Boost Your Writing Skills with These Essential 25 Books!
I love each one - what about you?
Get strapped in, writers. These books are a goldmine.
Which books have helped you on your writing journey?*
*Note: I’m providing links to all these books, so this post contains affiliate links to the books mentioned. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
In no particular order or genre, here are my personal favorite writing books:
On Writing by Stephen King
“Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.”
Arguably, one of the top books on writing by the granddaddy of horror (his non-horror books are also great).
You may not be a fan; it doesn’t matter. King is at his best here, explaining his use of various literary tools and how to make them work for any writer, along with plenty of anecdotes and humor. I have the hardcover edition and eBook.
2. Reading Like A Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose
Besides having one of the coolest last names any writer should be jealous of, Prose offers a wonderful guide for “those of us who love books and who want to write them.”
Entertaining and lively, this book is a great read and a useful reference tool. She provides specific examples throughout, which also helps make it practical.
3. Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life by Dani Shapiro
Fabulous author and teacher Shapiro is the queen of memoir writing (she also writes bestselling fiction). I met her IRL at a reading and was impressed by her compassion and generosity.
She asked what I was writing about, and I just wasn’t quite ready to share it with the world. “Your stories are waiting patiently inside you, in your bones. Mine that.” Such wise beauty in those words.
This book reads like a memoir and offers tons of useful advice. It should definitely be on your writing shelf.
4. The Writer’s Idea Book by Jack Heffron
I bought this book for an online writing class and have found it to be super helpful when I’m stuck. Outlined in a way that helps you build your skills, this book is a terrific writing aid.
I love this quote:
“Through writing, we declare a personal identity amid faceless anonymity. We find purpose and beauty and meaning, even when the rational mind argues that none of these exist.”
5. The Everything Guide To Writing A Novel by Joyce and Jim Lavene
Excellent resource without any fanciness, this book (originally released in 2004 and updated) will teach you about the basics from your germ of an idea all the way to querying and marketing. Very helpful.
6. Writing Fiction For Dummies by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy
I’ve only purchased one ‘For Dummies’ book when I was trying to learn WordPress (very helpful), so when a writing teacher recommended this book, I figured, okay, why not?
Glad I did. Packed with tips and resources, this book covers creativity, character, plot, and how to find your target audience. You'll find this extremely useful if you know very little about the craft of writing (or if English is a second language).
7. Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives by Louise DeSalvo
We all have the right to write.
This book specifically goes into healthy ways to write our stories, particularly trauma, with valuable, practical advice anyone can use, writer or not. With examples from Henry Miller, Audra Lorde, and Isabel Allende, you will learn how healing writing can be.
8. Now Write! Fiction Writing Exercises From Today’s Best Writers and Teachers, edited by Sherry Ellis and featuring Amy Bloom, Jill McCorkle, Robert Olen Butler, and more.
Eighty-seven of America’s top writers participated in this book, which shares anecdotes and examples of easy and fun writing exercises.
(As a non-fiction writer, I still find this book very helpful. Your writing craft will absolutely improve doing these exercises.)
9. The Creative Writers Notebook by John Gilland
Do you love a book you can write in and not feel like you’re ruining it? Then this book is absolutely perfect for you. Chockful of wonderful examples from the classics to more modern works, Gilland reviews what works and why it works and gives you assignments.
If you’re not a fan of writing guide notebooks like this, you’ll still find tons of great advice and craft tips.
10. Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
This English author is hilarious, and this book makes learning about proper grammar and punctuation fun (Fun? Yes, definitely.).
This book has been on many bestseller lists, and for good reason; Truss has somehow taken a boring topic and made it into art.
11. The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler
In the world of mainstream Hollywood filmmaking, the classic hero’s journey reigns supreme; it’s based on a single character with a strong desire and an equally strong will to act on that desire.
The character follows a path based on a template laid out by Joseph Campbell (whose work was originally drawn from Carl Jung's work and later codified for the screen by Vogler).
