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Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on May 31, 2022

The 40 Best Books About Writing: A Reading List for Authors

For this post, we’ve scoured the web (so you don’t have to) and asked our community of writers for recommendations on some indispensable books about writing. We've filled this list with dozens of amazing titles, all of which are great — but this list might seem intimidating. So for starters, here are our top 10 books about writing:

  • On Writing by Stephen King
  • The Kick-Ass Writer by Chuck Wendig
  • Dreyer’s Englis h by Benjamin Dreyer
  • The Elements of Style by Strunk, White, and Kalman
  • The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne
  • A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
  • Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
  • Mouth Full of Blood by Toni Morrison
  • How to Market a Book by Ricardo Fayet
  • On Writing Well by William Zinsser

But if you're ready to get into the weeds, here are 40 of our favorite writing books.

Books about becoming a writer

1. on writing by stephen king.

best writing books

Perhaps the most-cited book on this list, On Writing is part-memoir, part-masterclass from one of America’s leading authors. Come for the vivid accounts of his childhood and youth — including his extended "lost weekend" spent on alcohol and drugs in the 1980s. Stay for the actionable advice on how to use your emotions and experiences to kickstart your writing, hone your skills, and become an author. Among the many craft-based tips are King’s expert takes on plot, story, character, and more.

From the book: “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” 

2. The Kick-Ass Writer by Chuck Wendig

If you haven’t checked out Wendig’s personal blog, head over there now and bookmark it. Unfiltered, profane, and almost always right, Wendig’s become a leading voice among online writing communities in the past few years. In The Kick-Ass Writer , he offers over 1,000 pearls of wisdom for authors, ranging from express writing tips to guidance on getting published. Written to be read in short bursts, we’re sure he’d agree that this is the perfect bathroom book for writers.

From the book: “I have been writing professionally for a lucky-despite-the-number 13 years. Not once — seriously, not once ever — has anyone ever asked me where I got my writing degree… Nobody gives two ferrets fornicating in a filth-caked gym sock whether or not you have a degree… The only thing that matters is, Can you write well? ” 

3. Find Your Voice by Angie Thomas

Taking advice from famous authors is not about imitation, but about finding your own voice . Take it from someone who knows: Thomas is the New York Times #1 Bestselling author of The Hate U Give , On the Come Up , and Concrete Rose . While she’s found her calling in YA literature , she has plenty of insight into finding your own voice in your genre of choice. Written in the form of a guided journal, this volume comes with step-by-step instructions, writing prompts, and exercises especially aimed at helping younger creatives develop the strength and skills to realize their vision.

From the book: “Write fearlessly. Write what is true and real to you.” 

4. The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner

Since its publication in 2000, The Forest for the Trees has remained an essential resource for authors at various stages in their careers. As an editor, Lerner gives advice not only on producing quality content, but also on how to build your career as an author and develop a winning routine — like how writers can be more productive in their creative process, how to get published , and how to publish well . 

From the book: “The world doesn't fully make sense until the writer has secured his version of it on the page. And the act of writing is strangely more lifelike than life.”

best writing books

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5. How to Write Like Tolstoy by Richard Cohen

best writing books

From the book: “Great writers can be inhibiting, and maybe after one has read a Scott Fitzgerald or Henry James one can’t escape imitat­ing them; but more often such writers are inspiring.”

6. Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith

Smith is well-known for her fiction, but she is also a prolific essay writer. In Feel Free , she has gathered several essays on recent cultural and political developments and combined them with experiences from her own life and career. In “The I Who Is Not Me”, she explores how her own lived experience comes into play in her fiction writing, and how she manages to extrapolate that to comment on contemporary social contexts, discussing race, class, and ethnicity.

From the book: “Writing exists (for me) at the intersection of three precarious, uncertain elements: language, the world, the self. The first is never wholly mine; the second I can only ever know in a partial sense; the third is a malleable and improvised response to the previous two.”

Books about language and style 

7. dreyer’s english by benjamin dreyer.

A staple book about writing well, Dreyer’s English serves as a one-stop guide to proper English, based on the knowledge that Dreyer — a senior copy editor at Random House — has accumulated throughout his career. From punctuation to tricky homophones, passive voice, and commas, the goal of these tools should be to facilitate effective communication of ideas and thoughts. Dreyer delivers this and then some, but not without its due dosage of humor and informative examples. 

From the book: “A good sentence, I find myself saying frequently, is one that the reader can follow from beginning to end, no matter how long it is, without having to double back in confusion because the writer misused or omitted a key piece of punctuation, chose a vague or misleading pronoun, or in some other way engaged in inadvertent misdirection.”

8. The Elements of Style (Illustrated) by William Strunk, Jr., E. B. White, and Maira Kalman

best writing books

A perfect resource for visual learners, this illustrated edition of The Elements of Style has taken the classic style manual to a new, more accessible level but kept its main tenet intact: make every word tell. The written content by Strunk and White has long been referred to as an outline of the basic principles of style. Maira Kalman’s illustrations elevate the experience and make it a feast for both the mind and the eye. 

From the book: “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”

9. Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale

If you’re looking to bring a bit of spunk into your writing, copy editor Constance Hale may hold the key . Whether you’re writing a work-related email or the next rap anthem, she has one goal: to make creative communication available to everyone by dispelling old writing myths and making every word count. Peppered with writing prompts and challenges, this book will have you itching to put pen to paper.

From the book: “Verbose is not a synonym for literary.”

10. The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker

Combining entertainment with intellectual pursuit, Pinker, a cognitive scientist and dictionary consultant, explores and rethinks language usage in the 21st century . With illustrative examples of both great and not-so-great linguistic constructions, Pinker breaks down the art of writing and gives a gentle but firm nudge in the right direction, towards coherent yet stylish prose. This is not a polemic on the decay of the English language, nor a recitation of pet peeves, but a thoughtful, challenging, and practical take on the science of communication. 

From the book: “Why is so much writing so bad, and how can we make it better? Is the English language being corrupted by texting and social media? Do the kids today even care about good writing—and why should we care?”

11. Eats, Shoots, & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

best writing books

From the book: “A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. "Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife annual and tosses it over his shoulder. "I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up." The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation. Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

Books about story structure

12. save the cat by blake snyder.

Best known as a screenwriting manual, Save the Cat! is just as often named by authors as one of their most influential books about writing. The title comes from the tried-and-true trope of the protagonist doing something heroic in the first act (such as saving a cat) in order to win over the audience. Yes, it might sound trite to some — but others swear by its bulletproof beat sheet. More recently, there has been Save the Cat! Writes a Novel , which tailors its principles specifically to the literary crowd. (For a concise breakdown of the beat sheet, check this post out!)

From the book: “Because liking the person we go on a journey with is the single most important element in drawing us into the story.” 

13. The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne

Shawn Coyne is a veteran editor with over 25 years of publishing experience, and he knows exactly what works and what doesn’t in a story — indeed, he’s pretty much got it down to a science. The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know outlines Coyne’s original “Story Grid” evaluation technique, which both writers and editors can use to appraise, revise, and ultimately improve their writing (in order to get it ready for publication). Coyne and his friend Tim Grahl also co-host the acclaimed Story Grid podcast , another great resource for aspiring writers.

From the book: “The Story Grid is a tool with many applications. It pinpoints problems but does not emotionally abuse the writer… it is a tool to re-envision and resuscitate a seemingly irredeemable pile of paper stuck in an attack drawer, and it can inspire an original creation.”

14. Story Structure Architect by Victoria Schmidt

For those who find the idea of improvising utterly terrifying and prefer the security of structures, this book breaks down just about every kind of story structure you’ve ever heard of. Victoria Schmidt offers no less than fifty-five different creative paths for your story to follow — some of which are more unconventional, or outright outlandish than others. The level of detail here is pretty staggering: Schmidt goes into the various conflicts, subplots, and resolutions these different story structures entail — with plenty of concrete examples! Suffice to say that no matter what kind of story you’re writing, you’ll find a blueprint for it in Story Structure Architect .

From the book: “When you grow up in a Westernized culture, the traditional plot structure becomes so embedded in your subconscious that you may have to work hard to create a plot structure that deviates from it… Understand this and keep your mind open when reading [this book]. Just because a piece doesn’t conform to the model you are used to, does not make it bad or wrong.”

15. The Writer's Journey  by Christopher Vogler

Moving on, we hone in on the mythic structure. Vogler’s book, originally published in 1992, is now a modern classic of writing advice; though intended as a screenwriting textbook, its contents apply to any story of mythic proportions. In The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers , Vogler takes a page (literally) from Joseph Campbell’s Hero of a Thousand Faces to ruminate upon the most essential narrative structures and character archetypes of the writing craft. So if you’re thinking of drawing up an epic fantasy series full of those tropes we all know and love, this guide should be right up your alley.

From the book: “The Hero’s Journey is not an invention, but an observation. It is a recognition of a beautiful design… It’s difficult to avoid the sensation that the Hero’s Journey exists somewhere, somehow, as an external reality, a Platonic ideal form, a divine model. From this model, infinite and highly varied copies can be produced, each resonating with the essential spirit of the form.”

16. Story Genius by Lisa Cron

best writing books

From the book: “We don't turn to story to escape reality. We turn to story to navigate reality.”

17. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders

More than just a New York Times bestseller and the winner of the Booker Prize, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a distillation of the MFA class on Russian short stories that Saunders has been teaching. Breaking down narrative functions and why we become immersed in a story, this is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand and nurture our continued need for fiction.

From the book: “We’re going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world, made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn’t fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art—namely, to ask the big questions, questions like, How are we supposed to be living down here? What were we put here to accomplish? What should we value? What is truth, anyway, and how might we recognize it?”

Books about overcoming obstacles as a writer

18. bird by bird by anne lamott .

Like Stephen King’s book about writing craft, this work from acclaimed novelist and nonfiction writer Anne Lamott also fuses elements of a memoir with invaluable advice on the writer’s journey. Particularly known for popularizing the concept of “shitty first drafts”, Bird by Bird was recently recommended by editor Jennifer Hartmann in her Reedsy Live webinar for its outlook take on book writing. She said, “This book does exactly what it says it will do: it teaches you to become a better writer. [Lamott] is funny and witty and very knowledgeable.”

From the book: “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.”

19. Take Off Your Pants by Libbie Hawker 

best writing books

From the book: “When it comes to the eternal quandary of pantsing or plotting, you can keep a foot in each camp. But if your goals will require you to write with speed and confidence, an effective outline will be your best friend.”

20. Writing into the Dark by Dean Wesley Smith 

And for those who eschew structure altogether, we’ll now refer you to this title from profile science fiction author Dean Wesley Smith . Having authored a number of official Star Trek novels, he definitely knows what he’s talking about when he encourages writers to go boldly into the unknown with an approach to writing books that doesn’t necessarily involve an elaborate plan. It might not be your action plan, but it can be a fresh perspective to get out of the occasional writer’s block .

From the book: “Imagine if every novel you picked up had a detailed outline of the entire plot… Would you read the novel after reading the outline? Chances are, no. What would be the point? You already know the journey the writer is going to take you on. So, as a writer, why do an outline and then have to spend all that time creating a book you already know?”

21. No Plot, No Problem by Chris Baty

If you’re procrastinating to the point where you haven’t even started your novel yet, NaNo founder Chris Baty is your guy! No Plot, No Problem is a “low-stress, high-velocity” guide to writing a novel in just 30 days (yup, it’s great prep for the NaNoWriMo challenge ). You’ll get tons of tips on how to survive this rigorous process, from taking advantage of your initial momentum to persisting through moments of doubt . Whether you’re participating in everyone’s favorite November write-a-thon or you just want to bang out a novel that’s been in your head forever, Baty will help you cross that elusive finish line.

From the book: “A rough draft is best written in the steam-cooker of an already busy life. If you have a million things to do, adding item number 1,000,001 is not such a big deal.”

22. The 90-Day Novel by Alan Watt

And for those who think 30 days is a bit too steam cooker-esque, there’s always Alan Watt’s more laid-back option. In The 90-Day Novel , Watt provides a unique three-part process to assist you with your writing. The first part provides assistance in developing your story’s premise, the second part helps you work through obstacles to execute it, and the third part is full of writing exercises to unlock the “primal forces” of your story — aka the energy that will invigorate your work and incite readers to devour it like popcorn at the movies.

From the book: “Why we write is as important as what we write. Grammar, punctuation, and syntax are fairly irrelevant in the first draft. Get the story down… fast. Get out of your head, so you can surprise yourself on the page.”

23. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

If you feel like you’re constantly in the trenches of your “inner creative battle,” The War of Art is the book for you. Pressfield emphasizes the importance of breaking down creative barriers — what he calls “Resistance” — in order to defeat your demons (i.e. procrastination, self-doubt, etc.) and fulfill your potential. Though some of his opinions are no doubt controversial (he makes repeated claims that almost anything can be procrastination, including going to the doctor), this book is the perfect remedy for prevaricating writers who need a little bit of tough love.

From the book: “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”

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Books about writing as a lifestyle and career

24. steal like an artist by austin kleon.

As Kleon notes in the first section of Steal Like an Artist , this title obviously doesn’t refer to plagiarism. Rather, it acknowledges that art cannot be created in a vacuum, and encourages writers (and all other artists) to be open and receptive to all sources of inspiration. By “stealing like an artist,” writers can construct stories that already have a baseline of familiarity for readers, but with new twists that keep them fresh and exciting .

From the book: “If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.”

25. Mouth Full of Blood by Toni Morrison

best writing books

From the book: “A writer's life and work are not a gift to mankind; they are its necessity.”

26. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

No matter what stage you’re at in your writing career, Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones will help you write more skillfully and creatively. With suggestions, encouragement, and valuable advice on the many aspects of the writing craft, Goldberg doesn’t shy away from making the crucial connection between writing and adding value to your life. Covering a range of topics including taking notes of your initial thoughts, listening, overcoming doubt, choosing where to write, and the selection of your verbs, this guide has plenty to say about the minute details of writing, but excels at exploring the author life.

From the book: “Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.”

27. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

What does it take to become a great author? According to the beloved writer Ray Bradbury , it takes zest, gusto, curiosity, as well as a spirit of adventure. Sharing his wisdom and experiences as one of the most prolific writers in America, Bradbury gives plenty of practical tips and tricks on how to develop ideas, find your voice, and create your own style in this thoughtful volume. In addition to that, this is also an insight into the life and mind of this prolific writer, and a celebration of the act of writing. 

From the book: “Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a land mine. The land mine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces back together. Now, it's your turn. Jump!”

28. The Kite and the String by Alice Mattison

One of the most common dilemmas an author faces is the struggle between spontaneity and control. Literary endeavors need those unexpected light-bulb moments, but a book will never be finished if you rely solely on inspiration. In The Kite and the String , Mattison has heard your cry for help and developed a guide for balancing these elements throughout the different stages of writing a novel or a memoir. Sure, there may be language and grammar rules that govern the way you write, but letting a bit of playfulness breathe life into your writing will see it take off to a whole new level. On the other hand, your writing routine, solitude, audience, and goal-setting will act as the strings that keep you from floating too far away. 

From the book: "Don’t make yourself miserable wishing for a kind of success that you wouldn’t enjoy if you had it."

29. How to Become a Successful Indie Author by Craig Martelle

This one’s for all the indie authors out there! Even if you’ve already self-published a book , you can still learn a lot from this guide by Craig Martelle , who has dozens of indie books — “over two and a half million words,” as he puts it — under his belt. With patience and expertise, Martelle walks you through everything you need to know: from developing your premise to perfecting your writing routine, to finally getting your work to the top of the Amazon charts.

From the book: “No matter where you are on your author journey, there’s always a new level you can reach. Roll up your sleeves, because it’s time to get to work.”

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30. How to Market a Book by Ricardo Fayet 

best writing books

From the book: “Here’s the thing: authors don’t find readers; readers find books . [...] Marketing is not about selling your book to readers. It’s about getting readers to find it.”

31. Everybody Writes by Ann Handley

The full title of Handley’s all-inclusive book on writing is actually Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content — which should tell you something about its broad appeal. Not only does Handley have some great ideas on how to plan and produce a great story, but she also provides tips on general content writing, which comes in handy when it’s time to build your author platform or a mailing list to promote your book. As such, Everybody Writes is nothing like your other books on novel writing — it’ll make you see writing in a whole new light.

From the book: “In our world, many hold a notion that the ability to write, or write well, is a gift bestowed on a chosen few. That leaves us thinking there are two kinds of people: the writing haves — and the hapless, for whom writing well is a hopeless struggle, like trying to carve marble with a butter knife. But I don’t believe that, and neither should you.” 

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Books on writing poetry 

32. madness, rack, and honey by mary ruefle.

With a long history of crafting and lecturing about poetry, Ruefle invites the reader of Madness, Rack, and Honey to immerse themselves into its beauty and magic. In a powerful combination of lectures and musings, she expertly explores the mind and craft of writers while excavating the magical potential of poetry. Often a struggle between giving and taking, poetry is, according to Ruefle, a unique art form that reveals the innermost workings of the human heart.

From the book: “In one sense, reading is a great waste of time. In another sense, it is a great extension of time, a way for one person to live a thousand and one lives in a single lifespan, to watch the great impersonal universe at work again and again”

33. Threads by Sandeep Parmar, Nisha Ramayya, and Bhanu Kapil

If you’re looking for something that explores the philosophical aspects of writing, Threads asks big questions about writing and the position of the writer in an industry that has largely excluded marginalized voices. Where does the writer exist in relation to its text and, particularly in the case of poetry, who is the “I”? Examining the common white, British, male lens, this collection of short essays will make it hard for you not to critically consider your own perceptions and how they affect your writing process.

From the book: “It is impossible to consider the lyric without fully interrogating its inherent promise of universality, its coded whiteness.”

34. The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner

Despite its eye-catching title, this short essay is actually a defense of poetry . Lerner begins with his own hatred of the art form, and then moves on to explore this love-hate dichotomy that actually doesn’t seem to be contradictory. Rather, such a multitude of emotions might be one of the reasons that writers and readers alike turn to it. With its ability to evoke feelings and responses through word-play and meter, poetry has often been misconceived as inaccessible and elitist; this is a call to change that perception. 

From the book: “All I ask the haters — and I, too, am one — is that they strive to perfect their contempt, even consider bringing it to bear on poems, where it will be deepened, not dispelled, and where, by creating a place for possibility and present absences (like unheard melodies), it might come to resemble love.”

35. Poemcrazy by Susan G. Wooldridge

If you’ve ever felt that the mysterious workings of poetry are out of your reach and expressly not for you, Wooldridge is here to tell you that anyone who wants to can write poetry . An experienced workshop leader, she will help you find your inner voice and to express it through the written word. Giving you advice on how to think, use your senses, and practice your writing, Wooldrige will have you putting down rhyme schemes before you know it. 

From the book: “Writing a poem is a form of listening, helping me discover what's wrong or frightening in my world as well as what delights me.”

36. Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison

best writing books

From the book: “Don't be afraid to write crap — it makes the best fertilizer. The more of it you write, the better your chances are of growing something wonderful.”

Books about writing nonfiction

37. on writing well by william zinsser.

Going strong with its 30th-anniversary edition, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction is an evergreen resource for nonfiction writers which breaks down the fundamental principles of written communication. As a bonus, the insights and guidelines in this book can certainly be applied to most forms of writing, from interviewing to camp-fire storytelling. Beyond giving tips on how to stay consistent in your writing and voice, how to edit, and how to avoid common pitfalls, Zinsser can also help you grow as a professional writer, strengthening your career and taking steps in a new direction. 

From the book: “Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience—every reader is a different person.”

38. Essays by Lydia Davis

Ironically enough, this rather lengthy book is a celebration of brevity. As one of the leading American voices in flash-fiction and short-form writing, Davis traces her literary roots and inspirations in essays on everything, ranging from the mastodonic work of Proust to minimalism. In both her translations and her own writing, she celebrates experimental writing that stretches the boundaries of language. Playing with the contrast between what is said and what is not, this collection of essays is another tool to the writing shed to help you feel and use the power of every word you write.

From the book: “Free yourself of your device, for at least certain hours of the day — or at the very least one hour. Learn to be alone, all alone, without people, and without a device that is turned on. Learn to experience the purity of that kind of concentration. Develop focus, learn to focus intently on one thing, uninterrupted, for a long time.”

39. Essayism by Brian Dillon

In this volume, Dillon explores the often overlooked genre of essay writing and its place in literature’s past, present, and future. He argues that essays are an “experiment in attention” but also highlights how and why certain essays have directly impacted the development of the cultural and political landscape, from the end of the Middle Ages until the present day. At its heart, despite its many forms, subject areas, and purposes, essayism has its root in self-exploration. Dip in and out of Dillon’s short texts to find inspiration for your own nonfiction writing.

From the book: “What exactly do I mean, even, by 'style'? Perhaps it is nothing but an urge, an aspiration, a clumsy access of admiration, a crush.”

40. Naked, Drunk, and Writing by Adair Lara

best writing books

From the book: “Write it down. Whatever it is, write it down. Chip it into marble. Type it into Microsoft Word. Spell it out in seaweeds on the shore. We are each of us an endangered species, delicate as unicorns.”

With a few of these books in your arsenal, you’ll be penning perfect plots in no time! And if you’re interested in learning more about the editing process, check these books on editing out as well!

ZUrlocker says:

11/03/2019 – 19:46

I'm familiar with several of these books. But for new authors, I urge you caution. It is very tempting to read so many books about writing that you never get around to writing. (I did this successfully for many years!) So I will suggest paring it down to just two books: Stephen King on Writing and Blake Snyder Save the Cat. Snyder's book is mostly about screenwriting, so you could also consider Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. Best of luck!

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18 of the Very Best Writing Books of All Time

Here are 18 of the best writing books that don’t force your novel into a cookie-cutter mold.

These writing books teach you how to channel your passions into a solid product, troubleshoot issues, and build an author’s mindset. Start learning the craft of writing by getting that idea on paper while it’s still hot. Then set your story aside until you can read it again with fresh eyes. Finally, the most important step is: Fix the problems. If you’re reading this article, you already have a passion for your project. However, translating that vision in your head onto the page is a skill that you need to learn.

Here are some of the best old and new writing books that will help you fix the flaws hiding in a first draft and hone your writing process:

(Need to finish more books faster? Check out my guide to reading more often . )

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  • Tighten Up Your Writing With The 18 Best Writing Books

Before you buy one of these writing books, consider what stage your career is at and your preferred genre. Nonfiction writers have different needs than those writing romance.

Next up, evaluate what problem you want to solve or if you simply want to be entertained by another author.

For example, some of these writing books will help with outlining, self-editing and self-publishing. Others offer more top-level advice about the craft and your creative process.

1. The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White

2. on writing well, 30th anniversary edition: the classic guide to writing nonfiction, by william zinsser, 3. write great fiction – plot & structure, by james scott bell, 4. write great fiction – revision & self-editing, by james scott bell, 5. take off your pants: outline your books for faster, better writing, by libbie hawker, 6. the art of memoir, by mary karr, 7. story: substance, structure, style and the principles of screenwriting, by robert mckee, 8. how not to write a novel: 200 classic mistakes and how to avoid them, by howard mittelmark and sandra newman, 9. writing down the bones: freeing the writer within, by natalie goldberg, 10. on writing: a memoir of the craft, by stephen king, 11. bird by bird by anne lamott, 12. a moveable feast by ernest hemingway, 13. the artist’s way by julia cameron, 14. how to make a living with your writing by joanna penn, 15. the comic toolbox: how to be funny even if you’re not by john vorhaus, 16. accidental genius: using writing to generate your best ideas by mark levy, 17. the journals of john cheever, 18. the war of art by steven pressfield, the final word on the best books about writing, further reading.

The Elements of Style

Go back to the basics with The Elements of Style . If your word processor’s grammar checker is throwing up a lot of red, this is the book for you. It’s a comprehensive refresher that will teach you how to get your point across with clean, clear sentences.

As a bonus, your editor won’t have to work as hard to clean up your manuscript. This could save you hundreds of dollars on your journey to getting published.

If you want to learn how to write better, it belongs on your bookshelf.

Read for: self-editing.

The book contains gems like:

“ Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. “ William Strunk, Jr. And E.B. White

The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

  • Strunk Jr., William (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 105 Pages - 07/23/1999 (Publication Date) - Pearson (Publisher)

On Writing Well

This book widens the focus a little over The Elements of Style . Instead of centering on sentence-by-sentence grammar and word choices, it discusses how to successfully bring your overall point across.

