone…and face it, the average prose style in scifi/horror/romance/fantasy/pop fiction is pretty bad. Stories often good, or at least pageturning, writing…meh. Or bleeah. Unless you read across the spectrum, you can’t possibly know enough to tell junk verbiage from the real thing, defined by Emily Dickinson as ‘if I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.’ Or: strong, clear, intelligent prose.
A very smart column by Laura Miller is in Salon today, “Advice from readers to writers.”
salon.com/books/laura_miller … print.html
She points out what many of my comments on this forum argue: instead of navel-gazing about what it means to be a writer, or how to be a writer, or what my writing process, or “workflow” is, my focus should always be on readers. After all, only they are going to sustain my career.
Miller offers good, sound practical advice in 5 points about characters, story, style, and humor. And she reminds us constantly that, despite the lonely and solitary experience of writing, its main purpose is to reach others.
If you don’t want to do that, then writing is just a hobby or maybe therapy. Maybe it will do you some good, but don’t expect others to care all that much. They have problems and frustrations, too.
A very tidy encapsulation.
These are what I consider to be two critical-to-purchase books on writing. They are “The Art of Dramatic Writing” by Lejos Egri and “Immediate Fiction” by Jerry Cleaver. Without these two books I think I would be completely lost. Now I feel like I have a strong concept of what I am doing.
The Egri book is written for playwrights, but don’t let that discourage you if you don’t write plays. It gives great advice for all types of writers. It covers the premise well, setting up the foundation that is critical before getting started with the writing process. It also has exceptional advice on other topics - much deeper than what I’ve read in other books.
The book by Cleaver is also a critical read. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read on the fundamentals of how to write well. I’ve read quite a few books on writing, and most of them have never helped me. But this one made me feel like I hit the jackpot for writers. I finally understood what I was doing. If I could only buy one I guess I’d get “Immediate Fiction”, but the Egri book is really good too.
Tip: Take the “Immediate Fiction” book and take notes on the five critical elements of storytelling. At the end of those notes I also added in words of wisdom from throughout the book. I use this as my quick reference and find it very helpful.
Best one I read was “Becoming a Writer” by Dorothea Brande. It was recommended to me back when I was a post-grad research student.
I liked the Laura Miller article an awful lot, writer’s need to remember that writing is an act of communication and not the spinning of some airy, delicate candyfloss. Good writing is direct and solid.
Another fantastic article about the same idea is ‘The reader’s manifesto’ by BR Myers, I read it every now and then to remind me that writing is not for it’s own sake, but for the reader.
Another Natalie Goldberg fan here although. While I have Writing down the bones my all time favourite book on writing is her book Wild Mind. Behind the zen references, there is a lot of practical advice, and considerable inspiration, to actually writing and moving the pen on paper. It is all about ignoring monkey mind and writing. Sadly[size=50]*[/size], I lent my copy to a friend and haven’t seen it since. 
*Sad for me at least, it seems to have worked out well for my friend. 
excuses! excuses! excuses! excuses! Excuses are no excuse!! 
tch!tch!tch!
amazon.com/Wild-Mind-Living- … 0553347756
Well, yes, I agree: Excuses are no excuse. Ten years of study with limited income, however, seems a more legitimate one. 
Now that I am starting work, albeit slowly, perhaps this year will allow me to repurchase the writers’ equivalent of… um… something that makes you do things a lot. 
I’m still waiting on David Hewson’s ‘Writing: A User Manual: A Practical Guide to Planning, Starting and Finishing a Novel’ to come out on kindle (ironic that the paperback version is quicker appearing than an electronic one!) - tinyurl.com/89oy5b8
apparently another week or so until its kindled… David uses Scrivener as well, and although it doesnt look like this one is specific to scrivener like his ‘writing a novel with scrivener’ was… it looks a good reference book…
What does work have to do with getting a spouse? And where are you that you can buy one?
I’m staring to worry about you.
I’ve just finished it and I found it excellent. It does mention and recommend Scrivener, but doesn’t go into a great deal of detail – it’s not that kind of book.
thats good to hear… at lest i’m stalking the right book…
he did say its more about ‘writing’ than scrivener… I found his other book that is specifically about scrivener very good as well…
trying to weigh up giving up on waiting on the kindle version and getting the paperback instead (which is ironic as i think the book was written in scrivener, which could have created the .mobi in a minute or two… I think his publisher obviously wanted word to then convert into kindle format 
I decided not to wait… The only quibble I have with the paperback is that the black and white screenshots are just not big enough to give detailed information – but as I have both Scrivener and Word anyway, it didn’t really make any difference to me (and he’s not trying to give a tutorial on them anyway!).
You have a spouse yes? And then you ask the relevance of work? Are you sure you have a spouse?
eBay.
You’re worried? You should see my spouse.
Nom, I think you missed it. The spouse makes you “work a lot”. Unless you are purchasing a spouse you are actually purchasing something that will prevent you from “working on important things”. AKA whatever the spouse wants you to work on.
As you have disclosed the existence of spouse, I must admit to being concerned for spouse’s sanity.