The template follows the three-act story structure and details specific stages along the way, beginning with the hero’s call to adventure in the first act, a major crisis or ‘ordeal’ occurring at the end of the second act, and ending with the hero returning to his world transformed in some way.
Long a classic from this master screenwriter, this book has lately fallen out of favor for its patriarchal direction and examples (women are often undeveloped characters using this paradigm). It’s up to you to decide if this book is helpful for your writing.
12. Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Warm, hilarious, and introspective, this is one of my favorite writing books. As a nonfiction writer and trauma survivor, I relate to many of her experiences, love her refreshing candor, and appreciate her helpful writing advice.
Here’s one of my favorite Lamott quotes, which I find extremely empowering as if she’s giving us permission to write about trauma and other uncomfortable truths:
Here are some fab books Heather Whitaker, writing coach and editor, recommended. Whitaker’s top advice?
Also: “Writing rules are for revision.”
13. The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne
You may not be an editor, but you do need to understand the basics. The Story Grid is a tool to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It’s like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what’s not.
This method breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. Finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as writing the story itself (maybe even more).
14. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
Probably one of the very first books I read on my own writer’s journey, this book is super helpful in helping us make the leap into writing skillfully and creatively.
She offers suggestions, encouragement, and solid advice on many aspects of the writer’s craft:
on writing from “first thoughts” (keep your hand moving, don’t cross out, just get it on paper),
on listening (writing is ninety percent listening; the deeper you listen, the better you write),
on using verbs (verbs provide the energy of the sentence),
on overcoming doubts (doubt is torture; don’t listen to it).
15./16. The Artist’s Way and The Artist’s Way Workbook by Julia Cameron
According to Elizabeth Gilbert, “…this book and workbook guide the reader through a fascinating (and fun) 12-week-long program of exercises and explorations that help loosen up one’s artistic self.
Just to show how influential it’s been to me — the first time I did the program, I had decided by the end of it that I wanted to 1) travel to Italy and learn Italian, 2) Go to an Ashram in India, and 3) Return to Indonesia to study with the old medicine man I’d once met there. We all know what THAT decision led to. . .Without The Artist’s Way, there would have been no Eat, Pray, Love.”
Learn more about Cameron’s “Morning Pages” concept here.
17. Screenwriting Tricks for Authors (and Screenwriters!): STEALING HOLLYWOOD: Story Structure Secrets for Writing Your BEST Book by Alexandra Sokoloff
Heather mentioned this book in an X-Space, and I immediately purchased it on Amazon. You don’t have to be a screenwriter to benefit from this book.
“In this workbook based on the internationally acclaimed SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS workshops, award-winning author/screenwriter Alexandra Sokoloff shows you how to jump-start your plot and bring your characters and scenes vibrantly alive on the page by watching your favorite movies and learning from the storytelling structure and tricks of great filmmakers:
•The High Concept Premise
•The Three-Act, Eight-Sequence Structure
•The Storyboard Grid
•The Index Card Method of Plotting
•The Setpiece Scene
•Techniques of film pacing and suspense, character arc and drive, visual storytelling, and building image systems.”
If you’ve ever felt left out because you don’t know this info, this book can help.
18./19. Save The Cat Writes a Novel and Save The Cat Screenwriting by Blake Snyder
What the heck is this cat thing? Well-known in screenwriting circles, “Save The Cat” is an expression that comes from a firefighter going up a tree to save cats in old-time TV and comics. Those heroes always did something to ingratiate themselves with the audience. Like saving a cat from a tree. It’s how the people watching knew they were the good guys and to root for them.
Blake got it from Aliens, “when Ripley literally saves the cat. And we love her for it.” Learn more about the method here.
20. Wired For Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron
“The vast majority of writing advice focuses on “writing well,” as if it were the same as telling a great story. This is exactly where many aspiring writers fail — they strive for beautiful metaphors, authentic dialogue, and interesting characters, losing sight of the one thing that every engaging story must do: ignite the brain’s hardwired desire to learn what happens next.
When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Even the most perfect prose won’t hold anyone’s interest without it.