On Writing Well covers a wide variety of subjects. These include narrowing down your unique perspective and author’s voice and analyzing what works and what isn’t working.

Read for: writing anything non-fiction including blogging.

It contains practical English writing tips like:

“ Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience—every reader is a different person “ William Zinsser

On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Zinsser, William (Author)
  • 335 Pages - 09/11/2012 (Publication Date) - Harper Perennial (Publisher)

Write Great Fiction – Plot & Structure

You’ll notice Bell’s name twice on this list. In my opinion, both of these books are must-haves for any serious fiction author.

In Plot & Structure , Bell discusses how to outline your novel. He describes what should be in each section. Then he breaks down the different plotting systems available to a novelist.

Read for: plotting your book.

Write Great Fiction - Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting and Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish

  • Bell, James Scott (Author)
  • 242 Pages - 09/22/2004 (Publication Date) - Writer's Digest Books (Publisher)

Revision and Self Editing for Publication

Revision & Self-Editing go beyond telling you what should be in your story. He tells you how to identify problems and fix them.

This is an invaluable skill to learn. If you’re self-publishing, you’ll turn in a cleaner draft to your editor. If you’re going the traditionally published route, your tightly written manuscript is more likely to catch a publishing house’s attention.

Read for: editing your fiction novel.

Revision and Self Editing for Publication: Techniques for Transforming Your First Draft into a Novel that Sells

  • 290 Pages - 12/10/2012 (Publication Date) - Writer's Digest Books (Publisher)

Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing

Not every writer thrives under a long, detailed outline for their book’s plot. Some prefer to “fly by the seat of their pants” and discover the story as they write.

As writer’s guides go, Take Off Your Pants! explains how to avoid common “pantsing” pitfalls while still letting your writing muse run free.

Read for: outlining your book.

Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing: Revised Edition

  • Hawker, Libbie (Author)
  • 163 Pages - 03/10/2015 (Publication Date) - Running Rabbit Press (Publisher)

The Art of Memoir

Most popular memoirs use a literary style to explore the subject’s inner life. However, this style is tricky to get right.

The Art of Memoir quickly moves from basic mechanics to more advanced advice. You’ll read excerpts from others’ memoirs, helping you find the literary style that you click with. Karr then explains how to infuse your own voice into the work, creating memoirs with real emotional resonance. I write a lot of nonfiction and I found this book particularly helpful.

Read for: writing a memoir.

It contains writing advice like:

“The memoirist’s job is not to add explosive whammies on every page, but to help the average person come in.” Mary Karr

The Art of Memoir

  • Karr, Mary (Author)
  • 256 Pages - 09/15/2015 (Publication Date) - Harper (Publisher)

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting

McKee’s screenwriting workshops have attracted a star-studded group of screenwriters, from Diane Keaton to John Cleese. This book contains the distilled heart of his advice. McKee teaches how to show the characters’ inner growth, vary the pace, and create satisfying conclusions.

The Story is focused on story structure for films, but it can be adapted for theater productions, TV series, and other applications.

It’ll help you become a better writer and storyteller. McKee makes arguments like:

Read for: improving your storytelling skills.

“Write the truth” Robert McKee

Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting

  • McKee, Robert (Author)
  • 490 Pages - 09/28/2010 (Publication Date) - HarperCollins e-books (Publisher)

How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

In their 30 years of collective experience as writing teachers, editors, and reviewers, Mittelmark and Newman have found that budding authors make the same mistakes over and over again.

How Not to Write a Novel demonstrates 200 critical errors to laugh at (the book’s seriously funny) and learn from.

Read for: writing better fiction.

How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them--A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide

  • Mittelmark, Howard (Author)
  • 274 Pages - 03/17/2009 (Publication Date) - Harper Perennial (Publisher)

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Writing Down the Bones takes a Zen approach to the creative process. One of the essential principles of Zen meditation is to live in the current moment. This is a valuable skill for people who are paralyzed by writer’s block.

Here, Goldberg urges the aspiring writer to “just do it.” Stop second-guessing yourself and obsessing over each word. Just start writing, and the story will flow.

Read for: kissing writer’s block goodbye.

It contains writing tips like:

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” Natalie Goldberg

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

  • Goldberg, Natalie (Author)
  • 260 Pages - 02/02/2016 (Publication Date) - Shambhala (Publisher)

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

As one of the most prolific and bestselling authors of our generation, Stephen King has valuable advice on the big picture of writing for a living.

On Writing mixes entertaining glimpses into King’s past with real talk about building the mindset of a lifelong writer. He describes how writing a draft of his first book Carrie only to throw it in the bin. His wife took out the draft and encouraged King to keep going. This book is a must-read for writers of all types if only to gain an understanding of how someone at King’s level approaches the craft.

I read this book when I was struggling with some short stories and later when I transitioned to nonfiction writing. I got learned new about writing life from it, each time.

Read for: inspiration and craft advice from a top author.

It contains insights like:

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” Stephen King

On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue))

  • King, Stephen (Author)
  • 320 Pages - 10/03/2000 (Publication Date) - Scribner (Publisher)

Bird by Bird

I came across this book while in a writer’s group in Dublin, years ago. Basically, it breaks down Lamott’s journey and how to tackle difficult creative writing projects.

Perhaps the most famous quote from this book is when the young writer asked her father how she was going to finish a writing project about birds.

Read for: learning how to tackle your first book.

He told her,

“Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.” Anne Lamott

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

  • Lamott, Anne (Author)
  • 256 Pages - 09/01/1995 (Publication Date) - Vintage (Publisher)

A Moveable Feast

I listened to this book on Audible a few years ago. Hemingway recounts his first marriage to Hadley Richardson and his life in Paris after the First World War.

The author of many bestsellers, Hemingway’s fourth wife Mary and his literary agent published it after his death.

Less a practical manual than an insight into an author’s life, this book epitomizes the myth of the tortured artist writing in French cafés. It also contains rather a lot of stories about booze and drink.

Read for: learning what it was like to become a famous author years ago.

It contains nuggets like:

“You belong to me and all Paris belongs to me and I belong to this notebook and this pencil.” Ernest Hemingway

A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition

  • Hemingway, Ernest (Author)
  • 256 Pages - 07/20/2010 (Publication Date) - Scribner (Publisher)

The Artist's Way

This book is popular with new writers and those who experience problems like writer’s block.

Cameron, a writing teacher, advocates for keeping morning pages whereby you turn up and write about whatever is on your mind for a predetermined period before moving on with the day.

Read for: becoming more creative.

“Boredom is just “What’s the use?” in disguise. And “What’s the use?” is fear, and fear means you are secretly in despair. So put your fears on the page. Put anything on the page. Put three pages of it on the page.” Julia Cameron

The Artist's Way: 30th Anniversary Edition

  • Cameron, Julia (Author)
  • 272 Pages - 10/25/2016 (Publication Date) - TarcherPerigee (Publisher)

How to Make a Living With Your Writing

Many writers struggle to turn their creative ideas into money. There’s nothing wrong with earning a living from creative work either. After all, you don’t expect a doctor to work for free.

I read an earlier version of this book a few years ago when I was getting started with self-publishing. I also had the chance to interview Joanna for the Become a Writer Today podcast.

Read for: earning a living from self-publishing.

How To Make A Living With Your Writing: Books, Blogging and More (Books for Writers)

  • Penn, Joanna (Author)
  • 132 Pages - 07/07/2015 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)

The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even if You're Not

Both new and successful writers can benefit from learning how to inject a little color and humor into their stories and books.

This book was published back in 1994. I read it a few years ago and return every now and again to take notes. I also recently interviewed John for my podcast.

Read for: becoming a more entertaining writer.

It contains gems like:

“The difference between a class clown and a class nerd is that the class clown tells jokes everyone gets while the class nerd tells jokes that only he gets. Comedy, thus, is not just truth and pain, but universal, or at least general, truth and pain.” John Vorhaus

The Comic Toolbox How to Be Funny Even If You're Not

  • Vorhaus, John (Author)
  • 191 Pages - 07/01/1994 (Publication Date) - Silman-James Press (Publisher)

Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas

Free writing is a skill every writer should cultivate. There’s no great secret to it, and it’s easy to learn. All you have to do is sit down and write about whatever comes to mind for a predetermined period.

In this book, Levy explains:

  • Why writers should approach topics from multiple points of view.
  • How lengthy free writing sessions unlock new creative arguments that writers couldn’t have previously envisaged.
  • When writers should “try easy” instead of working harder to overcome a problem in their work.

If you’re hitting a creative roadblock, Levy’s book is full of practical writing tips that will help you become more productive.

“Free writing is one of the most valuable skills I know. It’s a way of using your body to get mechanical advantage over your mind, so your mind can do its job better.” Mark Levy

The Journals of John Cheever

I’m a big believer in the power of journal writing as this practice makes it easier for beginners to find something to say, and encourages more honest writing.

Plus, the act of keeping a journal fosters a regular writing habit.

Lots of famous authors published revealing journals (Virginia Woolf, Vladamir Nabakov), but John Cheever’s is one of the best.

In this book, he discusses his troublesome marriage, his alcoholism, and his relationships. He describes at length the craft of writing and his works.

“When the beginnings of self-destruction enter the heart it seems no bigger than a grain of sand.” John Cheever

Cheever kept this journal right up until his death in 1982, and his decline is upsetting to witness.

However, his argument towards the end of his life that “a good page of prose remains invincible” is a mantra any writer can adopt.

If you’re looking for an insight into the mind of a literary writer with an astonishing output (Cheever wrote one book a year), you can find it here.

The War of Art

If you procrastinate, have trouble motivating yourself, or put off turning up every day in front of the blank page, this book will help.

It’s a short book on writing and art that you can finish in several hours. In it, Pressfield explains how great art is a war and that any serious artist is in a constant battle against themselves. He argues it’s natural to feel resistance against sitting down to write, but as a writer, your job is to face this resistance and overcome it.

The book is more than just a motivational pep-talk. Pressfield explains how his mindset helped him overcome a career crisis as a failed screenwriter during his forties.

“We’re facing dragons too. Fire-breathing griffins of the soul, whom we must outfight and outwit to reach the treasure of our self-in-potential.” Steven Pressfield

So there you have it, some of the best writing books to add to your reading list.

Now you don’t need to pay for that MFA! Just remember…

Your novel or work of nonfiction book won’t emerge perfectly on the first try, and that’s OK. You can fix problems in a book, whether they’re minor grammar issues or big plot holes.

If you still need help, the writing books here can help you bridge the gap between the first draft and published author .

Our Always Up-to-Date List of Great Books to Read

Best Productivity and Time Management Books

Best Self-help Books

Best Leadership Books

Best Grammar Books

Best Sci-Fi Books

Best Dystopian Novels

Audible: Is It Worth It?

Best Philosophy Books

Best Creativity Books

Best Business Audiobooks

best writing books

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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The Best Books on Writing

Writing is, as a general rule, hard. defining yourself as a writer can be even harder. from grammar rules to publishing advice to personal narratives, these books on writing reveal in intimate detail the ins and outs of what it means to call yourself a writer.  these are some of the best books on writing with insight and wisdom that can support you at all stages of your writing process..

Dreyer's English Book Cover Picture

Dreyer’s English

By benjamin dreyer, paperback $18.00, buy from other retailers:.

The Forest for the Trees (Revised and Updated) Book Cover Picture

The Forest for the Trees (Revised and Updated)

By betsy lerner.

The Elements of Style Illustrated Book Cover Picture

The Elements of Style Illustrated

By william strunk, jr. and e. b. white.

Sin and Syntax Book Cover Picture

Sin and Syntax

By constance hale.

Naked, Drunk, and Writing Book Cover Picture

Naked, Drunk, and Writing

By adair lara, paperback $15.99.

Bird by Bird Book Cover Picture

Bird by Bird

By anne lamott, paperback $17.00.

Poemcrazy Book Cover Picture

by Susan G. Wooldridge

Paperback $16.00.

Writing Better Lyrics Book Cover Picture

Writing Better Lyrics

By pat pattison, paperback $20.99.

Walking on Water Book Cover Picture

Walking on Water

By madeleine l'engle.

Story Genius Book Cover Picture

Story Genius

By lisa cron, paperback $16.99.

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11 best books on writing

The 12 Best Books on Writing I’ve Ever Read

Regardless how many books I’ve written (over 200) and sold (over 70 million), I fear if I’m not learning, I’m stagnating.

My late mother was a convincing example of one who never believed she had arrived. Mom was not only a piano teacher well into her eighties, but she was also a piano student.

So it’s the memory of my mother that spurs me also to keep reading everything there is to read—especially about writing.

The books below (in alpha order by author) represent a fraction of those available. You could read one per day for the rest of your life and not exhaust the resources . But, in my opinion, these are the best books on writing available.

Some require wearing your big kid pants due to language, which I have noted.

  • 12 Books Every Aspiring Author Should Read

1. The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work

By Marie Arana

This book came from ten years of Ms. Arana’s  Washington Post Book World  column. More than fifty fiction and nonfiction authors share how they discovered they were writers and how they work. I was fascinated by what pleases and annoys them. Arana also profiles each writer.

Click here to get the book .

2. Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot that Grips Readers from Start to Finish

By James Scott Bell (friend and colleague)

Anything but a dry textbook, this breezy guide is from a former trial lawyer who keeps you entertained while covering basics like how plot impacts structure, the difference between popular and literary fiction, and how to serve as your own book doctor.

3. Getting into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors

By Brandilyn Collins (friend and colleague)

Calling on her theater training, Collins teaches bringing characters to life the way actors do on stage. She draws on the Method Acting approach to explain and adapt characterization techniques for novelists.

4. The Writing Life

By Annie Dillard

Dillard’s hauntingly ethereal prose soars even when she’s writing about writing. That’s rare. I resonate with her honesty about how grueling the craft can be. This is one of the best books on writing available.

5. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft [language]

By Stephen King (acquaintance)

At the risk of hyperbole , there’s so much to recommend here that I hardly know where to begin. Besides all the practical advice, you get King’s own rags-to-riches story in his inimitable voice. You  learn a ton  while being wildly entertained.

6. How to Write Bestselling Fiction   [mild language]

By Dean Koontz

I’m not overstating it that this book changed my life. It informed the way I wrote the Left Behind series, which has sold more than 60 million copies and still sells six figures every year, nearly a decade since the last title was released. I use this as a textbook when I teach writing.

7. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life   [language]

By Anne Lamott

Lamott has you howling with laughter one minute and weeping the next as she recounts, with brutal honesty, the joys and travails of the writing life, single parenting, overcoming addiction, and coming to faith.

8. Writing the Breakout Novel: Insider Advice for Taking Your Fiction to the Next Level

By Donald Maass

An agent challenges you to do more than just spin a yarn, but to also think “big concept,” tackle major themes, and write life-changing works.

9. Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies

By Sol Stein (acquaintance)

Novelist, editor, publisher (Stein & Day), and writing teacher, Stein is one of the deans of the American literary scene. His career spans decades, and he shares insider stories of famous novelists and their work, as well as everything he learned along the way. I sat under his teaching years ago and still follow his advice.

10. On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

By William Zinsser

Zinsser’s background  should not be missed. He was a graceful classicist as a writer, and this million-seller has been lauded for its warmth and clarity. Zinsser offers sound tips on the fundamentals of writing any kind of nonfiction you can think of.

Now, don’t read  any  of those books for writers, until…

…you’ve read the bible of writing books:

11. The Elements of Style

By William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Failing to start your reading on writing with anything other than this undisputed classic would be akin to reading the top ten Christian classics while ignoring the Bible. This short paperback is recommended by every writing teacher I know. I’ve read it at least once a year for more than 40 years. Its simple truths cover everything from style and grammar and usage. Make them second nature.

12. Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go

By Les Edgerton

Les is one of the most powerfully edgy writers in the business, and you must have your big kid pants on to read his novels. But any writer will benefit from this great resource.

Packed with helpful, practical advice, it carries his blunt tone (but nothing offensive). I refer to it regularly.

If you’ve read none of the other books on this list, start with Stephen King’s  On Writing . A short course in mistakes to avoid while writing, it will remind you why you wanted to be an author . Then, especially if you want to be a novelist, read Dean Koontz’s  How to Write Bestselling Fiction .

You could learn more in just those two books than in an entire college writing course.

BONUS:   Before investing in one of these, download my free guide:  How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps . 

Amateur writing mistake

Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake?

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Faith-Based Words and Phrases

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What You and I Can Learn From Patricia Raybon

best writing books

Before you go, be sure to grab my FREE guide:

How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps

Just tell me where to send it:

Enter your name and email to instantly access How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps

best writing books

The 20+ Best Books on Creative Writing

If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I write a book?”, “How do I write a short story?”, or “How do I write a poem?” you’re not alone. I’m halfway done my MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts , and I ask myself these questions a lot, too, though I’m noticing that by now I feel more comfortable with the answers that fit my personal craft. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a Master’s of Fine Arts in Writing candidate, or even a college graduate, in order to soak up the great Wisdom of Words, as I like to call it. Another word for it is craft . That’s because there are so many great books out there on writing craft. In this post, I’ll guide you through 20+ of the most essential books on creative writing. These essential books for writers will teach you what you need to know to write riveting stories and emotionally resonant books—and to sell them.

I just also want to put in a quick plug for my post with the word count of 175 favorite novels . This resource is helpful for any writer.

best writing books

Now, with that done… Let’s get to it!

What Made the List of Essential Books for Writers—and What Didn’t

So what made the list? And what didn’t?

Unique to this list, these are all books that I have personally used in my journey as a creative and commercial writer.

That journey started when I was 15 and extended through majoring in English and Creative Writing as an undergrad at UPenn through becoming a freelance writer in 2014, starting this book blog, pursuing my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts , and publishing some fiction and nonfiction books myself . My point here is not to boast, just to explain that these books have all helped me better understand and apply the craft, discipline, and business of writing over the course of more than half my life as I’ve walked the path to become a full-time writer. Your mileage my vary , but each of these books have contributed to my growth as a writer in some way. I’m not endorsing books I’ve never read or reviewed. This list comes from my heart (and pen!).

Most of these books are geared towards fiction writers, not poetry or nonfiction writers

It’s true that I’m only one human and can only write so much in one post. Originally, I wanted this list to be more than 25 books on writing. Yes, 25 books! But it’s just not possible to manage that in a single post. What I’ll do is publish a follow-up article with even more books for writers. Stay tuned!

The most commonly recommended books on writing are left out.

Why? Because they’re everywhere! I’m aiming for under-the-radar books on writing, ones that aren’t highlighted often enough. You’ll notice that many of these books are self-published because I wanted to give voice to indie authors.

But I did want to include a brief write-up of these books… and, well, you’ve probably heard of them, but here are 7 of the most recommended books on writing:

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – With her guided practice on how to rejuvenate your art over the course of 16 weeks, Cameron has fashioned an enduring classic about living and breathing your craft (for artists as well as writers). This book is perhaps best known for popularizing the morning pages method.

The Art of Fiction by John Gardner – If you want to better understand how fiction works, John Gardner will be your guide in this timeless book.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – A beloved writing book on process, craft, and overcoming stumbling blocks (both existential and material).

On Writing by Stephen King – A must-read hybrid memoir-craft book on the writer mythos and reality for every writer.

Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose – A core writing book that teaches you how to read with a writer’s eye and unlock the ability to recognize and analyze craft for yourself.

Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin – Many writers consider this to be their bible on craft and storytelling.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg – A favorite of many writers, this book takes an almost spiritual approach to the art, craft, and experience of writing.

I’m aiming for under-the-radar books on writing on my list.

These books are all in print.

Over the years, I’ve picked up several awesome books on creative writing from used bookstores. Oh, how I wish I could recommend these! But many of them are out of print. The books on this list are all available new either as eBooks, hardcovers, or paperbacks. I guess this is the right time for my Affiliate Link disclaimer:

This article contains affiliate links, which means I might get a small portion of your purchase. For more on my affiliate link policy, check out my official Affiliate Link Disclaimer .

You’ll notice a lot of the books focus on the business of writing.

Too often, money is a subject that writers won’t talk about. I want to be upfront about the business of writing and making a living as a writer (or not ) with these books. It’s my goal to get every writer, even poets!, to look at writing not just from a craft perspective, but from a commercial POV, too.

And now on to the books!

Part i: the best books on writing craft, the anatomy of story by john truby.

best writing books

For you if: You want to develop an instinctive skill at understanding the contours of storytelling .

All I want to do as a writer, my MO, is tell good stories well. It took me so long to understand that what really matters to me is good storytelling. That’s it—that’s the essence of what we do as writers… tell good stories well. And in The Anatomy of Story , legendary screenwriting teacher John Truby takes you through story theory. This book is packed with movie references to illustrate the core beat points in story, and many of these example films are actually literary adaptations, making this a crossover craft book for fiction writers and screenwriters alike.

How to read it: Purchase The Anatomy of Story on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The art of memoir by mary karr.

best writing books

For you if: You’re writing a memoir book or personal essays .

Nobody is a better person to teach memoir writing than Mary Karr, whose memoirs The Liar’s Club and Lit are considered classics of the genre. In The Art of Memoir , Karr delivers a master class on memoir writing, adapted from her experience as a writer and a professor in Syracuse’s prestigious MFA program. What I love about this book as an aspiring memoirist is Karr’s approach, which blends practical, actionable advice with more bigger-picture concepts on things like truth vs. fact in memoir storytelling. Like I said in the intro to this list, I didn’t include many nonfiction and poetry books on this list, but I knew I had to make an exception for The Art of Memoir .

How to read it: Purchase The Art of Memoir on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The emotional craft of fiction by donald maass.

best writing books

For you if: Plot isn’t your problem, it’s character .

From literary agent Donald Maass, The Emotional Craft of Fiction gives you the skill set you need to master emotionally engaging fiction. Maass’s technique is to show you how readers get pulled into the most resonant, engaging, and unforgettable stories: by going through an emotional journey nimbly crafted by the author. The Emotional Craft of Fiction is a must-have work of craft to balance more plot-driven craft books.

How to read it: Purchase the The Emotional Craft of Fiction on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

How to Write Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

best writing books

For you if: You need a quick-and-dirty plotting technique that’s easy to memorize .

I first heard of the “Snowflake Method” in the National Novel Writing Month forums (which, by the way, are excellent places for finding writing craft worksheets, book recommendations, and online resources). In How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method , the Snowflake Method is introduced by its creator. This quick yet thorough plotting and outlining structure is humble and easy to master. If you don’t have time to read a bunch of books on outlining and the hundreds of pages that would require, check out How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method for a quick, 235-page read.

How to read it: Purchase How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Meander, spiral, explode: design and pattern in narrative by jane alison.

best writing books

For you if: You want to do a deep dive understanding of the core theory of story, a.k.a. narrative.

A most unconventional writing craft book, Meander, Spiral, Explode offers a theory of narrative (story) as recognizable patterns. According to author Jane Alison, there are three main narrative narratives in writing: meandering, spiraling, and exploding. This cerebral book (chock full of examples!) is equal parts seminar on literary theory as it is craft, and it will make you see and understand storytelling better than maybe any book on this list.

How to read it: Purchase Meander, Spiral, Explode on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The modern library writer’s workshop by stephen koch.

best writing books

For you if: You’re wondering what it means to be the writer you want to become .

This is one of the earliest creative writing books I ever bought and it remains among the best I’ve read. Why? Reading The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop echoes the kind of mind-body-spirit approach you need to take to writing. The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop doesn’t teach you the nuts and bolts of writing as much as it teaches you how to envision the machine. Koch zooms out to big picture stuff as much as zeroes in on the little details. This is an outstanding book about getting into the mindset of being a writer, not just in a commercial sense, but as your passion and identity. It’s as close as you’ll get to the feel of an MFA in Fiction education.

How to read it: Purchase The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Romancing the beat by gwen hayes.

best writing books

For you if: You write or edit the romance genre and want a trusted plotting strategy to craft the perfect love story .

If you’re writing romance, you have to get Gwen Hayes’s Romancing the Beat . This book breaks down the plot points or “beats” you want to hit when you’re crafting your romance novel. When I worked as a romance novel outliner (yes, a real job), our team used Romancing the Beat as its bible; every outline was structured around Hayes’s formula. For romance writers (like myself) I cannot endorse it any higher.

How to read it: Purchase Romancing the Beat on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Save the cat writes a novel by jessica brody.

best writing books

For you if: You have big ideas for a plot but need to work on the smaller moments that propel stories .

Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel adapts Blake Snyder’s bestselling screenwriting book Save the Cat! into story craft for writing novels. Brody reworks the Save the Cat! methodology in actionable, point-by-point stages of story that are each explained with countless relevant examples. If you want to focus your efforts on plot, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is an excellent place to go to start learning the ins and outs of what makes a good story.

How to read it: Purchase Save the Cat! Writes a Novel on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Story genius by lisa cron.

best writing books

For you if: You’re a pantser and are terrified at outlining yet also realize you might have a “plot problem .”

More than any other book, Lisa Cron’s Story Genius will get you where you need to go for writing amazing stories. Story Genius helps you look at plotting differently, starting from a point of characterization in which our protagonists have a clearly defined need and misbelief that play off each other and move the story forward from an emotional interior and action exterior standpoint. For many of my fellow MFA students—and myself— Story Genius is the missing link book for marrying plot and character so you innately understand the contours of good story.

How to read it: Purchase Story Genius on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Wonderbook: the illustrated guide to creating imaginative fiction by jeff vandermeer.

best writing books

For you if: You’re writing in a speculative fiction genre—like science fiction, fantasy, or horror—or are trying to better understand those genres.

Jeff VanderMeer’s Wonderbook is a dazzling gem of a book and a can’t-miss-it writing book for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers. This book will teach you all the skills you need to craft speculative fiction, like world-building, with micro-lessons and close-reads of excellent works in these genres. Wonderbook is also one to linger over, with lavish illustrations and every inch and corner crammed with craft talk for writing imaginative fiction (sometimes called speculative fiction). And who better to guide you through this than Jeff VanderMeer, author of the popular Southern Reach Trilogy, which kicks off with Annihilation , which was adapted into a feature film.

How to read it: Purchase Wonderbook on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Writing picture books by ann whitford paul.

best writing books

For you if: You’re looking to write picture books and/or understand how they work .

This book is the only one you need to learn how to write and sell picture books. As an MFA student studying children’s literature, I’ve consulted with this book several times as I’ve dipped my toes into writing picture books, a form I considered scary and intimidating until reading this book. Writing Picture Books should be on the shelf of any writer of children’s literature. a.k.a. “kid lit.”

How to read it: Purchase Writing Picture Books on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Writing with emotion, conflict, and tension by cheryl st. john.

best writing books

For you if: You need to work on the conflict, tension, and suspense that keep readers turning pages and your story going forward .

Mmm, conflict. As I said earlier, it’s the element of fiction writing that makes a story interesting and a key aspect of characterization that is underrated. In Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict , bestselling romance author Cheryl St. John offers a masterclass on the delicate dance between incorporating conflict, the emotions it inspires in characters, and the tension that results from those two factors.

How to read it: Purchase Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Part ii: the best books on the productivity, mfas, and the business of writing, 2k to 10k: writing faster, writing better, and writing more of what you love by rachel aaron.

best writing books

For you if: You struggle to find the time to write and always seem to be a chapter or two behind schedule .

If you’re struggling to find time of your own to write with competing obligations (family, work, whatever) making that hard, you need Rachel Aaron’s 2k to 10k . This book will get you in shape to go from writing just a few words an hour to, eventually, 10,000 words a day. Yes, you read that right. 10,000 words a day. At that rate, you can complete so many more projects and publish more. Writers simply cannot afford to waste time if they want to keep up the kind of production that leads to perpetual publication. Trust me, Aaron’s method works. It has for me. I’m on my way to 10k in the future, currently at like 4 or 5k a day for me at the moment.

How to read it: Purchase 2k to 10k on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The 3 a.m. epiphany by brian kitele.

best writing books

For you if: You’re going through writer’s block, have been away from writing for a while, or just want to loosen up and try something new .

Every writer must own an an exercise or prompt book. Why? Because regularly practicing your writing by going outside your current works-in-progress (or writer’s block) will free you up, help you plant the seeds for new ideas, and defrost your creative blocks. And the best book writing exercise book I know is The 3 A.M. Epiphany by Brian Kiteley, an MFA professor who uses prompts like these with his grad students. You’ll find that this book (and its sequel, The 4 A.M. Breakthrough ) go beyond cutesy exercises and forces you to push outside your comfort zone and learn something from the writing you find there.

How to read it: Purchase The 3 A.M. Epiphany on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

The 4-hour workweek by timothy ferriss.

best writing books

For you if: You think being a writer means you have to be poor .

The 4-Hour Workweek changed my life. Although not strictly about writing in the traditional sense, The 4-Hour Workweek does an excellent job teaching you about how passive income can offer you freedom. I first heard about The 4-Hour Workweek when I was getting into tarot in 2013. On Biddy Tarot , founder Brigit (author of some of the best books on tarot ) related how she read this book, learned how to create passive income, and quit her corporate job to read tarot full time. As a person with a total and permanent disability, this spoke to me because it offered a way out of the 9-to-5 “active” income that I thought was the only way. I picked up Ferriss’s book and learned that there’s more than one option, and that passive income is a viable way for me to make money even when I’m too sick to work. I saw this come true last year when I was in the hospital. When I got out, I checked my stats and learned I’d made money off my blog and books even while I was hospitalized and couldn’t do any “active” work. I almost cried.; I’ve been working on my passive income game since 2013, and I saw a return on that time investment when I needed it most.

That’s why I’m recommending The 4-Hour Workweek to writers. So much of our trade is producing passive income products. Yes, your books are products! And for many writers, this means rewiring your brain to stop looking at writing strictly as an art that will leave you impoverished for life and start approaching writing as a business that can earn you a real living through passive income. No book will help you break out of that mindset better than The 4-Hour Workweek and its actionable steps, proven method, and numerous examples of people who have followed the strategy and are living the lifestyle they’ve always dreamed of but never thought was possible.

How to read it: Purchase The 4-Hour Workweek on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum

best writing books

For you if: You’re serious about making a living as a writer and publishing with a Big 5 or major indie publisher .

Courtney Maum’s Before and After the Book Deal addresses exactly what its title suggests: what happens after you sell your first book. This book is for ambitious writers intent on submission who know they want to write and want to avoid common pitfalls while negotiating terms and life after your debut. As many published authors would tell you, the debut is one thing, but following that book up with a sustainable, successful career is another trick entirely. Fortunately, we have Maum’s book, packed with to-the-moment details and advice.

How to read it: Purchase Before and After the Book Deal on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Diy mfa: write with focus, read with purpose, build your community by gabriela pereira.

best writing books

For you if: You’re stressed out wondering if you really need an MFA .

The MFA is under this header “business of writing” because it is absolutely an economic choice you make. And, look, I’m biased. I’m getting an MFA. But back when I was grappling with whether or not it was worth it—the debt, the time, the stress—I consulted with DIY MFA , an exceptional guide to learning how to enrich your writing craft, career, and community outside the structures of an MFA program. I’ve also more than once visited the companion site, DIYMFA.com , to find a kind of never-ending rabbit hole of new and timeless content on the writing life. On DIYMFA.com and in the corresponding book, you’ll find a lively hub for author interviews, writing craft shop talk, reading lists, and business of writing articles.

How to read it: Purchase DIY MFA on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Mfa vs. nyc by chad harbach.

best writing books

For you if: You’re wondering how far an MFA really gets you—and you’re ready to learn the realities of the publishing world .

About a thousand years ago (well, in 2007), I spent the fall of my sophomore year of college as a “Fiction Submissions and Advertising Intern” for the literary magazine n+1 , which was co-founded by Chad Harbach, who you might know from his buzzy novel, The Art of Fielding . In MFA vs NYC , Harbach offers his perspective as both an MFA graduate and someone deeply enmeshed in the New York City publishing industry. This thought-provoking look at these two arenas that launch writers will pull the wool up from your eyes about how publishing really works . It’s not just Harbach’s voice you get in here, though. The book, slim but mighty, includes perspectives from the likes of George Saunders and David Foster Wallace in the MFA camp and Emily Gould and Keith Gessen speaking to NYC’s writing culture.

How to read it: Purchase MFA vs. NYC on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Scratch: writers, money, and the art of making a living – edited by manjula martin.

best writing books

For you if: a) You’re worried about how to balance writing with making a living; b) You’re not worried about how to balance writing with making a living .

Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living is alternately one of the most underrated and essential books on writing out there. This collection of personal essays and interviews all revolve around the taboo theme of how writers make their living, and it’s not always—indeed, rarely—through writing alone. Some of the many contributing authors include Cheryl Strayed ( Wild ), Alexander Chee ( How to Write an Autobiographical Novel ), Jennifer Weiner ( Mrs. Everything ), Austin Kleon ( Steal Like an Artist ), and many others. Recently a young woman asked me for career advice on being a professional freelance writer, and I made sure to recommend Scratch as an eye-opening and candid read that is both motivating and candid.

How to read it: Purchase Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

Write to market: deliver a book that sells by chris fox.

best writing books

For you if: You don’t know why your books aren’t selling—and you want to start turning a profit by getting a real publishing strategy

So you don’t have to be an indie author to internalize the invaluable wisdom you’ll find here in Write to Market . I first heard about Write to Market when I first joined the 20Booksto50K writing group on Facebook , a massive, supportive, motivating community of mostly indie authors. Everyone kept talking about Write to Market . I read the book in a day and found the way I looked at publishing change. Essentially, what Chris Fox does in Write to Market is help you learn to identify what are viable publishing niches. Following his method, I’ve since published several successful and #1 bestselling books in the quotations genre on Amazon . Without Fox’s book, I’m not sure I would have gotten there on my own.

How to read it: Purchase Write to Market on Amazon and add it on Goodreads

And that’s a wrap what are some of your favorite writing books, share this:, you might be interested in.

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Sarah S. Davis is the founder of Broke by Books, a blog about her journey as a schizoaffective disorder bipolar type writer and reader. Sarah's writing about books has appeared on Book Riot, Electric Literature, Kirkus Reviews, BookRags, PsychCentral, and more. She has a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Library and Information Science from Clarion University, and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

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25 Best Books on Writing Fiction: Learn How with These Essential Reads!

Kathy Edens

Kathy Edens

ProWritingAid

Many people have opinions about what craft books fiction writers need to read to take their game to a new level.

We've looked at suggestions from New York Magazine, Poets & Writers, Penguin Random House, Goodreads, author Jerry Jenkins, and others to create our top 25 best craft books for fiction writers. Here, in no particular order, are the results.

Final thoughts

1. the elements of style by william strunk, jr..

The Elements of Style

Surely this tops everyone’s list of must-have books on their shelves for perfecting their craft. First published in 1918, it is the style manual everyone consults when they want to improve their writing skills. This book was the first one to promote writing in plain English with your readers in mind.

2. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

On Writing

An often-quoted treatise on writing by a best-selling author, you get part memoir, part instruction on how to write well according to the King of Horror. King reveals how he emerged as a writer and offers his best advice and tools of the trade for writers.

3. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee

Story by Robert McKee

Not only for screenwriters, this book includes all the inspiration and experience McKee puts into his wildly popular screenwriting workshops. Writers, producers, development executives, agents, and more attend his lectures and read his book to learn the "magic" of story construction and the relationship between structure and character.

4. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Bird by Bird

With a wonderful family story behind the reason for the title, Lamott uses her platform to give you a step-by-step guide on writing and managing the writer’s life. This book instructs you to keep your eyes open and inspires you through writing and life.

5. Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew by Ursula K. Le Guin

Steering the Craft

Le Guin compares writing to "steering a craft" down a river of words. She challenges your definition of a story, requiring you to see a story as "change." This can result from conflict, per Le Guin, but also "relating, finding, losing, bearing, discovering, [or] parting."

6. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

Writing the Breakout Novel

Both author and literary agent, Donald Maass offers practical guidance for the first-time novelist as well as already-published authors. He claims breakout novels contain the same elements regardless of genre and he can show you writing techniques to write the next big hit.

7. Story Genius: How to Outline Your Novel Using the Secrets of Brain Science by Lisa Cron

Story Genius

Using science-based insights, this book shows you how story structure is built into your brain and how to plumb the details to generate a story scene by scene. In fact, by the end, you’ll get a blueprint of how to write your best novel yet.

8. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers : How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne & Dave King

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

Two professional editors teach you the techniques of editing that turns manuscripts into published novels or short stories. You learn the same processes an expert editor goes through to perfect your manuscript. You’ll also find plenty of examples from hundreds of books they’ve edited.

9. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg

Writing Down the Bones

Bringing together Zen meditation and writing uniquely, Goldberg believes that your writing practice is no different from your Zen practice. It’s backed by "two thousand years of studying the mind."

10. Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder

Save the Cat

Told by a showbiz veteran, this book reveals the secrets you need to know to sell your script… if you can save the cat. This is just one of his immutable laws for making your idea more marketable and your script more compelling.

11. 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

45 Master Characters

Here you’ll find the most common male and female archetypes and instructions on how to use them to create original characters. Schmidt also includes how other authors used these archetypes to bring life to their novels, films, and television.

12. Stein on Writing by Sol Stein

Stein on Writing

This book is subtitled "A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies." For both fiction and nonfiction writers, Stein’s advice is good for newcomers or seasoned authors, amateurs and professionals.

13. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

Zen in the Art of Writing

This book of must-read essays on writing and creativity is full of inspiration from a master storyteller. Get practical tips on everything from finding original ideas to developing your own style and voice. You’ll also get a peek into Bradbury’s remarkable career.

14. The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman

The Emotion Thesaurus

If one of your biggest problems is conveying your character’s emotions, read this book to learn how in a unique and compelling way. With 130 emotions highlighted, you’ll learn about possible body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses for each emotion.

15. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler

The Writer's Journey

Says Vogler, "all stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies." Based on psychological ideas from Carl Jung and myth ideas from Joseph Campbell, authors use this book to understand what sells and to uncover a blueprint to create their own stories.

16. Aspects of the Novel by E. M. Forster

Aspects of the Novel

This collection of Forster’s lectures given at Cambridge University in the 1920s helped writers discuss craft elements like flat and round characters, elements of plot, and others still in use today. You’ll find these essays particularly useful for thinking about plot.

17. Letters to a Young Writer by Colum McCann

Letters to a Young Writer

National Book Award-winning author McCann shares his thoughts on craft, dialogue, characters, and even finding an agent and selecting an MFA program. This is today’s generation of writers’ fatherly guidance on living as a writer.

18. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

The Artist's Way

Have you ever heard of "Morning Pages"? This book guides you through a twelve-week process of building and strengthening your creative life by using her two tools—morning pages and the artist date. She also includes hundreds of inspiration exercises and activities to get you pumped.

19. The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman

The Business of Being a Writer

Everything you need to know about the publishing industry, you’ll find in this book. Especially if you want a long-term career of writing, read this book for in-depth and current information to help position yourself. You’ll learn fundamental business principles as well as how to use digital tools and take advantage of online media.

20. Pep Talks for Writers by Grant Faulkner

Pep Talks

Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and he offers concrete writing tips. Unlike other books that give vague and artistic explanations, this book give you actionable advice on everything from career choices to plot decisions.

21. 2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron

2,000 to 10,000

Rachel Aaron explains exactly how she boosted her daily writing from 2,000 words to over 10,000 each day without sacrificing quality or increasing the time she had to write. Get practical writing advice to increase your daily output, among other areas like creating characters, plot structure, and more.

22. Write. Publish. Repeat: The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success by Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant

Write. Publish. Repeat

Whether you’re an experienced writer or a beginner, you can learn exactly how these two authors became wildly successful indie publishers. They show you how to turn what you love into a logical, sustainable business.

23. Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K. M. Weiland

Structuring Your Novel

Besides her best-selling book Outlining Your Novel , Weiland lays out an understanding of proper story and scene structure. This book helps you identify common structural weaknesses and flip them into amazing strengths.

24. Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon

Steal Like an Artist

You don’t need genius; just be yourself. Kleon claims creativity is everywhere and for everyone, and he gives you examples, exercises, and more to help you get in touch with your creative side. He also shares the 10 things he wishes someone had told him when he was starting out.

25. Your favorite dictionary/thesaurus

No list would be complete without your favorite dictionary/thesaurus combination. Whether you adhere to Oxford Dictionary all the way or you prefer Merriam-Webster, you can choose from tons of dictionaries/thesauruses online and in print to make sure you have the right word for every situation.

There are so many other great craft books out there that this list could conceivably double. What’s your go-to craft book that didn’t get mentioned? Let’s start a list in the comments below.

Looking for more Essential Reading lists? We've got you covered!

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Are you prepared to write your novel? Download this free book now:

The Novel-Writing Training Plan

The Novel-Writing Training Plan

So you are ready to write your novel. excellent. but are you prepared the last thing you want when you sit down to write your first draft is to lose momentum., this guide helps you work out your narrative arc, plan out your key plot points, flesh out your characters, and begin to build your world..

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Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Kathy Edens is a blogger, a ghost writer, and content master who loves writing about anything and everything. Check out her books The Novel-Writing Training Plan: 17 Steps to Get Your Ideas in Shape for the Marathon of Writing and Creating Legends: How to Craft Characters Readers Adore... or Despise.

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The Best Books On Writing—From A Writer

Kayti-Christian

I can’t tell you how many books and blogs I’ve read on writing and the creative process. Since knowing I wanted to pursue writing more seriously in my 20s, I’ve devoured (okay, skimmed) too many books that go over all the ins and outs of how to write a story—from craft and story structure to the best writing platforms and how to revise your drafts. Some advice says to write every day no matter what; others recommend to take breaks. Some authors suggest fancy writing software; others swear by pen and paper. At a certain pont, all the advice blurs together and it’s impossible to retain let alone practice every single recommendation. Eventually, you have to figure out what works best for you and—yes, the hardest part—sit down and write your story.

That said, there are a few wonderful writing books out there that I swear by for my own practice. While this list isn’t comprehensive, it includes a few gems I believe are fresh, unique, and short or small enough to carry with you. Most importantly, these books are more concerned with examining the writer’s life than the writing itself (something I’ve come to learn must be figured out at the individual level). Hopefully they offer you a bit of wisdom as well.

For more writing recommendations, check out these 99 creative writing prompts and these writing classes you can take online .

1. The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

This is one of my all-time favorite essay collections for creative inspiration or for whenever I feel like I’m in a writing rut. I first read it during grad school in a single afternoon (it’s only 111 pages) and was captivated by Dillard’s ability to articulate the joys and pains of life as a working writer. Each micro essay includes metaphors, anecdotes from her experiences, and probing questions for the reader to examine their own writing life. It’s a quick and breathless read, but one that stays with you forever. Here is one of my favorite passages:

“Who will teach me to write? A reader wanted to know.

The page, the page, the eternal blankness, the blankness of eternity which you cover slowly, affirming time’s scrawl as a right and your daring as necessity; the page, which you cover woodenly, ruining it, but asserting your freedom and power to act, acknowledging that you ruin everything you touch but nevertheless, because acting is better than being here in mere opacity…” (Dillard, 58-59)

the writing life annie dillard

2. My Trade Is Mystery by Carl Phillips

This little writing book is such a gem! I first started reading it this past winter and had to force myself to slow down so that I could savor every single word from the accomplished writer, poet, and teacher Carl Phillips. The book jacket describes this as the “ultimate companion for writers at every stage of their journey,” and it truly is such. It’s also a fresh take on writing advice in a market saturated by how-to writing books and instruction manuals. Here is a passage I continue to revisit:

“To write poems that make a meaningful difference, that do the transformative work of showing readers (and myself as the writer) the world in a new way—this is difficult, yes. But the chance for surprise makes the work inviting. Difficulty, surprise—maybe that’s all a career comes down to. Difficulty meets surprise, and—without having thought to choose to—they mate for life.” (Phillips, 27)

my trade is myster carl phillips

3. Body Work by Melissa Febos

Melissa Febos has long been one of my favorite authors and essayists. Her work is raw and profoundly human. When I learned she was publishing her own book on writing, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, knowing it would offer a fresh and intimate take on personal narrative. It has, of course, exceeded my expectations and become a regular companion to my own writing practice. In a little more than 150 pages, Febos transforms the way writers consider the page and how we use it to explore our truest and most personal stories—which often include desires and physical bodies. Author Alexander Chee calls it “one of the most liberating books on the subject of writing.” I suggest every writer snag a copy to keep on their desk.

body work melissa febos

4. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Is a writing book roundup complete if it doesn’t include Bird by Bird? While an older book on the market (first published in 1994), there’s a reason Anne Lamott’s work continues to be praised and quoted by writers everywhere—my own copy is dog-eared, weathered, and hardly decipherable from highlighter and margin notes.

Lamott has long been known for her honest writing and ability to put things plainly for readers, and she does just that in this instruction manual, too. If I’ve taken anything from my reading (and re-readings) of her words, it’s that there is nothing more sacred than finding your inner voice and allowing it to live on the page. “Train yourself to hear that small inner voice,” she writes. (113, Lamott)

bird by bird

5. Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum

If you’re writing a book (or want to), this is essentially the bible you’ll want to memorize and reference again and again. Courtney Maum offers insider advice from the book publishing world, whether you’re trying to finish your novel, find an agent, or navigate the terrifying waters—and jargon—of the pub industry. I reference my copy weekly, if not more, and recommend it to anyone who tells me they are writing a book. You can also subscribe to Maum’s substack newsletter for regular writing advice delivered to your inbox.

before and after the book deal

Forthcoming: How We Do It by Jericho Brown and Darlene Taylor

This one isn’t out in the world until summer, so while I can’t give my personal recommendation just yet, I can say I think it’s going to be very, very good . It includes experiences and expertise from more than 30 acclaimed writers and celebrates the Black creative spirit. Preorders are super important for authors and the success of books, so consider ordering a copy before pub date to express your interest. (Plus, it’s always fun to get a book in the mail that you purchased months ago!)

how we do it

Kayti Christian (she/her) is the Managing Editor at The Good Trade. She has a Master’s in Nonfiction Writing from the University of London and is the creator of Feelings Not Aside , a newsletter for sensitive people.

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50 Must-Read Books with Gorgeous Writing

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Melissa Baron

Melissa is the author of TWICE IN A LIFETIME from Alcove Press and represented by Laura Cameron at Transatlantic Agency. She lives in Chicago and works as a technical writer to pay the bills. She is a former English major, and has never met a semicolon she didn’t accidentally abuse in some fashion. In her spare time, she explores Chicago, writes a lot, and hangs out with her fiancé and two cats. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok @melissabaronwrites.

View All posts by Melissa Baron

We book lovers read so much, and so widely, that we’ve seen it all. The good, the bad, the so-bad-it’s-good, the meh, the life changing. And we’ve all been exposed to countless writing styles. Some exceptionally beautiful books, however, rise above the rest…not just because it was well-written or it spoke to us or it felt like home, but because the writing knocked our socks off.

50 Must-Read Books with Gorgeous Writing BookRiot.com

These are the novels that end up with a thousand gorgeous lines scattered across social media, first lines scribbled in notebooks, underlined and reread over and over again because you didn’t want to forget it (and you read it out loud, too, because how is this sentence so perfect? ). Whole books of quotable, gorgeous material that are a joy to read because of the author’s use of language.

This is a list of books with gorgeous writing from beginning to end. Lush, descriptive, poignant language that paints a beautiful picture of the story you chose. Pick up one of these beauties, and know that you’re in for a treat you’ll savor for weeks to come after reading.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

“Janie Crawford left her hometown to get married, and comes back alone after a two year absence. Her story spans 40 years of her life and how Janie sought love in four relationships that shaped her. This is a novel about relationships, culture, politics, and tradition, through the eyes of a African-American woman growing up in the early 1900s, and it is gorgeously told.”

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

“A man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered Lettie Hempstock. As he sits by the pond (that she’d claimed was an ocean), the unremembered past floods back. And it is too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.”

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

“Seven-year-old twins Estha and Rahel see their world shaken irrevocably by the arrival of their beautiful young cousin, Sophie. It is an event that  leads to an illicit liaison and tragedies accidental and intentional, exposing “big things [that] lurk unsaid” in a country drifting dangerously toward unrest.” The writing in this novel is so incredible, the story so moving and heartbreaking, that this one’s a must.

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

“Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what giants or wicked witches are to European culture: the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. Young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever peasant girl to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power.”