Backed by recent breakthroughs in neuroscience as well as examples from novels, screenplays, and short stories, Wired for Story offers a revolutionary look at story as the brain experiences it. Each chapter zeroes in on an aspect of the brain, its corresponding revelation about story, and the way to apply it to your storytelling right now.”
I find this entire concept fascinating. What keeps us reading? You’ll know after this book.
Here are a few more, in case you’re not overwhelmed yet!
21. Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins
Bestselling author and entrepreneur Goins tells us we don’t have to choose between being an artist who chooses a creative life and a prosperous one.
This book hit home for me because I did choose the so-called “prosperous life” in Big Pharma for over twenty years, which I hated. Why? I was desperate to stretch my creative muscles and start my own biz.
I finally did that over 14 years ago, and eight books later, with a thriving business helping other creatives, I know I made the right choice.
Goins’ book is easy to read and includes many examples of creators who have made it. It also received the seal of approval from marketing expert Seth Godin.
22. Unless It Moves The Human Heart: The Craft and Art of Writing Paperback by Roger Rosenblatt
Recommended by Dr. Donna Jennings during my Space, I immediately bought this book and started reading. “…the revered novelist, essayist, playwright, and respected writing teacher offers a guidebook for aspiring authors, a memoir, and an impassioned argument for the necessity of writing in our world.
Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird tradition book provides practical insights and advice on the craft, exquisitely presented by one of contemporary literature’s living treasures.”
23. A Writer’s Guide to Persistence: How to Create a Lasting and Productive Writing Practice by Jordan Rosenfeld
Rosenfeld is an accomplished writer, journalist, and radio host. This is a great, inspiring read for writers who want to continue writing. Despite setbacks, discouragement, and rejections, this book lifts us up and helps us work through those tough emotions.
Persistence is the key factor, the dividing line, between writers who succeed and writers who merely wish to.
24. Your Idea, Inc. by Sandy Abrams
“No MBA? No money? No problem.”
Sandy Abrams started her now multi-million dollar business from a tiny apartment. How? She shares it all, from the germ of the idea to potential legal issues and other stumbling blocks with her 12-step program.
This book gives very specific guidelines on creating a business, which, let’s face it, being an author is. I met Abrams at a convention and immediately purchased her inspiring book.
25. The BadRedhead Media 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge by yours truly!
What’s the best way to market your books? While that’s highly individualized, the marketing strategies are the same across genres, so setting up your author platform is crucial.
Originally released in 2018, I updated it in 2020 and again in 2022, then kind of...gave up. Why? Social media changes literally weekly. So, I’m creating a course! More soon…
Why did I write this? Because I want writers to have practical, helpful advice with real examples that work. I’ve made the mistakes, so you don’t have to.
Which writing guides are your favorites? Please share below!
Upcoming Audio Spaces
• Join me for my monthly #BookMarketingChat Space on Wednesday, 6/4, at 2 pm pst/5 pm EST with my very special guest, Dr. Donna Jennings, who is launching her new book, The Fiction Writer's Sexuality Guide: Sex—It's More Than a Scene.
I’m reading it now, and it’s fantastic.
Click here now to set a reminder. Attendance enters you to win a free signed copy of her book, so be sure to attend the live.
• #TheWriteLab Space with me and cohost @VennieKocsis! Join us on the last Tuesday of each month (Tuesday, 5/28 - TONIGHT!) to discuss your author branding, socials, writing (of course), and marketing - FREE! Audio-only, recorded if you miss it.
Click here to set a reminder now. Topic: Open Q&A.
Sponsor
💜 Thank you, Booklinker, my exclusive advertising sponsor for 2024! Free universal book links for all authors. It's super easy to use. And they have a fantastic blog here.💜
See you next week, and happy writing!
Are You With Me?
If just 5% of my 3K free subscribers contributed the cost of a coffee, I could reach a larger audience to help writers tell our stories. If you can't become a paid subscriber, please share with a friend. 🌻
Let’s do this together!