Her Body And Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

“A wife refuses her husband’s entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store’s prom dresses. One woman’s surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest. These short stories bend genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women’s lives and the violence visited upon their bodies.”

Beloved by Toni Morrison

“Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe’s new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.”

Honorable mention: Everything else Toni Morrison has written.

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

“A sudden and powerful romance blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them. Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy.”

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

“It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition—the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.”

Honorable mention: The Raven Boys series

Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot

“Having survived a profoundly dysfunctional upbringing only to find herself hospitalized and facing a dual diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder and bipolar II disorder; Terese Marie Mailhot is given a notebook and begins to write her way out of trauma. The result is this memoir, a memorial for Mailhot’s mother, a social worker and activist who had a thing for prisoners; a story of reconciliation with her father―an abusive drunk and a brilliant artist―who was murdered under mysterious circumstances; and an elegy on how difficult it is to love someone while dragging the long shadows of shame.”

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

“Four seekers arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.”

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

“Set in the 1950s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. With a sharp, probing imagination, this classic narrative delves into the mystery of loving and creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart.”

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

“Seraphina is a half-dragon, descended from a dragon mother who took human form and a father who has no particular fondness for Seraphina’s kind. Not that anyone else does either. Hers is a world where dragons and humans live and work side by side—but below the surface, tensions and hostilities are on the rise. When a member of the royal family is brutally murdered, she’s suddenly thrust into the spotlight, drawn into the investigation alongside the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian. As the two uncover a sinister plot to destroy the wavering peace of the kingdom, Seraphina’s struggle to protect her secret becomes increasingly difficult…and its discovery could mean her very life.”

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

“Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.”

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

“Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel. In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.”

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

“Allende’s debut novel brings to life the triumphs and tragedies of three generations of the Trueba family. The patriarch Esteban is a volatile, proud man whose voracious pursuit of political power is tempered only by his love for his delicate wife, Clara, a woman with a mystical connection to the spirit world. When their daughter Blanca embarks on a forbidden love affair in defiance of her implacable father, the result is an unexpected gift to Esteban: his adored granddaughter Alba, a beautiful and strong-willed child who will lead her family and her country into a revolutionary future.”

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

“Miller’s novel is a thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War. A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, it brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad . An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, and a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner.”

Honorable mention: Circe

Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa

“Grief-stricken after his mother’s death and three years of wandering the world, Victor is longing for a family and a sense of purpose. He believes he’s found both when he returns home to Seattle only to be swept up in a massive protest. With young, biracial Victor on one side of the barricades and his estranged father—the white chief of police—on the opposite, the day descends into chaos, capturing in its confusion the activists, police, bystanders, and citizens from all around the world who’d arrived that day brimming with hope. By the day’s end, they have all committed acts they never thought possible.”

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

“Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch…she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend. She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.”

Whiskey & Ribbons by Leesa Cross-Smith

“Evi—a classically-trained ballerina—was nine months pregnant when her husband Eamon was killed in the line of duty on a steamy morning in July. Now, it is winter, and Eamon’s adopted brother Dalton has moved in to help her raise six-month-old Noah. This is told in three intertwining, melodic voices: Evi in present day, as she’s snowed in with Dalton during a freak blizzard; Eamon before his murder, as he prepares for impending fatherhood and grapples with the danger of his profession; and Dalton, as he struggles to make sense of his life next to Eamon’s, and as he decides to track down the biological father he’s never known.”

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

“Set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.”

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

“Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.”

The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis

“Arriving in Buenos Aires in 1913, with only a suitcase and her father’s cherished violin to her name, seventeen-year-old Leda is shocked to find that the husband she has travelled across an ocean to reach is dead. Unable to return home, alone, and on the brink of destitution, she finds herself seduced by the tango, the dance that underscores every aspect of life in her new city.”

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

“The monster in Conor’s backyard is not the one he’s been expecting—the one from the nightmare he’s had every night since his mother started her treatments. This monster is ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd—whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself—Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.”

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

“White Oleander tells the unforgettable story of Ingrid, a brilliant poet imprisoned for murder, and her daughter, Astrid, whose odyssey through a series of Los Angeles foster homes—each its own universe, with its own laws, its own dangers, its own hard lessons to be learned-becomes a redeeming and surprising journey of self-discovery.”

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

“A collection of linked short stories by American novelist Tim O’Brien, about a platoon of American soldiers fighting on the ground in the Vietnam War, and the things they carried with them depending on their priorities, their superstitions, their dreams, and the things they hold closest to their hearts.”

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars by Kai Cheng Thom

“This is the sort-of true coming-of-age story of a young Asian trans girl, pathological liar, and kung-fu expert who runs away from her parents’ abusive home in a rainy city called Gloom. Striking off on her own, she finds her true family in a group of larger-than-life trans femmes who live in a mysterious pleasure district known only as the Street of Miracles. Under the wings of this fierce and fabulous flock, the protagonist blossoms into the woman she has always dreamed of being, with a little help from the unscrupulous Doctor Crocodile. When one of their number is brutally murdered, she joins her sisters in forming a vigilante gang to fight back against the transphobes, violent johns, and cops that stalk the Street of Miracles.”

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

“Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free.”

Moonbath by Yanick Lahens

“After she is found washed up on shore, Cétoute Olmène Thérèse, bloody and bruised, recalls the circumstances that led her there. Her voice weaves hauntingly in and out of the narrative, as her story intertwines with those of three generations of women in her family, beginning with Olmène, her grandmother. Olmène, barely sixteen, catches the eye of the cruel and powerful Tertulien Mésidor, despite the generations-long feud between their families which cast her ancestors into poverty. As the family struggles through political and economic turmoil, the narrative shifts between the voices of four women, their lives interwoven with magic and fraught equally with hope and despair, leading to Cétoute’s ultimate, tragic fate.”

The Devourers by Indra Das

“On a cool evening in Kolkata, India, beneath a full moon, as the whirling rhythms of traveling musicians fill the night, college professor Alok encounters a mysterious stranger with a bizarre confession and an extraordinary story. Tantalized by the man’s unfinished tale, Alok will do anything to hear its completion. So Alok agrees, at the stranger’s behest, to transcribe a collection of battered notebooks, weathered parchments, and once-living skins.”

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

“The nameless narrator of the novel describes growing up in a black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of “the Brotherhood”, and retreating amid violence and confusion to the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be.”

The Life Before Her Eyes by Laura Kasischke

“Diana stands before the mirror preening with her best friend, Maureen. Suddenly, a classmate enters holding a gun, and Diana sees her life dance before her eyes. In a moment the future she was just imagining—a doting wife and mother at the age of forty—is sealed by a horrific decision she is forced to make. In prose infused with the dramatically feminine sensuality of spring, we experience seventeen-year-old Diana’s uncertain steps into womanhood.”

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

“To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.”

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

“The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. Behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.”

Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin

“One night in winter, Peter Lake—orphan and master-mechanic—attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side. Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the love between Peter Lake, a middle-aged Irish burglar, and Beverly Penn, a young girl, who is dying. Peter Lake, a simple, uneducated man, because of a love that, at first he does not fully understand, is driven to stop time and bring back the dead.”

The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing  by Mira Jacob

“Celebrated brain surgeon Thomas Eapen has been sitting on his porch, talking to dead relatives. At least that is the story his wife, Kamala, prone to exaggeration, tells their daughter, Amina, a photographer living in Seattle. Reluctantly Amina returns home and finds a situation that is far more complicated than her mother let on, with roots in a trip the family, including Amina’s rebellious brother Akhil, took to India twenty years earlier. Amina soon realizes that the only way she can help her father is by coming to terms with her family’s painful past. In doing so, she must reckon with the ghosts that haunt all of the Eapens.”

The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh

“Opening in Calcutta in the 1960s, this novel follows two families—one English, one Bengali—as their lives intertwine in tragic and comic ways. The narrator, Indian born and English educated, traces events back and forth in time, from the outbreak of World War II to the late twentieth century, through years of Bengali partition and violence, observing the ways in which political events invade private lives.”

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

“Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naive to the twisted motives of others.”

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

“Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill.”

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

“Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn’t a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs, the boy who might be the key to unlocking the secrets for Taylor’s past, is back in town, moody stares and all.”

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

“The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old, he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the form of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.”

A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri

“Growing up in a small rice-farming village in 1980s Iran, eleven-year-old Saba Hafezi and her twin sister, Mahtab, are captivated by America.  So when her mother and sister disappear, leaving Saba and her father alone in Iran, Saba is certain that they have moved to America without her. But her parents have taught her that “all fate is written in the blood,” and that twins will live the same life, even if separated by land and sea. As she grows up in the warmth and community of her local village, falls in and out of love, and struggles with the limited possibilities in post-revolutionary Iran, Saba envisions that there is another way for her story to unfold.”

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

“It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.”

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

“This novel focuses on the theme of self-acceptance, family morals, and the possibly-deadly consequences of one’s mistakes. It is centered on the wealthy, seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who spend every summer gathered on their private island. However, not every summer is the same—when something happens to Cadence during the summer of her fifteenth year, the four “Liars” re-emerge two years later to prompt Cadence to remember the incident.”

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

“A story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.”

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

“In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: for the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, and Helen—terrified, but intrigued—is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess.”

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

“The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, caught in the tragic sweep of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction. A powerful story of friendship, it is also about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.”

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

“This is the story of seven generations of the Buendía Family in the town of Macondo. The founding patriarch of Macondo, José Arcadio Buendía, and Úrsula Iguarán, his wife (and first cousin), leave Riohacha, Colombia, to find a better life and a new home. One night of their emigration journey, while camping on a riverbank, José Arcadio Buendía dreams of “Macondo”, a city of mirrors that reflected the world in and about it. Upon awakening, he decides to establish Macondo at the river side.” Magical realism at its finest.

The King Must Die by Mary Renault

“This bildungsroman and historical novel traces the early life and adventures of Theseus, a hero in Greek mythology. Rather than retelling the myth, Renault constructs an archaeologically and anthropologically plausible story that might have developed into the myth. She captures the essentials while removing the more fantastical elements, such as monsters and the appearances of gods.”

The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield

In fifteen funny, colorful, poignant and mysterious stories, modernist  Mansfield examines a range of themes integral to the human experience, from marriage, family, and death to duty, disillusionment, and regret in this commanding collection.”

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

“What if you couldn’t touch anything in the outside world? Never breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun warm your face…or kiss the boy next door? In Everything, Everything , Maddy is a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world, and Olly is the boy who moves in next door…and becomes the greatest risk she’s ever taken.”

What are your favorite books with gorgeous writing? 

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 Toni Morrison in 1979.

Top 10 books about creative writing

From linguistics to essays by Zadie Smith and Toni Morrison, poet Anthony Anaxagorou recommends some ‘lateral’ ways in to a demanding craft

T he poet Rita Dove was once asked what makes poetry successful. She went on to illuminate three key areas: First, the heart of the writer; the things they wish to say – their politics and overarching sensibilities. Second, their tools: how they work language to organise and position words. And the third, the love a person must have for books: “To read, read, read.”

When I started mapping out How to Write It , I wanted to focus on the aspects of writing development that took in both theoretical and interpersonal aspects. No writer lives in a vacuum, their job is an endless task of paying attention.

How do I get myself an agent? What’s the best way to approach a publisher? Should I self-publish? There is never one way to assuage the concerns of those looking to make a career out of writing. Many labour tirelessly for decades on manuscripts that never make it to print. The UK on average publishes around 185,000 new titles per year, ranking us the third largest publishing market in the world, yet the number of aspiring writers is substantially greater.

Writers writing about writing can become a supercilious endeavour; I’m more interested in the process of making work and the writer’s perspectives that substantiate the framework.

There’s no single authority, anything is possible. All that’s required are some words and an idea – which makes the art of writing enticing but also difficult and daunting. The books listed below, diverse in their central arguments and genres, guide us towards more interesting and lateral ways to think about what we want to say, and ultimately, how we choose to say it.

1. The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner An intellectual meditation on the cultural function of poetry. Less idealistic than other poetry criticism, Lerner puts forward a richly layered case for the reasons writers and readers alike turn to poetry, probing into why it’s often misconceived as elitist or tedious, and asks that we reconsider the value we place on the art form today.

2. Find Your Voice by Angie Thomas One of the hardest things about creative writing is developing a voice and not compromising your vision for the sake of public appeal. Thomas offers sharp advice to those wrestling with novels or Young Adult fiction. She writes with appealing honesty, taking in everything from writer’s block to deciding what a final draft should look like. The book also comes interspersed with prompts and writing exercises alongside other tips and suggestions to help airlift writers out of the mud.

3. Linguistics: Why It Matters by Geoffrey K Pullum If language is in a constant state of flux, and rules governing sentence construction, meaning and logic are always at a point of contention, what then can conventional modes of language and linguistics tell us about ourselves, our cultures and our relationship to the material world? Pullum addresses a number of philosophical questions through the scientific study of human languages – their grammars, clauses and limitations. An approachable, fascinating resource for those interested in the mechanics of words.

4. Madness, Rack, and Honey by Mary Ruefle The collected lectures of poet and professor Mary Ruefle present us with an erudite inquiry into some of the major aspects of a writer’s mind and craft. Ruefle possesses an uncanny ability to excavate broad and complex subjects with such unforced and original lucidity that you come away feeling as if you’ve acquired an entirely new perspective from only a few pages. Themes range from sentimentality in poetry, to fear, beginnings and – a topic she returns to throughout the book – wonder. “A poem is a finished work of the mind, it is not the work of a finished mind.”

Zadie Smith.

5. Feel Free by Zadie Smith These astute and topical essays dating from 2010 to 2017 demonstrate Smith’s forensic ability to navigate and unpack everything from Brexit to Justin Bieber. Dissecting high philosophical works then bringing the focus back on to her own practice as a fiction writer, her essay The I Who Is Not Me sees Smith extrapolate on how autobiography shapes novel writing, and elucidates her approach to thinking around British society’s tenuous and often binary perspectives on race, class and ethnicity.

6. Threads by Sandeep Parmar, Nisha Ramayya and Bhanu Kapil Who occupies the “I” in poetry? When poets write, are they personally embodying their speakers or are they intended to be emblematic of something larger and more complex? Is the “I” assumed to be immutable or is it more porous? These are the questions posited in Threads, which illuminates the function of the lyric “I” in relation to whiteness, maleness and Britishness. Its short but acute essays interrogate whiteness’s hegemony in literature and language, revealing how writers from outside the dominant paradigm are often made to reckon with the positions and perspectives they write from.

7. Mouth Full of Blood by Toni Morrison An urgent set of essays and lectures from the late Nobel prize winner that collates her most discerning musings around citizenship, race and art, as well as offering invaluable insight into the craft of writing. She reflects on revisions made to her most famous novel, Beloved, while also reflecting on the ways vernaculars can shape new stories. One of my favourite aphorisms written by Morrison sits on my desk and declares: “As writers, what we do is remember. And to remember this world is to create it.”

8. On Poetry by Jonathan Davidson Poetry can be thought of as something arduous or an exercise in analysis, existing either within small artistic enclaves or secondary school classrooms. One of the many strengths of Davidson’s writing is how he makes poetry feel intimate and personal, neither dry or remote. His approach to thinking around ways that certain poems affect us is well measured without being exclusive. A timely and resourceful book for writers interested in how poems go on to live with us throughout our lives.

9. Essays by Lydia Davis From flash fiction to stories, Davis is recognised as one of the preeminent writers of short-form fiction. In these essays, spanning several decades, she tracks much of her writing process and her relationship to experimentalism, form and the ways language can work when pushed to its outer limits. How we read into lines is something Davis returns to, as is the idea of risk and brevity within micro-fiction.

10. Essayism by Brian Dillon Dillon summarises the essay as an “experiment in attention”. This dynamic and robust consideration of the form sheds light on how and why certain essays have changed the cultural and political landscape, from the end of the Middle Ages to the present time. A sharp and curious disquisition on one of the more popular yet challenging writing enterprises.

How to Write It by Anthony Anaxagorou is published by Merky Books. To order a copy, go to guardianbookshop.com .

  • Creative writing
  • Toni Morrison
  • Zadie Smith
  • Lydia Davis

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Best Books on Writing: 18 Writing Books to Help You Improve Your Craft

POSTED ON Dec 17, 2020

Scott Allan

Written by Scott Allan

On the hunt for the best books on writing? Start by adding these books to your “To Be Read” list.

Reading these writing books could very well change how you approach your craft altogether. 

It is Stephen King, the international bestselling champion of 65 (and counting) novels, that said: “ Good writers read .”

Related: Writing Quotes

After all, writers are craftsmen who read. And reading still stands as the #1 best way to develop your writing craft.

As a writer, you must invest time into your writing education. This means stocking your personal library with the top books on writing. 

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Here are 18 of the best books on writing: 

  • Everybody Writes by Anne Handley
  • Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
  • How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz
  • How to Write Like Tolstoy by Richard Cohen
  • On Writing by Stephen King
  • The Elements of Style By William Strunk Jr and E.B. White
  • Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
  • Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
  • On Writing Well by William Zinsser
  • The Writing Life by Marie Arana
  • Published by Chandler Bolt
  • You Are a Writer by Jeff Goins
  • The Successful Author Mindset by Joanna Penn
  • The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
  • Stein on Writing by Sol Stein
  • The Miracle Morning for Writers by Hal Elrod
  • You Can Write a Novel by James Smith
  • No Plot? No Problem by Chris Baty

Why You Must Read Books on Writing

Nowadays, there are blogs, YouTube videos, courses, and podcasts on publishing and self-publishing . 

So, why read a book on writing, or how to write better? Doesn’t practicing writing help you far more than reading? The short answer: Not necessarily.

Well, good writers are avid readers, and if you’re going to read anything, it should be a book on how to improve your craft on writing.

Bottom line: Reading makes you a better writer.

The recommended writing books in this post have been selected based on popularity with authors, the value of technique discussed, and overall longevity to continue as popular reads for writers still passionate about learning the craft. Beyond just grammar, syntax or word choice, many of these books dive into the personal lives of the authors .

Here are 4 reasons why you should read the best books on writing:

#1 – deep insights into the writing life.

Who else is better suited to teach you deeper insights into the life of writing than those who have lived the successful writer’s life. Some books here are modern releases for the digital age, but many have been written with the classic author mindset.

You can learn the routine of these authors,  how to prepare for writing a book, dealing with the media, setting up the best writing space, and the deep scoop on what it means to be a published author dealing with publishing companies.

#2 – Learn how to develop your own writing style

The best books on writing are those written by professional writers who are a powerhouse of style development. This is the kind of material you will rarely get listening to a podcast or watching a YouTube channel.

#3 – Raw stories from the masters of the writing craft

Most of the books listed here are available in several formats, and a few are not available in digital but paperback only, and have been out of print for a long time.

After running a survey and doing our own research into the best books on writing to date, here is a list of 23 best books on writing we came up with. I have personally read all of these books and would recommend any of these titles for you to learn the art of writing in all its simplicity and intricacy.

#4 – Think like a writer

Writing a book is a lot of work. The challenge is in dealing with imposter syndrome and our own fears we have around writing. Is my writing any good? Who is going to read it? Do I sound like all the other writers out there?

Through reading books on writing, you begin to realize that every writer struggles with the same imposter mindset .

By reading and understanding how writers think, you can overcome your fears, get more writing done, and think like a writer even when you’re not writing.

The 18 Best Books on Writing

Now, let’s jump into the best books on writing and start your education on thinking, acting, and becoming a full-fledged writer!

It doesn't matter if you are self-publishing or traditional publishing , or what genre you write in… every author will walk away with some insights after reading these writing books.

Related: Best Business Books

These are the best writing books that every writer, or aspiring author, should add to their reading collection.

#1 – Everybody Writes by Ann Handley

In Everybody Writes , top marketing veteran Ann Handley dishes out expert guidance and insight into the process and strategy of content creation, production, and book publishing, with actionable how-to advice designed to get real results.

“If you have a website, you are a publisher. If you are on social media, you are in marketing. And that means that we are all relying on our words to carry out marketing messages. We are all writers.” ANNE HANDLEY

Everybody writes is a content creation book with the core message that, “Anybody who has a blog, newsletter, or website is a writer and creating content.” So, if you're in the business of communication through words using any kind of media, Everybody Writes is for you.

The purpose of this book, and how it differs from many other books on writing is, it teaches how to create high-quality content to build out your online (and offline) business. You will learn the ins-and-outs of building up your clientele list and using email marketing as a means to scale up an email list.

If you want to survive in the digital publishing world, you need to know how to create stellar content that attracts. This is why Everybody Writes is your blueprint and field guide for taking the message to your readers and subscribers.

Best Books On Writing: Everybody Writes By Ann Handley

About Ann Handley

Ann Handley is a writer, digital marketing pioneer, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who inspires and empowers writers and business owners to create marketing content that customers will love, igniting real results for any business. Ann is the author of Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs , Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business and Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content .

Click here to get Everybody Writes by Ann Handley

#2 – Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Bird by Bird is a must-have for any writer’s kit. In this book, Anne Lamott packs in everything from the trials and tribulations to being a writer while dealing with the many perils of her personal life from addiction to parenting.

Make no mistake, Bird by Bird is the real deal as Ann writes with a mix of memoir spliced together with invaluable lessons she has learned on the writer’s journey. Ann Lamott will help you with your writing as you work through that crappy first draft to getting closer to publication.

Lamott is best known for her witty take on the life of a writer, and this makes the book both entertaining to read as well as a divine learning experience for future authors.

Best Books On Writing: Bird By Bird By Anne Lamott

About Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott is the New York Times bestselling author of Bird By Bird . She is also the author of several novels, including Imperfect Birds and Rosie. Anne is also a past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and an inductee to the California Hall of Fame .

Click here to get Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott .

#3 – How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz

How to Write Best Selling Fiction by multiple NY Times Bestselling author Dean Koontz is considered a classic resource for many fiction authors. However, the book was published back in 1981 and has been out of print for over 3 decades, making it a unique collector’s gem for authors.

In fact, to buy this book at the current price through third party retailers will cost you over $500.00. If you are lucky enough to find this in a used bookstore, don’t hesitate…buy it!

Considered to be one of the best books on writing fiction, it tells would-be novelists about the fiction market, offers advice on grammar , writing style , character development , and plot, and explains how to deal with agents and editors .

Keep in mind, because of its age, the book would not be updated for the 21st century, and so while the writing techniques still apply, some advice for the market would be outdated by now.

About Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz has been writing fiction for as long as anyone can remember, and is the author of over 80+ books, often writing under pseudonyms and has been compared to the likes of Stephen King. Dean Koontz is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many titles including Watchers , Odd Thomas , and the The Whispering Room .

Note: How to Write Best Selling Fiction is currently unavailable except through 3rd party retailers and libraries in hardcover format. There is currently no digital version available.

#4 – How to Write Like Tolstoy by Richard Cohen

From the writer’s minds of Shakespeare to Stephen King, How to Write Like Tolstoy is a thought-provoking journey inside the minds of the world’s most accomplished storytellers.

For anyone who has ever identified with a hero or heroine, been seduced by a strong opening sentence, or been powerfully moved by a story’s end , this book is for you.

How to Write Like Tolstoy dives into the painstaking elements that great storytellers use to tell heartbreaking, spellbinding, gripping tales. 

Testimonials for How to Write Like Tolstoy :

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Richard Cohen, in this fascinating read, reveals the challenges that the masters of the craft had when creating compelling story content. What we get is a well-researched, in-depth guide on the act and art of writing that enhances our experience of reading both the classics and the best modern fiction.

Best Books On Writing: How To Write Like Tolstoy By Richard Cohen

About Richard Cohen

Richard Cohen is the former publishing director of Hutchinson and Hodder & Stoughton and the founder of Richard Cohen Books. Richard has written for the New York Times, the Guardian, the Observer, the Daily Telegraph, and the New York Times Book Review. He is the author of “Chasing the Sun”, “By the Sword” and “How To Write Like Tolstoy”. 

Click here to get How to Write Like Tolstoy .

#5 – On Writing by Stephen King

As a long-time fan of Stephen King back when a horror novel could scorch the top of the New York Times Bestseller list , Stephen King leaves nothing to chance in this part memoir , part “how-to” on writing; this is King like you haven’t seen him before.

The King’s advice is grounded in his early, raw memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the link between writing and living played a powerful role in his recovery.

If you can say anything about On Writing , this book is a great story that, unlike other books on writing, is actually less about the craft and more to do with King’s philosophies and experience around writing. Brilliant on every page and written by only the Master himself, Stephen King, like his novels from the earlier days, doesn’t disappoint readers.

Best Books On Writing: On Writing By Stephen King

About Stephen King

Stephen King is the author of more than seventy books, all of them worldwide bestsellers, and many have been made into TV shows, mini-series, and theatrical movies. Stephen King was the recipient of America's prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

Click here to get On Writing by Stephen King

#6 – The Elements of Style by By William Strunk, Jr.

This book is a classic writing book, and one that every writer should have as a reference on their bookshelf.

So yes, this book matters, and is considered by most writers, including Stephen King himself, who has stated that this is the only book he recommends on writing, if you are to read anything at all. The Elements of Style is required reading for most writing courses by the instructors as a resource for brushing up and developing writing skills.

Here is a brief from Amazon’s description of The Elements of Style:

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I have personally used this book from the beginning and, although short in length, is packed with value even today. A definite must-have and must-read for every author, new and veteran.

Best Books On Writing: The Elements Of Style By By William Strunk, Jr.

About William Strunk

William Strunk Jr. (1 July 1869 – 26 September 1946), was a professor of English at Cornell University and author of The Elements of Style (1918). A revised edition titled The Elements and Practice of Composition , with Edward A. Tenney as coauthor, was printed in 1935. The only other book William Strunk wrote was English Metres , published locally in 1922. Widely known as a prolific editor, Strunk edited works by important authors, including William Shakespeare , John Dryden, and James Fenimore Cooper.

Click here to get The Elements of Style by William Strunk .

#7 – Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg is a modern classic that dives into the craft of writing, from brainstorming ideas, the vital role of verbs, making statements and answering questions, writing in restaurants, a list of topics for writing practice, and overcoming writer’s doubt .

“It is a good idea to wait awhile before you reread your writing. Time allows for distance and objectivity about your work. After you have filled a whole notebook in writing practice (perhaps it took you a month), sit down and reread the entire notebook as though it weren’t yours.” NATALIE GOLDBERG

This book is a groundbreaking classic filled with the authors best advice and experience shared in one volume worthy of 35+ years of writing practice. The advice in her book, provided in short, easy-to-read chapters, will inspire anyone who writes—or who longs to. The updated edition includes a foreword by Julia Cameron , author of The Artist’s Way .

Best Books On Writing: Writing Down The Bones By Natalie Goldberg

About Natalie Goldberg

Natalie Goldberg is the author of fifteen books, including Writing Down the Bones , which has sold over one million copies and has been translated into fourteen languages. For more than forty years Natalie has practiced zen and taught seminars in writing as a practice. People from around the world attend her life-changing workshops.

The Oprah Winfrey Show sent a film crew to spend the day with Natalie for a segment on spirituality that covered her writing, teaching, painting, and walking meditation. She currently lives in Northern New Mexico.

Click here to get Writing Down the Bones .

#8 – Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, compiled this book of essays portraying his passion for the craft. Part memoir , part masterclass, ZEN IN THE ART OF WRITING offers a vivid insight into the craft of writing. Ray Bradbury reveals how writers can find their own unique path to developing a writer’s voice and their own writing style .

Written from the experience of a lifetime of writing, Ray shares his excitement, joy, wisdom, and experience in this classic book for authors.

Best Books On Writing: Zen In The Art Of Writing By Ray Bradbury

About Ray Bradbury

In a career spanning more than seventy years, Ray Bradbury inspired generations of readers to dream, think, and create. A prolific author of hundreds of short stories and more than fifty books, poems, essays, operas, plays, teleplays, and screenplays, Ray Bradbury was one of the most successful writers of our time. His award-winning works include Fahrenheit 451 , The Martian Chronicles , The Illustrated Man, and Something Wicked This Way Comes . 

Click here to get Zen in the Art of Writing .

#9 – On Writing Well by William Zinsser

If you are a nonfiction writer , you shouldn’t even attempt writing (or self-editing) until you’ve read this book at least twice. William Zinsser was the classic author in his style and approach to the craft. The first section “Principles” is a goldmine of tips, writing tactics, and common-sense approach to writing like a pro. Part 3 on “Forms” is niche targeted and includes tips on writing about people, places, technology, business, travel, and humor.

On Writing Well has long been regarded as one of the best books on writing with something for everyone, no matter the genre you specialize in. With more than a million copies sold, this volume remains a valuable resource for writers even today, regardless if you are a writing veteran or just starting out in the craft of writing.

Best Books On Writing: On Writing Well By William Zinsser

About William Zinsser

William Zinsser (1922-2015), was a writer, editor, and teacher. His 18 books, which range in subject from music to baseball to American travel, include several widely read books about writing that includes the million-copy bestseller On Writing Well , and Writing About Your Life . You can find out more about William Zinsser at https://www.williamzinsserwriter.com/

Click here to get On Writing Well .

#10 – The Writing Life by Marie Arana

The Writing Life is a massive gathering of 55 authors as they discuss their ideas for writing and how they formed these ideas into readable manuscripts, some of them taking decades to write.

The essays contain biographical information about each author, giving readers a deeper insight into their background and how they came to become professional authors.

Although some of the essays feel like long rants combined with the creative freedom each author expresses, you can’t help but be captivated by the stories of writers as they share some of their most secretive moments of inspiration.

The Writing Life highlights the pleasures of the trade, the struggle, the successes and failures of the authors.

If you are looking for something that gets into the mind of an author and what makes them tick, try The Writing Life for true realism of an author’s life.

Best Books On Writing: The Writing Life By Marie Arana

About Maria Arana

Marie is the former editor in chief of “Book World” at The Washington Post and a senior consultant to the Librarian of Congress. Her book The Writing Life , is a collection from her well-known column for The Washington Post, which explores the way writers think and work. She is also the author of 10+ books including The Best American Travel Writing . You can find more information about her at www.mariearana.net.

Click here to get The Writing Life .

#11 – Published by Chandler Bolt

Here is one for self-published authors. The CEO and founder of the Self-Publishing School , and 6x self-published author Chandler Bolt delivers a blueprint on how to write and publish a novel.

In Published , Chandler presents a proven solution that will take a novice from blank page to published author in 90 days.

The book offers modern insight and a proven plan to earn income writing, build an author platform, and build your email list by giving away a free gift when readers download your free audiobook.

Take a chance on Published and let the professionals at Self-Publishing School guide you on your journey to self-publication.

Best Books On Writing: Published By Chandler Bolt

About Chandler Bolt

Chandler Bolt is the founder & CEO of Self-Publishing School, the #1 online resource for writing your first book. Self Publishing School made the INC 5000 in 2018 (#2,699) and in 2019 (#1,483) as one of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the US.

Through his books, training videos, and Self-Publishing School program, he's helped thousands of writers on their journey to writing their first book.

Check out Self Publishing School here: https://self-publishingschool.com

#12 – You Are a Writer by Jeff Goins

From the founder of Tribe Writers , veteran author and blogger at Goins, Writer brings writers a book that guides the could-be author towards the dream of writing for a living.

Jeff uses many of his own anecdotes and case studies of authors who are doing what many dream of—making a living writing words.

“You are a writer; you just need to write.” JEFF GOINS

Jeff Goins shares his own story of self-doubt and what it took for him to become a professional writer. He provides simple, practical steps to improve your writing style and technique, get published in magazines and with traditional publishers, and build a platform of fans that fall in love with your work.

You will learn the importance of passion and discipline and how to show up every day to make time for writing .

Best Books On Writing: You Are A Writer By Jeff Goins

About Jeff Goins

Jeff Goins is a writer, keynote speaker, and award-winning blogger with a reputation for challenging the status quo. He is the best-selling author of five books, including The Art of Work , and Wrecked . Jeff has been featured on the best­seller lists of USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, and the Washington Post.

Click here to get You Are a Writer .

#13 – The Successful Author Mindse t by Joanna Penn

The Successful Author Mindset dives into the mindset obstacles that writers experience at different stages on the creative journey.

Joanna Penn tackles writing from a career author standpoint, so if you're looking for the best business books to grow your author business, her books are a good resource.

Each chapter tackles a specific issue and offers an antidote to that problem. It includes excerpts from Joanna Penn’s personal journals, as well as quotes from famous writers. The book is heavily geared for writers struggling with the writing process, as well as the business of writing and being heard.

I recommend this book to new authors when starting out because it covers topics such as self-doubt, fear of failure, the need for validation, perfectionism, writer’s block, overwhelm, fear of failure, criticism, ambition, fame, and fortune. 

The Successful Author Mindset fills you with confidence and keeps you writing.

Best Books On Writing: The Successful Author Mindset By Joanna Penn

About Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn is a bestselling author, international speaker, and award-winning entrepreneur. Her site, www.TheCreativePenn.com helps authors with creativity, writing, publishing, book marketing , and creative entrepreneurship. It has been voted one of the top 100 sites for authors by Writers Digest .

Click here to get The Successful Author Mindset .

#14 – The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

A very honest and open account of the writing life and how Annie Dillard has navigated through the trials and tribulations of this difficult craft. Considered by many to be one of the best books on writing, you will not be disappointed by The Writing Life .

This book is compiled with material from a decade of The Washington Post’s “Writing Life” column. In this collection of short essays, Annie Dillard illuminates the dedication and daring that summarizes the life and existence of a writer.

The book is part-memoir and serves as a moving account of Dillard’s own life experiences, The Writing Life offers deep insight into one of the most mysterious and profound professions.

Best Books On Writing: The Writing Life By Annie Dillard

About Annie Dillard

Annie Dillard is the author of ten books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winner Pilgrim at Tinker Creek , as well as An American Childhood , The Living, and Mornings Like This .

She is a member of the Academy of Arts and Letters and has received fellowship grants from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts

#15 – Stein On Writing by Sol Stein

Sol Stein is a renowned editor, author, and instructor, and he explains: “This is not a book of theory. It is a book of useable solutions– how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, and how to create interesting writing in the first place.”

In Stein On Writing , nonfiction writers will find a unique approach to the new revolution in journalism and a guide to using the techniques of fiction to enhance nonfiction.

Fresh, useful, informative, and fun to read, Stein on Writing is a book you will return to again and again to soak up the witty, often provoking, talent and voice of a literary master.

This book is a tribute to everything Stein learned from his writing in a career that spanned several decades before he passed away in September 2019.

Best Books On Writing: Stein On Writing By Sol Stein

About Sol Stein

Sol Stein (October 13, 1926 – September 19, 2019) was the author of 13 books including Stein On Writing , and How to Grow a Novel . He was Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Stein and Day Publishers for 27 years.

Click here to get Stein on Writing .

#16 – The Miracle Morning for Writers by Hal Elrod and Steve Scott

In this great little book on how to write a novel in the morning, Hal Elrod teams up with Steve Scott (author of Habit Stacking and Happier Human ).

You learn how to take charge of your morning and maximize “the rest of the day” for your writing efforts. The book teaches you techniques and strategies that include:

  • 4 business models perfect for writers, how to get started, and which one we recommend.
  • The 10-step process for publishing a book that readers love
  • How a morning routine can change every area of your life (Including your health, happiness, finances, and relationships).
  • The proven strategy for “finding the time” to write–even if you have a full-time job.

This book shows you how to increase your writing speed as well as make money at doing what you love to do the most…write!

Get Hal Elrod's book The Miracle Morning for Writers here.

Best Books On Writing: The Miracle Morning For Writers By Hal Elrod And Steve Scott

About Hal Elrod

As the author of one of the highest-rated books on Amazon, The Miracle Morning (which has been translated into 37 languages, has over 3,000 five-star reviews, and has impacted the lives of over 2,000,000 people in more than 70 countries)… he is doing exactly that. You can learn more about Hal Elrod at https://halelrod.com/

About Steve Scott

Steve Scott is the bestselling author of over 50+ books, many of which are based on habit development and personal development. S.J. provides daily action plans for every area of your life: health, fitness, work, and personal relationships. His content focuses on taking action so, instead of reading over-hyped strategies that rarely work, you'll get information that can be immediately implemented. You can connect with Steve at https://www.developgoodhabits.com/

Click here to get The Miracle Morning for Writer s .

#17 – You Can Write a Novel by James Smith

If you are learning to write fiction and need a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to set up your story, create characters, and develop a storyline that tells and sells, You Can Write a Novel is the book you need. 

Related: How to Write a Novel

Veteran author James V. Smith, Jr. breaks down the novel writing process into ten logical steps. You'll start developing the foundation for your book right away by taking your story's three most important incidents from mind mapping and idea generation, to final draft perfection.

You Can Write a Novel targets the essentials every writer needs, such as plot, character, setting, dialogue, and action. You'll learn how to generate a salable idea, develop your idea into a framework, and build your framework into a finished manuscript.

When I started writing fiction again, this was definitely the book that helped to structure all the details, plot, character, and everything else in between. It comes with free downloadable material if you access the site through the book. James Smith guides you through the process by building the story around compelling characters.

If you would rather purchase the now out-of-print companion You Can Write a Novel Kit , this is a great tool for writers who appreciate using physical materials to build out their book. With James’ “You Can Write a Novel Kit” and instructional book included, you can refine your fiction techniques using Smith's writing advice and strategies, such as an idea-scoring system and the forty cardinal writing rules .

Best Books On Writing: You Can Write A Novel By James Smith

About James V. Smith

James Smith is a former combat soldier, helicopter pilot, newspaper writer and editor, national award-winning columnist, and magazine editor. He is the author of You Can Write a Novel , and The Fiction Writer's Brainstormer . He has published more than a dozen military action-adventure novels, including the six-book series Force Recon. He wrote the Delta Force series under the pen name John Harriman.

Click here to get You Can Write a Novel .

#18 – No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty

Written by NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty brings you a companion guide to go with your NaNoWriMo writing plan. If writing is a challenge , this book—and taking part in the 30-day writing rush—will break any resistance to writing you’re holding on to.

With over 20 years of writing experience, Chris has revised and updated his writing reference guide with more compelling tips, updated strategies, and a no-fuss approach to novel writing that gets your writing fingers moving.

No Plot? No Problem! Breaks your writing excuses, destroying imposter syndrome for good, and sets you on a path to getting your book done and ultimately published.

About Chris Baty

Chris Baty founded National Novel Writing Month in 1999, and is now available in 90 countries. Chris now serves as a Board Member Emeritus for NaNoWriMo, and spends his days teaching classes at Stanford University's Writer's Studio. He's the author of No Plot? N o Problem! and the co-author of Ready, Set, Novel .

Click here to get No Plot? No Problem !

Your favorite books on writing

There are so many great books on writing a novel, how to write nonfiction , creating compelling characters, or self-publishing a novel.

Unfortunately we couldn’t fit everything into one post…there are too many to choose from.

If you have a favorite book you’d like to recommend, we’d love to hear from you.

Just drop the title and author of your favorite book on writing in the comments below. It could be included in our next post on the best books on writing!

What best books on writing would you add to this list?

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18 of the Best Books on Writing (Updated for 2023)

18 of the Best Books on Writing (Updated for 2023)

Table of contents

best writing books

Ashley R. Cummings

The need for writers isn’t going away. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the employment of writers and authors will continue to grow by 4% from 2021 to 2031 . And it’s projected that there will be an average of 15,000 job openings for writers and authors each year.

While there’s a huge need for writers, it’s also projected future writers will invest anywhere from $7000 to $40,000 to learn the craft. Gasp!

But there’s good news. You don’t necessarily need to invest $40K into a degree to learn how to write. There are countless books that will help you become the writer you’ve always dreamed of becoming and will help you earn money straight out of the gate.

Here’s a list of the top eighteen books that will prepare you for your writing career. ‍

“Read, read, read. Read everything  —  trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.” — William Faulkner

Best books on writing for business and marketing

Marketing is so important the U.S. spent more than $17 billion in 2021 on marketing data. A large part of marketing is knowing how to write marketing materials that engage audiences. Marketing is also one of the most lucrative freelance writing niches.

When marketing and selling anything, the words you choose to represent your products and brand are critical—these books will help you find the right ones.

1. Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin

Best for : Entrepreneurs and marketers in the SaaS space

best writing books

In his book Lost and Founder, Fishkin walks readers through the process of creating a startup. He’s very transparent and doesn’t leave anything out—the roses and the warts are on full display. Lost and Founder is a wealth of first-hand experience that any new startup can learn from.

Most of this book is about all the steps involved in creating a startup, but he also goes through how to write pitches and marketing strategies that worked for him.

Furthermore, if you want to write for startups, it’s important to understand everything that goes into creating a startup. This will help you meet the writing needs of a startup, regardless of what stage it may be in.

2. Killing Marketing by Joe Pulizzi & Robert Rose

Best for : Modern marketing strategies/techniques

best writing books

Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose are founders and partners who love content marketing. In their book Killing Marketing, they say content isn’t just marketing; it’s an essential business strategy. 

This book focuses mostly on modern digital marketing techniques. It addresses how marketing has gone from creating ‘sale’ posters to being an essential part of adding value to a brand or company. Pulizzi and Rose use anecdotes and data from their own experiences to illustrate content writing and marketing techniques.

3. Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

Best for : Experienced marketers looking to fine-tune writing/strategies

best writing books

Predictably Irrational isn’t so much a book about writing as a book that can help writers understand what motivates us humans—which is essential for any great writer to understand.

Dan Ariely is an expert in behavioral economics, which studies how people behave when they perform any sort of action (e.g.,. shop, get married, apply for jobs, etc.).

Ariely and his team used experiments to see how suggestion, context, and even subliminal messaging can affect people’s behavior. To illustrate this point, Ariely uses an example where his team created a test that was easy to cheat on. 

Then, his team had respondents take the test again, but reminded them of any sort of moral code (like the ten commandments or even a fake ‘honor code’) right before taking the test to see if people cheated less after the reminder. You’ll have to read to find out the results, but I bet you can guess what happened.

This book is most beneficial for experienced writers and marketers looking to understand their audience on a deeper level.

Best books for copywriting

The biggest issue for copywriting (especially digital copywriting) is people don’t really read things all the way through anymore. 

According to a 20+ year study done by the Nielsen Norman Group , eye tracking research confirms that most internet users only skim and skip around a webpage for relevant info. That means copywriters must understand how to capture the attention of these skimmers and skippers. Here are books that will teach you the ins and outs of successful copywriting.

4. Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy

Best for : Learning the fundamentals of advertising

best writing books

Ogilvy on Advertising is admittedly an older book that was first published in 1983. But it’s still considered one of the foremost texts for beginner copywriters and even marketers. It goes over all the fundamentals of advertising and how to write compelling copy.

If you’re new to copywriting and marketing in general, this book uses real life examples to illustrate advertising concepts. And although some of the advice about getting jobs and how to market in foreign markets may be out of date, Ogilvy’s lessons on things like research and brand image are still relevant today.

5. Hey Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan

Best for : Creating visual stories

best writing books

Luke Sullivan has been a successful advertiser for over 30 years. He’s worked at elite agencies, taught, consulted and trained. His book, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This , uses real life examples like Charmin’s advertising campaign of the 1960s and 1970’s (the namesake of the book) to illustrate all aspects of advertising. 

Sullivan goes through everything from how to protect your work to how to write for social media. The book is snarky and witty and gives you a glimpse of what it feels like to work in the creative department at an ad agency. 

6. Finding the Right Message by Jennifer Havice

Best for : How to research your audience

best writing books

Finding the Right Message is all about delving deeper into understanding what makes your customers tick. It offers step-by-step guides on things like:

  • How to craft customer-centric messages
  • The types of questions to ask when conducting interviews and surveys
  • How to research your customers and the market

Havice offers insight into how to study your audience. She then goes through how you can create messages that will pique your audience’s interest. Using her expertise as a messaging strategist and copywriter, she goes over all the things a copywriter needs to reach their audience.

Best books for longform writing

The average time spent on any webpage is 54 seconds. So, it’s important for longform articles to really engage readers in order to keep them reading for more than 54 seconds. Learning how to write engaging longform articles and books may not come naturally, but here are some books to lead you in the right direction.

7. Writing Feature Stories by Matthew Ricketson & Caroline Graham

Best fo r: Comprehensive writing fundamentals

best writing books

Matthew Ricketson and Caroline Graham go over the fundamentals of writing engaging and informative longform writing in their book, Writing Feature Stories . They help both journalists and blog writers go beyond the basic who, why, what, where, and when. 

This book will help you generate new ideas, teach you how to do research for your stories, how to edit your work, and how to find the best platform for your work. Using all the information Ricketson and Graham provide, it’ll also help you get over any fear of longform writing.

8. Stein on Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies by Sol Stein

Best for : Novelists

best writing books

Sol Stein is a well known editor and teacher that uses practical and his own real-world experiences to help writers write better. Stein on Writing gives writers practical ways to improve their writing instead of relying on theory. 

A lot of this book is focused on helping novelists with creating more interesting characters, more realistic dialogue, and structure. But it also goes over things like how to trim the fat away from your writing and more efficient ways to edit and revise your drafts.

9. How to Write a Lot by Paul Silvia

Best for : Motivation and practical strategies

best writing books

The title says it all. Paul Silvia uses his book, How to Write a Lot to help you become a more efficient and effective longform writer. He uses practical strategies that even go through how to make a schedule, how to get over writer’s block, and ultimately how to write like a professional.

Best books for essay writing and academic writing

Whether you’re trying to write OpEds for the New Yorker or just finishing your term paper, you can use these books to learn how to write effective essays for the world of academia.

10. A Professor’s Guide to Writing Essays: The No-Nonsense Plan for Better Writing by Dr. Jacob Newman

Best for : Straightforward and practical writing

best writing books

If you feel intimidated by academic writing, A Professor’s Guide to Writing Essays is a great book to help you overcome that. Dr. Jacob Newman has been a professor for a long time and uses his experiences to help writers navigate the world of academia. 

Giving useful tips and real world examples, Dr. Newman helps to dispel the idea that academic writing is any different from other kinds of writing. His book is straightforward and practical and focuses on helping students, professors, and anyone else looking to conquer writing academic papers.

11. Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword

Best for : Analysis of real articles and essays

best writing books

Helen Sword believes that data deserves to be presented in an elegant way. Her book Stylish Academic Writing , presents her analyses of over a thousand peer-reviewed articles (on all subjects) that show how important it is for academic writers to know how to write well.

She shows readers the skills they can learn through the examples in her book. Sword will make you a believer that compelling data should be presented with compelling writing. Slapping data onto a page just isn’t good enough anymore. 

12. Simple and Direct: A Rhetoric for Writers by Jacques Barzun

Best for : Exercises that help readers learn concepts

best writing books

Jacques Barzun was a noted teacher, historian and author. His book Simple & Direct, is just that. He uses a no-nonsense style to help writers improve their technique.

Simple & Direct may have been published in the 70s, but the writing exercises, model passages, and examples provided in the book are a treasure trove for any writer looking to better their craft.

Books that relate to writing in 2022

If you’ve ever watched an episode of Mad Men, you know that advertising must change with the times. Not only does the medium change (e.g., newspapers, radio, TV, internet, etc.) but so does your audience. 

For example, Baby Boomers were concerned with security, Gen Xers were concerned with buying things, millennials cared about buying experiences, and Gen Zers care about supporting companies that have the same beliefs as them. 

So while you can keep the same foundational concepts, there are things writers must learn as they write for the 21st century.

13. The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker

Best for : Relating to all types of writing

best writing books

Steven Pinker is a Harvard psychology professor who has used his own research and experience to write, The Sense of Style . In this book, writers will learn writing techniques to create compelling prose and Pinker gives real-world examples to help illustrate his points.

If you’re looking to infuse more style into your writing and interested in making your writing stand out in today’s day and age, then this is the book for you.

14. You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins

Best for : Bloggers, content creators, indie authors

best writing books

“Dress for the job you want” and “fake it ‘till you make it.” The idea that you should start acting like the writer you want to be is exactly what Jeff Goins addresses in his book, You are a Writer .

This book is a guide that will help writers in their craft, work ethic, and in marketing their material. It’s perfect for bloggers, content creators, and anyone who has been waiting to fulfill their dream of becoming a full-time writer.

15. The End of Marketing : Humanizing Your Brand in the Age of Social Media and AI by Carlos Gil

Best for : focus on engagement

best writing books

Carlos Gil breaks down the science of modern marketing in his book The End of Marketing . He breaks down essential topics like:

  • What modern audiences want
  • Storytelling
  • How to get attention on social media and how to use social media as feedback
  • How to be genuine
  • How to find your customers

The End of Marketing unravels the mysteries of influencers, social media algorithms, and staying on trend. It’s a must read for any writer today.

Books on writing for social media

There are over 4.7 billion active social media users worldwide. In a global survey done by Statista in 2022, 61% of marketers said they would increase their usage of Instagram and 37% said they’re increasing usage of TikTok advertising. Social media isn’t going away, and it always needs content, which means, it needs good writers.

16. Everybody Writes : Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley

Best for : Bloggers and content creators

best writing books

Everybody Writes teaches readers not only how to write, but also how to engage audiences with truthful storytelling. She offers practical how-tos for writing technique, publishing, and even how to find content ideas. 

Ann Handley’s Everybody Writes is one of the most highly rated overall writing books, and is especially helpful for those looking to write for social media. She also recently released an updated version with new examples.

17. Brand Storytelling: Put Customers at the Heart of Your Brand Story by: Miri Rodriguez

Best for : Step-by-step guide on how to build a brand story

best writing books

Miri Rodriguez is an award winning storyteller and creative journalist at Microsoft. In her book Brand Storytelling she shows readers the importance of creating an emotional connection with your audience.

She uses case studies and interviews to show readers how, in this world of digital screens and AI, human connection will always win out. 

18. Faster, Smarter, Louder: Master Attention in a Noisy Digital Market by Aaron Agius and Gián Clancey

Best for : How to grow business from start to multimillion global company

best writing books

Aaron Agius and Gián Clancey are the founders of the successful global marketing firm Louder.online. But they weren’t always successful, they actually first went into business together in 2008, but that business didn’t work out and forced them to move back home to Australia. But their experiences made them write Faster, Smarter, [and] Louder. 

This book gives writers technical and practical tips on how to gain credibility, increase online traffic, and engage with audiences. 

Read to become a better writer!

This list is just a start. If you want to be a writer, you don’t have to spend a lot of money, all you need is a library card or a connection to the internet.

In fact, even if you don't have time to learn how to write, that’s no longer an obstacle either. There are several AI and editing tools that will write content for you and help you fine-tune your sentences to stand out from other writers. There are also blogs that will give you all the resources and info you need to become a stellar writer. 

So stop sitting around thinking “one day” you’ll be a writer. As Stephen King said in On Writing , “You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”

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Essential Books for Writers

The Center for Fiction

essential

Maybe calling our list "Essential Books for Writers" is a bit of a stretch. We know that there are many opinions on what makes great writing, and what works for one person may not work for the next. Can you imagine Ernest Hemingway, Flannery O'Connor, and Charles Dickens debating about the right way to write? But we wanted to give you some options and inspiration on your path to whatever a successful life as a writer looks like to you. We hope you'll find your essential guide in our list. Happy reading and writing!

on writing

By Stephen King

Published by Scribner

Leave it to the literary rock star to compose a craft book that’s as entertaining as a good novel. “This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit,” King writes. What follows is a witty, practical, and sometimes poignant guide that is refreshingly devoid of the aforementioned BS. King relates his personal story of becoming a writer, then offers a “toolkit” of clear advice about everything from dialogue and descriptive passages to revisions and the head game. And there’s more: tips for beginning writers on submitting work for publication, a mark-up of one of King’s own manuscripts, and a reading list. You might not be awake at 3 a.m. turning these pages, but we promise  On Writing  will open your eyes to essential tricks of the trade.

shapiro-dani.still-writing

Still Writing

By Dani Shapiro

Published by Grove/Atlantic

Dani Shapiro’s book,  Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life , is a perfect walk through an imperfect process. She shares the tried and true rules that some aspiring writers may want to hear, like using the five senses, sticking to a work schedule, and avoiding clichéd characters; but it is the places where Shapiro acknowledges the ambiguity of the process that stand out. Peppered with personal history and insight into how and where she created novels like  Black and White  as well as acclaimed memoirs  Devotion  and  Slow Motion , Shapiro gives us a road map to writing with one simple direction at its heart: Keep writing. The rules she lays out are meant to be broken; no life-story is more worthy of being written than any other; no process (unless it involves surfing the Web instead of actually writing) is wrong. Yes, Dani Shapiro is still writing, and because she possesses that all-important need to create, it seems she will be doing so for quite some time.

On Moral Fiction by John Gardner

On Moral Fiction

By John Gardner

Published by HarperCollins

John Gardner’s  On Moral Fiction , by now a well-known classic, is as relevant in its exploration of the obligations of literature as when it was first published in 1979. Gardner discusses art and criticism, concluding that the artist has a responsibility to produce “moral” works for the sake of society. “Art discovers, generation after generation, what is necessary to humanness,” says Gardner. By linking literature to such elemental ideas as immortality and death, entropy and truth, Gardner dramatizes the act of writing itself, coloring literature and criticism with such vitality and excitement that it is hard not to become exhilarated. “Art gropes,” Gardner says. “It stalks like a hunter lost in the woods, listening to itself and to everything around it, unsure of itself, waiting to pounce.” You might say that some of his ideas are outrageous or unconventional, but none of them lack the ability to provoke us.

white shirt

First You Write

By Joni Rodgers

It’s fitting that Joni Rodgers’s  First You Write: The Worst Way to Become an Almost Famous Author and the Best Advice I Got While Doing It  is available only as an e-book. Rodgers’s writes with wit and candor not only about her circuitous route to becoming a  New York Times bestselling memoirist ( Bald in the Land of Big Hair , a searingly funny account of her journey through cancer) and a critically acclaimed small-press novelist ( Crazy for Trying ;  Sugar Land ), but also about her pioneering adventures in self-publishing on Kindle. Rodgers’s willingness to experiment (isn’t that what artists do?) and to turn preconceived publishing notions on their ear is wonderfully refreshing, and her whip-smart observations will keep you turning (virtual) pages.

the-forest-for-the-trees-alt

The Forest for the Trees

By Betsy Lerner

Published by Penguin

Betsy Lerner’s  The Forest for The Trees  begins as a psychological compendium of the writer’s life; written to the writer, with love. Lerner diagnoses writers: the ambivalent, the natural, the neurotic, and as we relate to aspects of each, we are delivered through an embarrassing adolescence of our own writerly growth, discovering who we were, are, and might better be. Through humorous and often moving anecdotes and a wealth of quotable quotes, we sweep through the personal and into the political landscape of the literary industry. Like all good books, Lerner’s reflects the reader (as writer) back to herself at every moment. She morphs between midwife and editor, weaving stories that teach us how best to birth our own.

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

The Writing Life

By Annie Dillard

In the years since its original publication, Annie Dillard’s  The Writing Life  has become a must-read for aspiring writers of all walks. Perhaps this is because her approach to the creative process manages a kind of golden ratio, a balance of magic and pragmatism that continues to reveal its depths to writers of the 21st century. Plainly, this is not a field guide. Dillard does not draw a tidy map. She does the opposite, acknowledging the unknown and unknowable wilderness that every writer must face. “The line of words is a miner’s pick, a wood carver’s gouge, a surgeon’s probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next  year.” A master in the art of illumination, she focuses on the edges of big ideas. The resulting work is as mystifying as it is enduring.

friedman-bonnie.writing-past-dark

Writing Past Dark

By Bonnie Friedman

In  Writing Past Dark , Bonnie Friedman shines a light on the hidden ways we mess ourselves up—with envy, fear, distraction, and other self-defeating habits of mind. “Successful writers are not the ones who write the best sentences. They are the ones who keep writing,” she says. “They are the ones who discover what is most important and strangest and most pleasurable in themselves, and keep believing in the value of their work, despite the difficulties.” With warmth and candor, Friedman offers insights into surmounting those tricky obstacles.

strunk-white.elements-of-style

The Elements of Style

By William Strunk & E.B. White

Of the hundreds of volumes written about the art and craft of writing,  The Elements of Style  by William Strunk and E.B. White is the elegant granddad. This slim volume offers no touchy-feely solutions for writer’s block, no inspirational exercises, and no musings on the writing life. Instead, it contains clear, concise rules for writing well, delivered with panache. Whether you strive for formal excellence or stylistic innovation, whether you’re a first-time author or have a string of publications to your name, there’s something here to learn—or gladly rediscover.

mckee-robert.story

By Robert McKee

Robert McKee (the renowned screenwriting guru whose real-life teaching persona was portrayed by Brian Cox in the film  Adaptation ) is required reading, but not just for screenwriters. He illustrates good plotting and structure that can make your novels or short stories as gripping as your favorite film. In Story , McKee structures his advice by first broadly stating a principle of writing, then expounding on different ways it can be applied, with examples from all kinds of scripts. His pearls of wisdom have been legendary in the Hollywood world, and they’ll certainly stick in your head after you’re through this book. Whether you’re writing for the screen or the page, this fantastic book will help you break your work down to the core of why we write fiction in the first place: the story.

Making Shapely Fiction by Jerome Stern

Making Shapely Fiction

By Jerome Stern

Published by W. W. Norton

It’s easy, when one is far enough along in the “writing life,” to assume that a manual won’t have much to offer beyond technical guidance and fluffy prompts. But Stern’s wise and thorough little book should be as indispensable to the master of the form as the student. Like Stern himself, who was the head of the Creative Writing Program at Florida State University for many years, it takes a brass tacks approach to fiction, one that can be read straight through if you want to bone up on the basics or in bits and pieces as inspiration is needed. The “shapes” in question are sixteen storytelling archetypes which Stern breaks down in the book’s first section, followed by a tongue-in-cheek section on whether or not to write what you know, and finally a glossary of terms “from Accuracy to Zig-Zag.” This may all sound like stuff you already know, but to read them again in Stern’s irreverent voice is like revisiting fairy tales from your childhood and discovering all the dirty parts that went over your head. You’ll want to dig back into your own discarded ideas box and sculpt something new.

Steering the Craft by Ursula LeGuin

Steering the Craft

By Ursula K. Le Guin

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Le Guin has published two books about writing. The more recent of these,  Steering the Craft  (1998), is intended for experienced writers, the ones, she says, who “blow all Rules of Writing to bits.” It offers exercises and advice on storytelling, point of view, and grammar. For the younger author, there is her 1979 volume,  The Language of the Night , filled with inspirational essays on science fiction and fantasy, that are no less rigorous than the later book. “In art,” she observes, “‘good enough’ is not good enough.”

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Language » Writing Books

Most recommended books.

best writing books

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

“It is a surprise to a lot of people that this book is so widely read on university campuses and so widely recommended by teachers of writing. Students love it. It’s bracing: there’s no nonsense. He says somewhere in the foreword or preface that it is a short book because most books are filled with bullshit and he is determined not to offer bullshit but to tell it like it is.” Andrew Cowan , Novelist

best writing books

Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

“This is probably my favourite book on the theme. It might seem slightly old fashioned but it is actually very quietly clever. For example, it describes things that many writers feel and it’s not until you actually read about them that you realise these are not feelings unique to yourself…..This book will help you work out what you can do with your own book.” Sophie King , Novelist

best writing books

Garner's Modern English Usage (5th edition) by Bryan A. Garner

“Bryan Garner is considered a traditional prescriptivist in the so-called Usage Wars. But he is the best of the bunch. While he is unafraid of condemning a usage as ‘wrong’, every entry in his book has a 5-point scale, which allows him to be more subtle than that: ‘mostly wrong’ or ‘nearly acceptable’. Second, he uses a deep well of citations to buttress his claims. Third, the latest edition makes use of the vast data from Google Books, so he can find out whether a usage is growing or receding, common or rare. That has even, in a small few instances, changed his rulings from previous editions. (Never trust a person who won’t change their mind no matter what the evidence.) As a relatively conservative volume, this is the book you turn to for advice that will help you avoid annoying the most hardened sticklers. But Garner has no truck with fake rules like the prohibition of split infinitives.” Lane Greene , Journalist

Browse book recommendations:

  • Evolution of Language
  • New Language Books
  • Writing Books

While there's an idea that writing is an innate skill, visited on exceptional human beings by a divine muse, the truth is that it involves a lot of practice and hard work. Below, you'll find all our book recommendations relating to writing and how to write. They range from books that shed insight on how leading authors think about their own writing process, often including practical tips (e.g. Stephen King recommends not using adverbs unless you really have to) to textbook-like books that you can use to improve your basic grammar and punctuation. Reference books are also important, as it's useful to decide on one authority that you turn to as your style guide. Rules can be subjective and vary significantly between, say, American and British English.

One recently published book that tries to spell out what makes the writing of the great Russian short story writers so compelling is A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by the Booker Prize-winning novelist George Saunders. The book is based on a class he teaches to aspiring writers at Syracuse University. Like many of the inspiring books on these lists, it's hard not to want to try your hand at writing a story of your own after reading it.

The best books on How to Write , recommended by Eric Olsen

The best books on How to Write - Ron Carlson Writes a Story by Ron Carlson

Ron Carlson Writes a Story by Ron Carlson

The best books on How to Write - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

The Faith of a Writer by Joyce Carol Oates

The best books on How to Write - The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes

The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes

The best books on How to Write - The Eleventh Draft by Frank Conroy (editor)

The Eleventh Draft by Frank Conroy (editor)

From their egos and anxieties to the way they work, writers have more in common than we might think. The journalist and editor takes us inside the writing process and reveals who gives the best advice for aspiring authors

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The best books on Creative Writing - Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner

The best books on Creative Writing - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner

The best books on Creative Writing - Worstward Ho by Samuel Beckett

Worstward Ho by Samuel Beckett

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The best books on Comic Writing , recommended by Larry Doyle

The best books on Comic Writing - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

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Dating Your Mom by Ian Frazier

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Amateurs by Donald Barthelme

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The Dog of the South by Charles Portis

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The Peculiar Life of Thomas Penman by Bruce Robinson

What makes for great comic writing? Is it possible to say? The author and former Simpsons writer gives us his personal choice of five pitch-perfect examples

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The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Best-selling author says the elements you need to write a perfect thriller are a brilliant central character, some link to reality, and an inanimate object around which the human story revolves.

Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music

Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - The Infinite Variety of Music by Leonard Bernstein

The Infinite Variety of Music by Leonard Bernstein

Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - The Birth of Tragedy and The Case of Wagner by Friedrich Nietzsche

The Birth of Tragedy and The Case of Wagner by Friedrich Nietzsche

Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuhn As Told by a Friend by Thomas Mann, translated by John E. Woods

Doctor Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuhn As Told by a Friend by Thomas Mann, translated by John E. Woods

Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - Silence by John Cage

Silence by John Cage

Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - Music in a New Found Land by Wilfrid Mellers

Music in a New Found Land by Wilfrid Mellers

New Yorker music critic, Alex Ross , explains why writing about music is, really, nothing like "dancing about architecture."

New Yorker music critic, Alex Ross, explains why writing about music is, really, nothing like “dancing about architecture.”

The best books on Technical Communication , recommended by Kalid Azad

The best books on Technical Communication - Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

The best books on Technical Communication - A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley

A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley

The best books on Technical Communication - On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser

The best books on Technical Communication - The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams

The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams

The best books on Technical Communication - The Happy Body: The Simple Science of Nutrition, Exercise, and Relaxation by Aniela & Jerzy Gregorek

The Happy Body: The Simple Science of Nutrition, Exercise, and Relaxation by Aniela & Jerzy Gregorek

Communicating clearly about complex issues is somewhere between an enviable talent and a workplace necessity. For those teaching STEM subjects, it's absolutely critical. Programmer and maths author Kalid Azad recommends five useful books for communicating technical subjects effectively.

Communicating clearly about complex issues is somewhere between an enviable talent and a workplace necessity. For those teaching STEM subjects, it’s absolutely critical. Programmer and maths author Kalid Azad recommends five useful books for communicating technical subjects effectively.

The best books on Creative Writing , recommended by Sophie King

The best books on Creative Writing - The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club by Maeve Binchy

The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club by Maeve Binchy

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Wannabe a Writer? by Jane Wenham-Jones

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How to Write for Children by Louise Jordan

The best books on Creative Writing - Rewriting by David Micheal Kaplan

Rewriting by David Micheal Kaplan

The author and creative writing teacher tells us where to go for tips on finding your voice, grabbing the reader's attention and getting published

The author and creative writing teacher tells us where to go for tips on finding your voice, grabbing the reader’s attention and getting published

The best books on How to Write Poetry , recommended by Kathleen J Graber

The best books on How to Write Poetry - Fire to Fire by Mark Doty

Fire to Fire by Mark Doty

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What Goes On by Stephen Dunn

The best books on How to Write Poetry - Black Zodiac by Charles Wright

Black Zodiac by Charles Wright

The best books on How to Write Poetry - Winter Stars by Larry Levis

Winter Stars by Larry Levis

The best books on How to Write Poetry - This Time by Gerald Stern

This Time by Gerald Stern

According to Graber, poetry demands that readers and thinkers slow down; just as a poem emerges through careful attention, it demands and recreates that kind of attention within the reader

The best books on Screenwriting , recommended by Richard Walter

The best books on Screenwriting - Lew Hunter’s Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter

Lew Hunter’s Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter

The best books on Screenwriting - Write Screenplays That Sell by Hal Ackerman

Write Screenplays That Sell by Hal Ackerman

The best books on Screenwriting - Poetics by Aristotle

Poetics by Aristotle

The best books on Screenwriting - Plots and Characters by Millard Kaufman

Plots and Characters by Millard Kaufman

The best books on Screenwriting - Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters by Michael Tierno

Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters by Michael Tierno

The Hollywood screenwriting guru picks the best five books on writing a blockbusting screenplay. Aristotle knew what he was doing. It's all about the story. Less is more. One word is better than lots of words. Simple really.

The Hollywood screenwriting guru picks the best five books on writing a blockbusting screenplay. Aristotle knew what he was doing. It’s all about the story. Less is more. One word is better than lots of words. Simple really.

The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books , recommended by Mark Nichol

The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - Garner's Modern English Usage (5th edition) by Bryan A. Garner

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary by Merriam-Webster

The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style by Arthur Plotnik

Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style by Arthur Plotnik

The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Straus

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Straus

The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Amy Einsohn

The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Amy Einsohn

In the age of the internet, we are all writers. Correct grammar and punctuation are key to making a good impression. Grammar geek Mark Nichol , a writer at Daily Writing Tips , picks five of the best grammar and punctuation books, and tells us why bad grammar leads to anarchy.

In the age of the internet, we are all writers. Correct grammar and punctuation are key to making a good impression. Grammar geek Mark Nichol, a writer at Daily Writing Tips , picks five of the best grammar and punctuation books, and tells us why bad grammar leads to anarchy.

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand seven hundred interviews, or eight thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.

© Five Books 2024

14 Must-Read Books for Every Stage of Writing a Novel

14 Must-Read Books for Writing a Novel

by Lewis / December 15, 2020 / Other

If you want to be a writer, you need to read…

This is pretty common advice in the writing world, and for good reason. Reading is how we learn to craft better stories, the same way singers learn by listening to music and painters learn by studying the masters. However, you shouldn’t limit your reading time to just fiction—you need a healthy dose of nonfiction too!

Fortunately, there are hundreds of excellent nonfiction books out there, all dedicated to helping writers hone their writing craft, edit their novels, and find their muse. So, whether you’re looking for advice on brainstorming or are ready to hit publish, here are fourteen must-read books for writing a novel!

Learning to Write a Novel

  • 1 Learning to Write a Novel
  • 2.1 Books for Outlining a Novel:
  • 2.2 Books for Writing a Novel:
  • 2.3 Books for Editing a Novel:
  • 2.4 Books for Publishing a Novel:
  • 2.5 Books for Inspiration:
  • 3 The Best Books for Writing a Novel!

14 Must-Read Books for Every Stage of Writing a Novel

In reality, though, that’s simply not true.

Anyone can write a novel if they set their mind to it, and a good novel too. The key is to take the time to learn, both through practice, but also by absorbing every bit of knowledge you can. Blogs like this one are great for that, along with writing podcasts , “ author-tubers ,” and more. However, in the world of fiction writing, by far the best resources available are nonfiction books on the writing craft.

Books like these are actually where I started my personal writing journey all the way back in the summer of 2015.

This was when I first decided to take my writing seriously and—looking back on it—I read well over twenty books on writing before that year’s NaNoWriMo. Those books eventually formed the foundation of my fiction writing skills, taking what I already knew subconsciously and helping me put it into a more concrete writing practice.

Fast forward to now and I’ve written a few writing craft books of my own as I’ve continued to grow as a writer. Yet, I can’t help but circle back to those early books that meant so much to my writing journey. They still hold up all these years later, and as a result they’ve earned themselves a permanent place on my bookshelf.

Today, I’d like to share them with you!

No matter where you are in your writing process, there’s something for you here—from outlining to editing and beyond. Of course, because everyone is at a different point in their writing journey, I’ve made sure to organize these books by category. This should make them easier to reference, so feel free to jump to the section that fits you best.

Let’s get started!

My 14 Favorite Books for Writing a Novel

Books for outlining a novel:, structuring your novel – k.m. weiland.

best writing books

This book is a classic for a reason, as it’s by far one of the best introductions to story structure around. Not only is it a vital book to read before outlining a novel, but it’s also just an excellent tool for developing a better understanding of storytelling as an art form. After all, story structure is a key part of creating a strong novel, meaning having a solid structure from the start will make the whole writing process much easier!

Plot Versus Character – Jeff Gerke

plot versus character

This is a super intuitive book that would be a huge help for anyone struggling to balance both their novel’s plot and characters—as the title suggests! Best of all, Gerke doesn’t stop at explaining this balance in theory. He also shows you how to strengthen whichever side you struggle with, so you can achieve that balance too. Overall, this is a great book to read early in the outlining process.

Take Off Your Pants – Libbie Hawker

take off your pants

Amusing title aside, this book has a unique take on outlining, specifically geared towards getting pantsers to come over to the Dark Side and embrace plotting.

However, that’s actually not my favorite aspect of Hawker’s book. You see, this is one of the few books I’ve found that really gets into the weeds on chapter structure . Personally, I’ve grown to believe that chapters are best handled during the editing phase, but that doesn’t mean Hawker doesn’t have some great wisdom to share on the topic. If you read this book for nothing else, read it for that!

The Ten Day Outline – Lewis Jorstad

The Ten Day Outline by Lewis Jorstad

While the other books in this category (other than perhaps Take Off Your Pants ) are more focused on the craft behind storytelling, The Ten Day Outline is all about the process of outlining a novel itself. Basically, over the span of ten days, this book will help you take a single idea and turn it into a fully fledged story through a series of prompts, questions, and guides.

By the end, you’ll have everything you need to write your novel with confidence—which is pretty cool, at least in my (biased) opinion! 🙂

Books for Writing a Novel:

The ten day draft – lewis jorstad.

The Ten Day Draft

Again, this is one of my own books, but that’s for a reason. There simply aren’t a ton of books that guide you through the process of writing a novel itself, because really, you just need to write!

Still, I think this book is worth your time for one key reason—first drafts are difficult. Having someone to guide you can be invaluable, especially if this is your first attempt at writing a novel. From managing your mindset to overcoming common story blocks, The Ten Day Draft is about the act of writing more than anything else. Basically, if you’re looking for a writing coach in book form, then this is the book for you!

The Emotion Thesaurus – Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman

best writing books

While there are tons of tips and tricks out there for avoiding writer’s block, sometimes you will get stuck—it’s just part of the writing experience. Fortunately, The Emotion Thesaurus (along with all of Becca and Angela’s books) can be a huge help.

These books are similar to a database of writing information, making them a great thing to reference when you need to come up with different situations, character reactions, emotions, and more. The Emotion Thesaurus is the first book in the series, and my personal favorite—but all of them are definitely worth checking out.

Books for Editing a Novel:

Writing tools – roy peter clark.

best writing books

Of course, there is a caveat here—this book is best saved for the editing process. While it’s filled with awesome advice, it also goes in depth on proper punctuation, writing style, grammar, and more. These are all important to master, but they’re easy to feel overwhelmed by if you’re still working on your first draft. However, once you have a solid manuscript under your belt, Writing Tools is definitely a book to pick up.

The Ten Day Edit – Lewis Jorstad

The Ten Day Edit

Much like the rest of the series, The Ten Day Edit is all about process. This book is designed to take the often confusing, jumbled mess that is editing, and turn it into a structured, painless experience. It’ll guide you as you take stock of your current draft, help you formulate fixes through targeted prompts, and finally motivate you to put your new plan into action.

Even though I published this book less than a year ago, I still find myself reaching for it whenever I turn my attention to editing, which I guess makes sense—all the prompts and techniques in this book are ones I use myself. 🙂

Books for Publishing a Novel:

Successful self-publishing – joanna penn.

best writing books

Self-publishing is one of those topics that can be incredibly intimidating and confusing your first time around—which is why I so frequently recommend this book. Not only is this is a great introduction to the basics of self-publishing, but Joanna’s writing style is also approachable and easy-going. Really, this is the perfect book to pick up if you’re just getting started. Plus, it’s free on Amazon Kindle too!

The Business of Being a Writer – Jane Friedman

best writing books

This book is essentially the big-brother to Successful Self-Publishing , and goes way more in depth on the business behind being a writer. As a result, this is definitely a book for more advanced authors—likely those who already have a book or two under their belt. Still, if you genuinely want to make writing your career, Friedman is an absolute wealth of knowledge. I highly recommend this one!

The Ten Day Author – Lewis Jorstad

The Ten Day Author Lewis Jorstad

As you might be able to guess, The Ten Day Author is the fourth and final book (at least currently) in my Ten Day Novelist series. Just like its predecessors, it’ll walk you through every stage of self-publishing a novel, from writing your blurb to eventually hitting “publish.”

Unfortunately, the book won’t be out until Spring 2021, but this roundup seemed like the perfect place to drop an early hint. I hope you’re as excited about it as I am!

The Ten Day Author has officially gone live! You can check it out on Amazon here. 🙂

Books for Inspiration:

The emotional craft of fiction – donald maass.

the emotional craft of fiction

At first glance, this may seem like an odd book to put in the Inspiration category. However, this is actually one of my favorite books to read whenever I’m suffering from writer’s block .

You see, writer’s block is frequently the result of hitting a dead end in your story—and often the best remedy is shaking things up in the lives of your characters. So, while this may be an unconventional choice for this category, I recommend giving it try—you might be surprised just how much it changes your perspective on your story!

The Writer’s Journey – Christopher Vogler

the writer's journey

This is a book I’ve talked about a lot on this blog, and with good reason—if I had to choose only one book on writing to read for the rest of my life, this would be the one.

Basically, if you haven’t read any of my posts on the Hero’s Journey , Vogler’s writing is all about the innate cycles we all go through in life—as well as how those translate to our storytelling. Overall, this book just makes me excited to be a writer, while also reminding me of a lot of important aspects of the writing craft as I go!

The Writer’s Process – Anne Janzer

best writing books

It seemed fitting to wrap up this post with a book all about crafting your unique writing process. After all, good habits and a positive mindset are two of the most important tools you can have as a writer—more so than any amount of talent or luck.

Fortunately , w hether you need help capturing your muse or structuring your writing routine, Janzer has a lot of great advice to share. Ultimately, while you’ll certainly develop your writing process in your own personal way, this book is a great place to start.

The Best Books for Writing a Novel!

While creating this roundup, I couldn’t help but look back on my own writing journey. Funnily enough, I can distinctly remember a time where I was reading almost exclusively nonfiction, and nearly all of those were books on writing. As much as I missed having some dedicated “fiction time,” I can’t say I regret this phase in the slightest—these books created the foundation of my skills as a writer.

Of course, you don’t need to be nearly as extreme as I was!

Whether you just read one book from this list or all fourteen, I’m confident they’ll all serve you well. After all, the idea that you learn to write by reading is 100% true—and that includes nonfiction just as much as fiction.

In the end, there are a lot of authors out there excited to share their wisdom with you, and I hope this list introduced you to a few that might eventually become your favorite. 🙂

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” – Steven King

What’s your favorite book on writing? Let me know in the comments!

Thoughts on 14 must-read books for writing a novel.

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Hey Lewis 🙂

You already know my must-reads including all four of your published writing books as well as Katie’s books on Structure, Character Arc, and Outlining. In my travels through the world of books on writing books I have yet to find any that are pacing specific. What would you say your favorite, must have book, on pacing is?

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That’s a great question, and to be honest, I can’t think of any writing craft books I’ve read that are specifically focused on pacing. There is Fiction Pacing by Rayne Hall , which I’ve heard good things about, but I haven’t checked out myself. Maybe that would be a decent starting place?

If you do end up checking out Rayne’s book, definitely let me know what you think!

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Hi Lewis, I totally agree that one’s ability to write is not wholly determined by innate talent. I’m a big proponent of deliberate practice, which is why I’m excited to go through your list. Also, I love the premise for your 10-day series!

I’m glad to hear that Mason! Let me know which book from this list is your favorite. 🙂

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10 Best Books on Writing Skills You Must-Read to Level Up

If you want to develop your writing skills, you need to learn from the best. Here are 10 writing books you can use to improve your skills fast.

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Tomas Laurinavicius

Co-Founder & Chief Editor, Best Writing

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If you asked me what’s the best way to  become a better writer , I’d say three things:

Read, write, and read about writing— in that order .

The idea that reading books on writing will help you become better at the task seems a bit strange at first. But after you start writing every day—professionally, that is—you will see that you will face some hard problems that will haunt you every time you sit down to write.

The simplest way to overcome these issues and adopt a philosophy of writing that will make you a more professional, resilient, and wiser writer is to read the books about writing that masters of the craft have published.

Learn from the best, and guess what? You will become the best writer you can be.

I love reading about writing because that's how I've become a pretty good writer over time, despite the fact English isn't my native tongue.

Because I've been blessed with the wisdom of so many great writers who have come before me, I want to share my favorite ten books on writing so you can benefit as much as I have.

Let’s get started.

10 Writing Books Every Writer Should Read

Author : Stephen King

A writing book from the world’s leading horror writer that will help you understand what it takes to write consistently, find your muse, and master your writing toolbox.

Let me start by saying I’ve never read a book from Stephen King.

If there was ever a bad Stephen King fan, it’s me.

Yet, when confronted with the idea of listening to his audiobook (narrated by the author himself), I decided to buy it and see what this bestselling author has to say about the craft. I don’t really know why I bought it; it just caught my eye.

To my delight, listening to this book was incredibly pleasurable; Mr. King did a terrific job of sharing his philosophy of writing and his attitude towards it.

More importantly, his rather geeky voice conveyed the important parts of the book; the ones that he clearly cared about.

One of the most important writing lessons I took was the whole idea of finding the muse (see the quote below).

King also talks about grammar, sentence structure, adverbs (hint:  he hates them ), dialogues and conversations, draft development, and the craft of writing.

I wasn’t expecting to learn as much as I did from his book. If you’ve read some of my articles on this site, you will have surely seen I quote him every two articles.  On Writing  is  that  good.

On Writing  has been a highly influential book for me, and it’s one any writer — regardless of whether you’re a fan of his or not — will benefit from reading.

👉  Buy On Writing

Best Quotes from On Writing

Where Good Ideas Come From

Let’s get one thing clear right now, shall we? There is no Idea Dump, no Story Central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers; good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn’t to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up.

How to Wake Up the Muse

There is a muse, but he’s not going to come fluttering down into your writing room and scatter creative fairy-dust all over your typewriter or computer station. He lives in the ground. He’s a basement guy. You have to descend to his level, and once you get down there you have to furnish an apartment for him to live in. You have to do all the grunt labor, in other words, while the muse sits and smokes cigars and admires his bowling trophies and pretends to ignore you. Do you think this is fair? I think it’s fair. He may not be much to look at, that muse-guy, and he may not be much of a conversationalist (what I get out of mine is mostly surly grunts, unless he’s on duty), but he’s got the inspiration. It’s right that you should do all the work and burn all the midnight oil, because the guy with the cigar and the little wings has got a bag of magic. There’s stuff in there that can change your life.

What to Write About

Now comes the big question: What are you going to write about? And the equally big answer: Anything you damn well want. Anything at all…as long as you tell the truth.

Perfect For : Any type of writer—fiction or nonfiction—who’s struggling to find their muse, who wants to know what it feels like to be a writer, and who wants to master the writing skills to become better at their craft.

The Elements of Style

Authors : William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

A classic book on grammar, style, and punctuation. If you feel like you need to improve any of those three aspects of your writing, then this book is a great start.

When I was first getting started writing as a professional content writer, I remember other writers wouldn’t stop mentioning  The Elements of Style .

“ What is all the fuzz about? ” I thought to myself.

So I picked a copy. With 85 pages, it’s a short read.

But don’t let the size fool you. Concise as it is, you will learn so much from this book that you’d feel like a different writer after you read it.

Originally written by William Strunk Jr. in 1918 (yes, over one hundred years ago!), and edited in 1959 by E.B. White, this book is as useful today as it was back in the analog days of writing.

The book starts with “The Elementary Rules of Usage,” where the authors explain some of the basic concepts of grammar and style like:

  • Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause (chapter #4)
  • Do not join independent clauses with a comma (chapter #5)
  • Use a dash to set up an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary (chapter #8)

If you read often and like to analyze what you read—that is, if you’re a nerd like me—then these rules are pretty basic.

The second section, “Elementary Principles of Composition,” talks about more complex and advanced rules of composition, such as:

  • Use the active voice (chapter #14)
  • Omit needless words (chapter #17)
  • Keep related words together (chapter #20)

These rules continue to be pretty basic, but since they relate to the style of composition, they affect the way you write with more power than the previous grammar rules from the first section.

Coming from an era where writing wasn’t as simple as opening a laptop and writing anything you like knowing that you can erase what you write in one swoop, the authors emphasize the importance of clarity.

The following two sections—“A Few Matters of Form” and “Words and Expressions Commonly Misused”—focus on specific parts of the writing toolbox.

In the first section of the two mentioned, the authors talk about how to use parentheses, hyphens, and references—all highly technical concepts but still useful for anyone who wants to know the “standard” way of using those elements of writing.

In the second of the two, one of the largest of the book, the authors take a dictionary-like approach, talking about common homophones, homographs, and other commonly misused expressions. This section is meant to be used mostly as a reference point than as a tool for learning.

The final section, “An Approach to Style (with A List of Reminders)” minds itself on different writing style recommendations. I’ve found this section to be the most useful as it focuses on the actual elements of style.

The advice, while basic and obvious as it may look, is incredibly refreshing. Some of these “reminders” they mention include:

  • Do not overwrite
  • Avoid fancy words

In a world where people often avoid studying grammar and style, this last section is the fastest and easiest way to improve both elements at the same time.

Most books about writing, like “On Writing Well” and which is mentioned next, are the children of The Elements of Style; an extension, if you will.

Named by Time  as one of the 100 best and most influential books written in English since 1923, there’s hardly any better book to start working on your writing skills than with The Elements of Style. Do yourself — and your readers — a favor, and pick a copy.

👉  Buy The Elements of Style

Best Quotes from The Elements of Style

Imitate Other Writers

The use of language begins with imitation. […] Never imitate consciously, but do not worry about being an imitator; take pains instead of admiring what is good. Then when you write in a way that comes naturally, you will echo the halloos that bear repeating.

Do Not Overwrite

Rich, ornate prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome, and sometimes nauseating. When writing with a computer, you must guard against wordiness. The click and flow of a word processor can be seductive, and you may find yourself adding a few unnecessary words or even a whole passage just to experience the pleasure of running your fingers over the keyboard and watching your words appear on the screen. It is always a good idea to reread your writing later and ruthlessly delete the excess.

Avoid Fancy Words

Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy, and the cute. Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy, ready and able.

Perfect For : Anyone who wants to improve his or her writing without having to take a course or read a complex book on the subject.

On Writing Well

Author : William Zinsser

Another classic for writers who want to learn what it means to be a professional writer, how to find one’s style, and how to write with it.

After The Elements of Style, I often saw writers recommend  On Writing Well  as their favorite book on writing.

Puzzled as I was to see why it was recommended so much, I bought it and read it. Soon afterward, I realized why it is so famous.

If I had to summarize this book in a sentence, I’d say it’s a book that teaches you the best ways to find your writing style, develop it, and then polish it.

I think the reason why this book has been a classic for writers, just like The Elements of Style, is that the author doesn’t get too philosophical or cutesy in his concepts, neither he gets too technical. In a way, it provides the right balance between The Elements of Style and Bird by Bird (see next), which is what I like about it.

The book is separated into four sections:

  • Principles : Where the author explains seven basic concepts for any writer to grasp, including avoiding clutter and understanding style
  • Methods : Where the author explains three key writing methods, including how to start and end a piece
  • Forms : Where the author explains nine ways to structure different writing forms, including nonfiction, biographies, and sports
  • Attitudes : Where the author explains six different concepts around the psychology of writing

On Writing Well feels like a book a coach or a friendly writing professor would write. The author, William Zinsser, goes over each of the 25 chapters as if he was giving you personal advice.

Reading the book feels like you're being mentored by a wise, highly experienced writer. And you'll be a much better writer thanks to it.

👉  Buy On Writing Well

Best Quotes from On Writing Well

What a Writer Really Writes About

Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is.

Writing Style

There is no style store; style is organic to the person doing the writing, as much a part of him as his hair, or, if he is bald, his lack of it. Trying to add style is like adding a toupee.This is the problem of writers who set out deliberately to garnish their prose. You lose whatever it is that makes you unique. The reader will notice if you are putting on airs. Readers want the person who is talking to them to sound genuine. Therefore a fundamental rule is: be yourself.

How to Engage an Audience

First, work hard to master the tools. Simplify, prune and strive for order. Think of this as a mechanical act, and soon your sentences will become cleaner. The act will never become as mechanical as, say, shaving or shampooing; you will always have to think about the various ways in which the tools can be used. But at least your sentences will be grounded in solid principles, and your chances of losing the reader will be smaller.Think of the other as a creative act: the expressing of who you are. Relax and say what you want to say.Never say anything in writing that you wouldn’t comfortably say in conversation. If you’re not a person who says “indeed” or “moreover,” or who calls someone an individual (“he’s a fine individual”), please don’t write it.

Perfect For : Writers who want to learn the philosophy of writing, who want to discover their own style, and who want to improve its output quality.

Bird by Bird

Author : Anne Lamott

The most touching, poetic, and psychological book I’ve ever read about writing.

All the writing books mentioned in this list are incredible on their own right. Written by expert writers, they go over the many details of writing — grammar, style, storytelling — but any one of them takes the road on which Bird by Bird chooses to stroll.

I’ll be the first one to tell you I hate clichés, poetic phraseology for the sake of poetry, and silly sensitivity (think most self-help books). Bird by Bird doesn’t fall for any of these traps, yet it manages to be poetic and sensitive without being too fragile for confronting the reality of writing.

The first part of the book lays around the life of Anne Lamott, a relatively popular fiction writer, who happens to have had a quite interesting life.

Before reading  Bird by Bird , I didn't know who she was. But just like On Writing (the first book mentioned in here), the author manages to share enough of her life to enlighten the story and thesis of the book.

In the later stages of the book, Ms. Lamott lays her philosophy of writing. Why should you care to read the philosophy of this particular writer, you may ask? Because it’s crafted with the detail and poetry of a fiction book without losing its essence.

The author explains what it takes to be a writer, what it means to be one, and how you can develop a narrative for a fiction book or story.

It’s hard to explain what it makes this book so pleasurable to read (I actually heard it as an audiobook, another great experience which the author herself reads), but it’s still a wonderful experience that will help you understand how you can overcome your own fears, doubts, and pains of writing.

Meant mostly for fiction writers, the author spends some time explaining the different aspects of developing a plot, a story, and the characters of one.

Even though I don’t read fiction and I don’t plan to write fiction anytime soon, it’s still a must-read for any professional content writer.

Whether you want to write fiction or nonfiction, Bird by Bird provides a beautiful reading experience that will teach you what it takes to be a writer and how to find your demons.

👉  Buy Bird by Bird

Best Quotes from Bird by Bird

Shitty First Drafts

Now, practically even better news than that of short assignments is the idea of shitty first drafts. All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts.Very few writers really know what they are doing until they’ve done it. Nor do they go about their business feeling dewy and thrilled.The only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts.

Looking Around

Writing is about learning to pay attention and to communicate what is going on.Writing involves seeing people suffer and, as Robert Stone once put it, finding some meaning therein.
Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong.Say to yourself in the kindest possible way, Look, honey, all we’re going to do for now is to write a description of the river at sunrise, or the young child swimming in the pool at the club, or the first time the man sees the woman he will marry. That is all we are going to do for now. We are just going to take this bird by bird. But we are going to finish this one short assignment.

Perfect For : Writers who suffer from impostor’s syndrome, who fear the blank page, or who fight to develop a first draft.

Writing Tools

Author : Roy Peter Clark

A summary of writing tools that any writer needs to master.

I like to think of writing as art made up of hundreds upon hundreds of techniques all intertwined together. You can’t use one without—directly or indirectly—using another one.

What’s more, there’s a blurry line between actual grammar rules with stylistic concepts that make a given era. For example, the whole idea of writing colloquially is a relatively new concept, yet there are no hard rules that tell you to use that manner of writing. You write colloquially because that's what you are used to.

Mastering the art of wordsmithing is hard. You can’t really study it; you only need to practice it and let it mature. But if you don’t know what actual  writing techniques  you can use, then the entire process gets messy. A catch-22, indeed.

Writing Tools is the first book I’ve ever read that tackles this dilemma. Roy Peter Clark, a writer and famous writing coach, dissects 50 of the most common writing tools and explains them clearly for anyone to understand and use.

The author doesn’t analyze each tool abstractly; rather, he goes back and forth between the theory and the application of it. Such a structure makes it not only easy to read and highly engaging but also much easier to understand.

Books on writing often get too technical and dull for the common reader. Clark, instead, takes a more practical approach that I enjoyed throughout the book.

Some of the tools he analyzes include:

  • Adverbs usage
  • Inflection usage
  • Word and sentence pace
  • Dialogue usage

Whether you use the writing tools he shared in his book, the fact you're aware of their existence will help you craft better content.

Ever since I read Writing Tools, it became a favorite of mine—in my opinion, the best book Clark has ever written.

👉  Buy Writing Tools

Best Quotes from Writing Tools

Let Punctuation Control Pace and Space

Most punctuation is required, but some is optional, leaving the writer with many choices. My modest goal is to highlight those choices, to transform the formal rules of punctuation into useful tools.If a period is a stop sign, then what kind of traffic flow is created by other marks? The comma is a speed bump; the semicolon is what a driver education teacher calls a “rolling stop”; the parenthetical expression is a detour; the colon is a flashing yellow light that announces something important up ahead; the dash is a tree branch in the road.

Cut Big, Then Small

When writers fall in love with their words, it is a good feeling that can lead to a bad effect. When we fall in love with all our quotes, characters, anecdotes, and metaphors, we cannot bear to kill any of them. But kill we must. In 1914 British author Arthur Quiller-Couch wrote it bluntly: “Murder your darlings.”

Get the Name of the Dog

When details of character and setting appeal to the senses, they create an experience for the reader that leads to understanding. […] Inexperienced writers may choose the obvious detail, the man puffing on the cigarette, the young woman chewing on what’s left of her fingernails. Those details fail to tell — unless the man is dying of lung cancer or the woman is anorexic.At the St. Petersburg Times, editors and writing coaches warn reporters not to return to the office without “the name of the dog.” That reporting task does not require the writer to use the detail in the story, but it reminds the reporter to keep her eyes and ears opened.The good writer uses telling details, not only to inform, but to persuade.

Perfect For : Writers who know that they need to improve their writing but can’t figure out what it is that they have to improve.

The Art of X-Ray Reading

A deep analysis of the writing styles of famous writers.

I’m not a fan of fiction. It’s strange, because I love reading, and I appreciate a good story, but fiction isn’t the type of writing I enjoy. I like facts and abstractions that only a non-fiction book can provide.

Sadly, this inclination for non-fiction ends up leaving me from enjoying some of the best writers, including people as diverse as Anton Chekhov, William Burroughs, and even William Shakespeare.

Fortunately, however, Roy Peter Clark wrote  The Art of X-Ray Reading  to analyze the writing styles of such writers with the goal to uncover the elements that make their writing so good.

Analyzing content is always hard because you can’t measure it quantitively. The same happens with any type of art, including painting and cinema. You can measure a writer’s use of grammar and language, but only when they mess something up, not when they amaze you with their technique.

Roy Peter Clark is a master at analyzing content (it’s no coincidence he wrote Writing Tools), so he made this book a pretty good attempt at quantifying the actual techniques of 25 of the best writers of all time, including:

  • Scott J. Fitzgerald (chapter #1)
  • Sylvia Plath (chapter #5)
  • Gabriel García Márquez (chapter #11)
  • Charles Dickens (chapter #25)

The book doesn’t analyze their entire production; it doesn’t even analyze an entire book. Clark focuses on small pieces of their most famous books, uncovering specific excerpts that shine a light on their unique qualities.

I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I thought I would. Actually, I didn’t like Help for Writers! (which I don't feature in this list) or even The Glamour of Grammar (featured next) as much I liked this one.

I remember I read this book while I was in New York City, reading most of it in my long daily subway rides. The book, the thesis, and the narrative Clark developed caught me entirely. I ignored my surroundings entirely. When that happens, you know that's a sign that the book is amazing.

While it does fall short in analyzing the entire technique box of the writers—something that’d take an entire book on its own for each author—it still helps you understand with more clarity what makes a great writer achieve such masterful use of the language.

👉  Buy The Art of X-Ray Reading

Best Quotes from The Art of X-Ray Reading

On Imitating

Here is a big writing move: study the moves of writers you admire (and some you don’t). Without plagiarizing, look for ways to imitate that work. Be attentive to the way your own writing begins to show this influence and then moves beyond it.

Repetition vs. Redundancy

Embrace the distinction between repetition and redundancy. Use the first to establish a pattern in the work, whether of language or imagery. Redundancy is not always a bad thing. (Redundant systems on an airplane keep it in the air, even if one system breaks down.)When you repeat a word, phrase, or other element of language or narrative, make sure it is worth repeating. Make sure that each repetition advances the story in some way. Ineffective repetition slows down a narrative. Effective repetition helps it gain traction. Each reappearance of a character or repetition of a phrase can add meaning, suspense, mystery, or energy to a story.

On Motivation

In human experience, motivation is a cracked mirror, never providing a pure reflection. Avoid, in both fiction and nonfiction, any simple explanation for why characters make important choices.

Perfect For : Writers who have read Hemingway, Fitzgerald, or Shakespeare and think “how could I ever write like them?”

The Glamour of Grammar

A book on the beauty of grammar, without the boring technicalities of it.

Grammar is the most important element of a writer’s toolbox. If you don’t master grammar, you can’t write; it’s that simple.

Grammar explains why and how we use punctuation, word classes (i.e., nouns, adjectives, etc.), and sentence structures, among other things.

Sad as it may be, an understanding of grammar is paramount for any writer, but at the same time, it can be boring as hell. What’s more, grammar can cause a “paralysis by analysis” situation where you spend too much time thinking on how to write a sentence correctly instead of just writing it and letting your style dictate your ideas.

In “ The Glamour of Grammar ,” Roy Peter Clark makes the whole process of mastering grammar a pleasurable experience. He separates the entire grammar world into five parts:

Made up of 50 chapters, each one talking about a different aspect of grammar, Clark explains how to understand grammar in basic terms, without getting too technical or abstract.

The author clearly wanted to distribute his 50 lessons equally among the five sections, something that makes some chapters a bit redundant or boring (e.g. “Chapter #6: Take a class on how to cross-dress the parts of speech”).

The best parts, I believe, hover around the use of the different punctuation marks (section #2: Points), the use of grammar rules (section #3: Standards), and the construction of meaning within sentences (section #4: Meaning).

If you’re new to grammar, or if you want to go over some rules that you forgot, The Glamour of Grammar will be an easy introduction to the world of grammar.

👉  Buy The Glamour of Grammar

There are many other books on the subject of grammar (some of which I haven’t read and, as far as I know, are much more technical) which you should consider reading.

The Best Punctuation Book, Period , by June Casagrande, is a good book, similar to The Art of Grammar.

Some of the books that I've not read and which have great reviews include:

  • Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style , by Benjamin Dreyer
  • It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences: A Writer’s Guide to Crafting Killer Sentences , by June Casagrande
  • The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment , by Susan Thruman
  • Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English , by Patricia T. O’Conner

Best Quotes from The Glamour of Grammar

The Short-word Economy of English

When a story is powerful, keep the language spare. In English, spare language depends on short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs at the points of highest emotion.Try saying the most important thing using short words in short sentences.

Emphasis and Space

To build suspense, writers slow down the pace of the story. The best way to do this is with a series of short sentences. The more periods—the more full stops—the slower the reader will go.From now on think of the period as a full stop, and begin to look at the place right before the full stop as a hot spot, a point of emphasis.

The Best Sentences

The best sentences, even the most serious ones, are fun to write, coming from creative drafting and revision, not from some diagrammatic calculation.

Perfect For : Writers who want to discover the beautiful aspects of grammar and how to master it without falling for all its technicalities.

Cashvertising

Author : Drew Eric Whitman

A psychology-driven copywriting book that will show you how you can craft copy that works.

I love reading about copywriting—actually, I like reading about the topic more than I like actually writing copy.

Copywriting never felt right for me; I like the art of writing copy and promoting it than trying to make a sale right away from my content. It’s strange, but it’s just a personal predilection.

The reason why I’m attracted to copywriting, even if it is from a theoretical perspective, is that it has something that content marketing lacks.

In the simplest terms,  copywriting is the art of writing copy to sell .

To make a sale, in contrast to what most people think, the copywriter must have a deep understanding of the audience’s needs and desires. More importantly, copywriting requires a  deep understanding of human psychology .

Cashvertising was one of the first copywriting books I’ve ever read, and it's still up to this day one of the books that had the most impact on my writing career.

In contrast to what most copywriting books do, which is to focus on the copywriting techniques, the words to use, and other specific aspects of the craft, this book spends more time talking about the psychology of human behavior than anything else.

In this book, Drew Eric Whitman starts with an explanation of the “ Life-Force 8 ”—the eight desires for which humans are biologically programmed—and the “ 9 secondary human wants. ”

Any successful advertising or marketing campaign works thanks to the leverage of any of these forces and wants.

Then, he moves on to explaining 17 foundational principles of human psychology, which is one of the most interesting parts of the entire book.

This section could be a book on its own, and as it stands, it’s a summary of the most famous and useful psychology principles that exist. This includes Cialdini’s six principles of influence, Kahneman’s study of heuristics, and many more psychological models.

As I said before, copywriting works because of psychology, and Whitman talks a lot about the different psychological principles that make advertising work.

Finally, the author goes through 41 copywriting techniques. While this last section is closer to the typical technique-rich copywriting book you read, it doesn't downgrade the quality of the book.

All in all, whether you’re new to copywriting or not, Cashvertising is one of the best books you can read on the subject.

👉  Buy Cashvertising

Best Quotes from Cashvertising

The Formula for Desire

So here’s the simple formula for desire, and the result it sets in motion: Tension → Desire → Action to Satisfy the Desire In short, when you appeal to people’s LF8 desires, you create a drive that motivates them to take an action that will fulfill that desire as soon as possible.
People buy from you when they believe what you are selling is of greater value than the dollars they need to exchange for it.

Crank up the Scarcity

As advertisers, we need to motivate people to take action right now. We don’t want them to wait, or think about it, or put off the decision until the “later” that never comes. You want them to whip out their credit cards and order now. And it’s not simply a matter of asking for the order—any good salesperson knows to do that. It’s a matter of getting your prospect to take action when the offer is presented to them. And you do it by creating the perception of scarcity with powerful deadlines.

Perfect For : Anyone who wants to learn the basics of copywriting without any fluff.

Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This

Author : Luke Sullivan

A book on the philosophy of advertising and copywriting.

As you may have noticed, I’m a big fan of philosophy. It’s not that I’m that good at understanding theoretical philosophy—I struggle a lot with its abstract concepts—it’s just that I like the fact  philosophy teaches you how to think .

It’s great to learn techniques and tactics—whether that's on writing, advertising, marketing, or any other interesting topic—but if you don’t know how to use them, if you don’t know they fit within the larger strategy, then it’s pointless to use them.

I want to be able to think like an advertiser so I don’t have to rely on other people’s techniques but to create my own. That’s how you truly succeed at anything—and advertising is no exception.

Luke Sullivan, the author of “Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This,” takes a philosophical approach to advertising, going over the way it has historically worked, why people hate it, and how you can learn to master the skills to become a successful advertiser.

Unlike Cashvertising or other copywriting books that eventually get down onto the details of advertising techniques, Sullivan talks about broader aspects of the subject.

The book is filled with golden nuggets that will help you get a deeper understanding of how advertising and marketing works. From copywriting to TV ads, the author talks about what it takes to create something that people want to consume — that is, your ads.

“Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This” is an interesting, smart, and rich book that will help you understand more about the art of advertising.

👉  Buy Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This

Best Quotes from Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This

The truth isn’t the truth until people believe you, and they can’t believe you if they don’t know what you’re saying, and they can’t know what you’re saying if they don’t listen to you, and they won’t listen to you if you’re not interesting, and you won’t be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly.

What’s a Brand

A brand isn’t just the name on the box. It isn’t the thing in the box, either. A brand is the sum total of all the emotions, thoughts, images, history, possibilities, and gossip that exist in the marketplace about a certain company.

The Three Types of Copywriter You Can Be

Steve Hayden, most famous for penning Apple’s “1984” commercial, said: “If you want to be a well-paid copywriter, please your client. If you want to be an award-winning copywriter, please yourself. If you want to be a great copywriter, please your reader.”

Perfect For : Copywriters who’re getting started or anyone who wants to learn how to write great copy.

Trust Me, I’m Lying

Author : Ryan Holiday

A book on the dark art of PR and media manipulation in the current world of blogging and fake news.

When you see big media publications, you are likely to think of them as professional, forward-looking companies with high standards and ethics.

It turns out it’s all a lie. Media companies are desperate for attention; they make money with ads, which means they need as many eyeballs as possible. That leaves space for a man like Ryan Holiday, who he calls himself a “media manipulator.”

Holiday’s job is to get press for his clients. He doesn’t have a big team behind him or a lot of fame around him either. He simply knows how to leverage the loopholes the media business model has and get a lot of press without much effort.

Throughout the book, the author presents a dark overview of the media landscape. With analytical precision and a bit of philosophical pondering (I couldn’t like this book as much if it wasn’t a bit philosophical), Holiday explains that the media world isn’t made for the reader,  but for the media company to profit .

That fact wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t that media companies can easily manipulate people’s perception of reality, something that has eventually landed us in a world of “fake news” and “post-truth.”

Any content marketer who wants to understand how the press really works and how to use the weaknesses of the media model to his advantage should read this book, a complete eye-opener that will change your perception of your profession.

👉  Buy Trust Me, I'm Lying

Best Quotes from Trust Me, I’m Lying

The Blog Con

Blogs are not intended to be profitable and independent businesses. The tools they use to build traffic and revenue are part of a larger play.

The Manipulator’s Job

Bloggers eager to build names and publishers eager to sell their blogs are like two crooked businessmen colluding to create interest in a bogus investment opportunity—building up buzz and clearing town before anyone gets wise. In this world, where the rules and ethics are lax, a third player can exert massive influence. Enter: the media manipulator.The assumptions of blogging and their owners present obvious vulnerabilities that people like me exploit. They allow us to control what is in the media, because the media is too busy chasing profits to bother trying to stop us. They are not motivated to care. Their loyalty is not to their audience but to themselves and their con.

The Problem with Journalism

The problem of journalism, says Edward Jay Epstein in his book Between Fact and Fiction, is simple. Journalists are rarely in a position to establish the truth of an issue themselves, since they didn’t witness it personally. They are “entirely dependent on self-interested ‘sources’” to supply their facts. Every part of the news-making process is defined by this relationship; everything is colored by this reality.Who are these self-interested sources? Well, anyone selling a product, a message, or an agenda. People like me.

Perfect For : Anyone who wants to learn how the world of blogging works and how you can hack it to your advantage.

Time to Start Reading These Writing Books

So here you have it, the best ten books on writing.

Take the time to read them carefully, sipping each lesson slowly, because these lessons will take months or years to take root. But once they do, they will transform your writing in ways you would never imagine.

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Top travel reads for 2024, from memoirs to nature writing

From epic travelogues and nature writing to a pioneering travel publisher’s memoir, these titles will inspire adventure this year.

The natural world continues to inspire travel writers. Standout books for the year ahead include a collection of stories, illustrations and poems that explore our connection with nature, plus a travelogue inspiring us to discover the small green spaces on our doorstep. Walking remains a popular topic for authors, as evidenced by a pair of upcoming travelogues that hit the trail in rural Spain and Istanbul, respectively, plus a collection of literary works that asks the question: why explore on foot? And to celebrate Bradt Travel Guides reaching its 50 th anniversary this year, founder Hilary Bradt is set to release a memoir about her pioneering journeys both in print and around the lesser-explored corners of the planet.

1. Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wilderness

World explorer Alastair Humphries spent a year examining every square metre of a 12-mile radius around his home in suburban England and found wonder close to hand. A former National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Humphries has cycled around the globe, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean and even walked a lap of the M25 in one of his pioneering ‘microadventures’. His latest book is a celebration of slowing things down and discovering a small wild world right on your doorstep – it’s also a rallying cry to revitalise Britain’s depleted natural spaces and our right to roam in them. £12.99, Eye Books.

2. Taking the Risk: My Adventures in Travel and Publishing

Trailblazing travel publisher, Hilary Bradt’s eponymous guidebook company celebrates its 50 th anniversary this year. The first Bradt Travel Guide was born on an Amazon river barge in 1974: Backpacking Along Ancient Ways Peru & Bolivia which included some of the very first descriptions of the Inca Trail geared for travellers. Since then, Bradt has published guidebooks to the remotest parts of the planet – Eritrea, Mongolia and Madagascar among them. Championing slow and low-impact travel before the concepts were widespread, this memoir looks at back at a lifetime of trials, triumphs and following the lesser-known trail. £20.00, Bradt.

3. To the City: Life and Death Along the Ancient Walls of Istanbul

A deep dive into the Turkish capital, framed by the crumbling walls of its Byzantine fortifications. Journalist, Alexander Christie-Miller journeys on foot in and around Istanbul’s ancient city walls, piecing together a jigsaw puzzle of its identity on the fringes of Europe and Asia. The imperialist rhetoric of current Turkish president Erdoğan still holds Istanbul in the image carved out by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, who captured then-Constantinople in 1453. But between the ancient minarets that punctuate Istanbul’s skyline, the author seeks out the real soul of the city in its diverse peoples, past and present, raising up voices rarely heard. £25, Harper Collins.

4. Wilder Journeys: True Stories of Nature, Adventure & Connection

Environmental writer Laurie King and bestselling author Miriam Lancewood have gathered a collection of original non-fiction stories, illustrations and poems examining the human connection with nature, penned by travellers, wildlife lovers and adventurers from across the globe. Take a walk across the desert with American explorer Angela Maxwell, discover how hermit Gregory Smith survived for 10 years in an Australian forest and learn how activist David Malana set up a surf school for people of colour in California. These bold stories aim to inspire you to find your wild animal soul and rethink your relationship with nature. £14.99, Watkins Publishing.

5. Vagabond

For anyone who loved Laure Lee’s As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning , this tale of one man’s 761-mile hike across the Iberian Peninsula should appeal. Mark Eveleigh brings the pioneering spirit of adventure previously seen in his travel books on Southeast Asian to the back roads of Spain. The author spent five weeks walking from Gibraltar to Punta de Estaca de Bares in the country’s northernmost tip, taking in blistering sun-beaten planes, grey stone villages hung with mist and vast chains of mountains, in homage to the disappearing lifestyle of the vagabundo , as well as a celebration of rural Spain and its remote communities. £10.99, Summersdale.

6. Globetrotting: Writers Walk the World

Take a literary stroll, from the streets of London to the pilgrim paths of Japan, the jungles of Ghana and beyond. Author Duncan Minshull brings together writing from explorers and adventurers, scientists and missionaries, pleasure-seekers and literary drifters in a new collection of over 50 travelogues that aims to answer the question: why explore on foot? Spanning seven continents, stories date back to as early as the 1500s, and take in lesser-known writers along with the likes of Herman Melville, Edith Wharton, Mark Twain, Isabella Bird and William Boyd. £15.99, Notting Hill Editions.

Read This Next

10 travel writing tips from our experts, 6 books about the uk to read this summer.

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A Dark, Clever Novel Asks, What Happens When Women Ignore Their Appetites?

“Piglet,” by Lottie Hazell, is a tantalizing layer cake of horror, romance (sort of) and timely questions about the power of appetite.

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PIGLET, by Lottie Hazell

Pity the bookseller who’s got to figure out where to shelve Lottie Hazell’s debut novel, “Piglet.” Its plot — woman learns devastating truth about her fiancé and starts binge-eating as she decides whether to marry him — carries the whiff of a rom-com, the faint pink tinge of “women’s fiction,” the kind of book that gets dismissed as frivolous and small, even though it deals with the topics that loom largest in real life. So is “Piglet” a frothy, fun, forgettable confection, or is it heftier, meatier, the kind of “serious” book that might win prizes, or even male readers?

If I owned a bookstore, I’d hand-sell “Piglet” to everyone. And I’d make a case for shelving it with the horror stories, especially for the scene that unfolds when Piglet’s mom, dad, sister and, eventually, her sister’s boyfriend are enlisted to cram her into her wedding dress, the one wedding expense her working-class father has covered. “‘What’s happened here, Pig?’ her father said, lifting his head in the mirror, not meeting her eyes.” Hazell goes on:

Piglet felt her father’s hand push against her flank, his knuckles hard and swollen with effort. “You couldn’t have waited, could you?” he said, closing his eyes. “You couldn’t just control yourself, for once?” He shook his head. “You — this dress — greed,” he said, his words failing him in his displeasure. “What is it about you and more, more, more?”

There’s a lot Hazell doesn’t tell us about Piglet. We don’t know her age or her size, her eye color or hair color, or how long she’s been a cookbook editor. We don’t learn her real name until the book’s final pages, and we aren’t told the precise nature of her fiancé’s betrayal at all, which gives the book the feel of an allegory or a fable: Once upon a time, there lived an orphan. A princess. A bride. Or, as Piglet describes herself, “a tall woman with broad shoulders wearing a dress that was designed to make her look smaller than she was.”

Hazell’s prose is as tart and icy as lemon sorbet; her sentences are whipcord taut, drum tight. The only time she indulges in description is when Piglet’s cooking or eating. Then, the writing becomes lush and lavish, with mouthwatering descriptions of “new potatoes, boiled and dotted with a bright salsa verde. Bread and two types of butter: confit garlic and Parmesan and black pepper.” There are also “katoris filled with daal, as thick and silky as rice pudding but yellowed with turmeric, finished with cream” and “prawns, pink and black and glistening, scattered with coriander, sitting spikily in their dish.”

It’s impossible to read “Piglet” outside the current moment, and the new, uber-popular class of weight-loss drugs. Scientists don’t know how the drugs work , but do know what they do: Quiet the so-called food noise. Turn down the volume on dieters’ appetites. What goes without saying — it seems that it hardly needs to be said — is that hunger is the enemy, and a woman’s job is to repel it, control it, fight it off, push it down.

But what happens when women ignore their appetites? What happens when women stop being hungry, when they don’t want “more, more, more” — or anything at all?

Ira Levin offered one answer in “ The Stepford Wives, ” and Hazell offers another, in a book where the “will she or won’t she” isn’t just about the man and the wedding. It’s about whether Piglet ends up embracing a big life, full of richness and variety and good things to eat, or if she lets herself be crammed into that too-small dress: constricted, reduced, turned into a pretty morsel, a thing to be consumed. Eat the world, or let it eat you?

No spoilers here. Except I’ll tell you that I devoured this book, and finished it hungry.

PIGLET | By Lottie Hazell | Holt | 320 pp. | $27.99

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Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

In her new memoir, “Splinters,” the essayist Leslie Jamison  recounts the birth of her child  and the end of her marriage.

The Oscar-nominated film “Poor Things” is based on a 1992 book by Alasdair Gray. Beloved by writers, it was never widely read  but is now ripe for reconsideration.

Even in countries where homophobia is pervasive and same-sex relationships are illegal, queer African writers are pushing boundaries , finding an audience and winning awards.

In Lucy Sante’s new memoir, “I Heard Her Call My Name,” the author reflects on her life and embarking on a gender transition  in her late 60s.

Do you want to be a better reader?   Here’s some helpful advice to show you how to get the most out of your literary endeavor .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

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When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

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IMAGES

  1. 100 Must-Read, Best Books On Writing And The Writer's Life

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  2. 43 Best-Selling Authors Share the 9 Best Writing Books

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  4. 12 Best Business Writing Books [Updated 2020]

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  5. 107 Best Books on Writing

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  6. 31 Best Books on Writing You Have to Read

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COMMENTS

  1. The 40 Best Books About Writing: A Reading List for Authors

    1. On Writing by Stephen King Perhaps the most-cited book on this list, On Writing is part-memoir, part-masterclass from one of America's leading authors. Come for the vivid accounts of his childhood and youth — including his extended "lost weekend" spent on alcohol and drugs in the 1980s.

  2. Best Books on Writing (812 books)

    Listopia Best Books on Writing Books on writing, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and more. flag All Votes Add Books To This List ← Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next → 812 books · 1,346 voters · list created March 27th, 2009 by Lavinia (votes) .

  3. 18 of the Very Best Writing Books of All Time

    1. The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White 2. On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, by William Zinsser 3. Write Great Fiction - Plot & Structure, by James Scott Bell 4. Write Great Fiction - Revision & Self-Editing, by James Scott Bell

  4. 34 of the Best Books On Writing: Inspirational Reads

    1. " On Writing" by Stephen King Part memoir, part guidebook, this Stephen King classic will appeal even to those who avoid his renowned horror-packed tales. In this book, King discusses how he came to be the writer we know today, plus he shares the basic tools of writing every writer needs. 2. " Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott

  5. 100 Must-Read, Best Books On Writing And The Writer's Life

    1. A House of My Own: Stories from My Life by Sandra Cisneros "Written with her trademark lyricism, in these signature pieces the acclaimed author of The House on Mango Street shares her transformative memories and reveals her artistic and intellectual influences.

  6. The Best Books on Writing

    The Best Books on Writing Writing is, as a general rule, hard. Defining yourself as a writer can be even harder. From grammar rules to publishing advice to personal narratives, these books on writing reveal in intimate detail the ins and outs of what it means to call yourself a writer.

  7. The 12 Best Books on Writing I've Ever Read

    1. The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work By Marie Arana This book came from ten years of Ms. Arana's Washington Post Book World column. More than fifty fiction and nonfiction authors share how they discovered they were writers and how they work. I was fascinated by what pleases and annoys them. Arana also profiles each writer.

  8. The 20+ Best Books on Creative Writing

    And the best book writing exercise book I know is The 3 A.M. Epiphany by Brian Kiteley, an MFA professor who uses prompts like these with his grad students. You'll find that this book (and its sequel, The 4 A.M. Breakthrough ) go beyond cutesy exercises and forces you to push outside your comfort zone and learn something from the writing you ...

  9. 25 Best Books on Writing Fiction: Learn How with These ...

    The list 1. The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. Surely this tops everyone's list of must-have books on their shelves for perfecting their craft. First published in 1918, it is the style manual everyone consults when they want to improve their writing skills.

  10. The Best Books On Writing—From A Writer

    1. The Writing Life by Annie Dillard This is one of my all-time favorite essay collections for creative inspiration or for whenever I feel like I'm in a writing rut. I first read it during grad school in a single afternoon (it's only 111 pages) and was captivated by Dillard's ability to articulate the joys and pains of life as a working writer.

  11. The 15 Best Books on Writing for Authors, Novelists, and Bloggers

    The Best Writing Books Here's our list of the best books on writing for novelists, blogger, marketers, and anyone with an important story to tell or a message to share. If you're ready to become a better writer, these books can help. 1. Wired for Story by Lisa Cron

  12. 50 Must-Read Books with Gorgeous Writing

    Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente. "Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what giants or wicked witches are to European culture: the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. Young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever peasant girl to Koschei's beautiful bride, to his eventual ...

  13. Top 10 books about creative writing

    1. The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner An intellectual meditation on the cultural function of poetry.

  14. 11 Best Books for Writers to Read

    Best Books By Writers Paperback $14.99 $18.00 ADD TO CART On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft By Stephen King In Stock Online Have you ever wondered how Stephen King produces so many books? Well, he has a lot of experiences, habits, and convictions that have helped him become the person and author we all know and love.

  15. Best Books On Writing: 18 Writing Books to Help You Improve Your Craft

    Here are 18 of the best books on writing: Everybody Writes by Anne Handley Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz How to Write Like Tolstoy by Richard Cohen On Writing by Stephen King The Elements of Style By William Strunk Jr and E.B. White Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

  16. 25 Best Books on Writing to Make You a Top Writer

    Anne Lammot is a New York Times best-selling author best known for her classic book on writing "Bird by Bird". In this book, she shares valuable advice on how to handle the ups and downs of living a creative life, the realities of writing professionally, dealing with obstacles such as writer's block, and more.

  17. New Books on Writing

    James R. Hagerty's YOURS TRULY: An Obituary Writer's Guide to Telling Your Story (Citadel, 224 pp., $25) is supposed to be a guide to writing memoir — whether it's an actual book or a ...

  18. 18 of the Best Books on Writing (Updated for 2023)

    12 min read December 22, 2022 18 of the Best Books on Writing (Updated for 2023) Table of contents Best books on writing for business and marketing Best books for copywriting Best books for longform writing Best books for essay writing and academic writing Books that relate to writing in 2022 Books on writing for social media

  19. The 9 Best Books on Writing You'll Ever Read

    1. The Novice Writer (aka Aspiring Writer or Aspiring Author) You're a brand-new writer who felt an inner switch flip on, and now a river of ideas is pouring out of your head. You know your writing needs work - lots of work - but you are compelled to keep writing because you feel powerless to staunch the flow.

  20. Essential Books for Writers

    Le Guin has published two books about writing. The more recent of these, Steering the Craft (1998), is intended for experienced writers, the ones, she says, who "blow all Rules of Writing to bits.". It offers exercises and advice on storytelling, point of view, and grammar. For the younger author, there is her 1979 volume, The Language of ...

  21. Writing Books

    The best books on Technical Communication, recommended by Kalid Azad. Communicating clearly about complex issues is somewhere between an enviable talent and a workplace necessity. For those teaching STEM subjects, it's absolutely critical. Programmer and maths author Kalid Azad recommends five useful books for communicating technical subjects ...

  22. 14 Must-Read Books for Writing a Novel

    The Best Books for Writing a Novel! While creating this roundup, I couldn't help but look back on my own writing journey. Funnily enough, I can distinctly remember a time where I was reading almost exclusively nonfiction, and nearly all of those were books on writing. As much as I missed having some dedicated "fiction time," I can't say ...

  23. 10 Best Books on Writing Skills You Must-Read to Level Up

    Named by Time as one of the 100 best and most influential books written in English since 1923, there's hardly any better book to start working on your writing skills than with The Elements of Style. Do yourself — and your readers — a favor, and pick a copy.

  24. The Best Writing Pens, According to Authors, Artists and Creatives

    The Best Writing Pens, According to Authors, Artists and Other Creatives For note-taking, journaling or as gifts, enjoy the power of these pens

  25. 6 of the best travel books to read in 2024

    Top travel reads for 2024, from memoirs to nature writing. From epic travelogues and nature writing to a pioneering travel publisher's memoir, these titles will inspire adventure this year.

  26. Book Review: 'Piglet,' by Lottie Hazell

    Then, the writing becomes lush and lavish, with mouthwatering descriptions of "new potatoes, boiled and dotted with a bright salsa verde. Bread and two types of butter: confit garlic and ...

  27. Create your own e-book using AI for just $30

    Using ChatGPT, My AI eBook Creation Pro helps you write an entire e-book with just three clicks -- no writing or technical experience required. Written by StackCommerce, Partner Feb. 13, 2024 at ...

  28. TOEFL TestReady

    Writing: get specific feedback on grammar, usage, mechanics and more. Includes exemplars for comparison. Focused Practice. Boost your skills and confidence by focusing on sets of specific question types with immediate scores, feedback and insights. ... Best-selling guides and books to help you prepare for the TOEFL iBT test.