Books, Books, Books
I’m a great believer in reading. Shocking, huh? I believe that you, as a writer, should read lots of books in the genre or category in which you are writing. If you write literary fiction, you should read literary fiction. If you write suspense, you should read suspense. It’s a great way to learn.
I also believe in reading informational, inspirational, and how-to books about writing and publishing. So I’d like to know your favorites. I’ll compile a list for future blog readers.
What’s your favorite book on WRITING?
What’s your favorite book about GETTING PUBLISHED?
Leave them in the comments, and have a great weekend!
Rachelle Gardner, Christian Literary Agent, Colorado
66 Comments
Rachelle Gardner
President & Literary Agent,
Gardner Literary Agency
President & Literary Agent,
Gardner Literary Agency
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>Ditto for the Stephen King "On Writing" book. I'll have to come back to this later… Sadly, no time right now! But too much good info not to return.
>I'm joining the conversation a bit late, but I wanted to add an excellent resource that hasn't been mentioned so far.
Rachelle talks a lot about platform, and "Get Known Before the Book Deal" by Christina Katz is the best I've seen on the subject.
Through utterly practical exercises, she helps you discover who your audience is, and what it is you want to write. She leads you through all the ways you can become known for your developing platform as you keep working on it.
Make sure you purchase your copy, as you'll want to scribble in it and plaster it with sticky notes.
>Best books on writing? Donald Maass – Writing the Breakout Novel, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, The Fire in Fiction.
Others I’d recommend
Description by Monica Wood
Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell
Getting into Character by Brandilyn Collins
Stien on Writing by Sol Stien
How to Write a Damn Good Novel II by James N. Frey
Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan
Becky
>I really enjoy Write His Answer by Marlene Bagnull. It is a devotional book for Christian writers, and the only one of its kind that I know of.
>Writing with Style by John Trimble
On Writing by Stephen King
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Elements of Style by Strunk and White
Story by Robert McKee
Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss
Chicago Manual of Style
>I like several of the books already mentioned, but there's one book I keep going back to. It's The Writer's Book of Wisdom, by Steven Taylor Goldsberry. He makes every word count.
Maybe I like it because I write non-fiction and that's my writing style, too.
>Melissa – that's one I have not read, and based on your recommendation, I will be sure to get it. I'm a novelist, but am secretly a wannabe screenwriter. I think a novel should be written with the movie in mind, jmo. Thanks!
>The Modern Library Writer's Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction, by Stephen Koch, is one of the best ones I've read lately.
>I guess I've read more books on writing itself, which is a good thing because I spend way too much time reading agent blogs… and I'm not up to that point yet!
When I was a teenager, I loved THE WRITING LIFE by Annie Dillard. It's an incredibly inspirational look at pouring your soul out into words. She was my favorite author and actually wrote back to me when I wrote her a fan letter… that humanized authors for me more than anything else.
My other two favorites:
Strunk & White's ELEMENTS OF STYLE
Maas's WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL
For a way more low-brow look (I've grown less sophisticated as I've grown older), I felt that Janet Evanovitch's book on writing was practical and helpful.
I want more of the books on this list! It's a bit hard to get my hands on them in Israel. 🙁
>On writing, I will also say that I love Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, simply because it beats down my problem: motivation!
Eats, Shoots, & Leaves is also a lot of fun for a grammar book.
And as far as publishing goes, I really enjoyed Travel Writing by L. Peat O'Neil (if you're doing travel writing!). And other than that, I read a whole lot of agent/industry blogs!
>Everyone's already named all the books I would recommend, except these:
Jordan Rosenfeld's Make A Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time
and
Karen Wiesner's First Draft in 30 Days
I don't actually think I could write my first draft in a month, but the book is pretty good at teaching you how to outline 🙂
>I have read and enjoyed many, if not most, of the books recommended here, but I'm surprised my only cannot-live-without choice hasn't been mentioned:
STORY, by Robert McKee
It's geared toward screenwriters, but it's about STORY. I've read it over and over and over, and every single time I learn so much I feel like I'm reading it for the first time.
If I could have just one book on writing, STORY would be it. With no regrets.
>Some ones not mentioned thus far:
"The Craft of Revision" by Donald Murray
"Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg
>Right now it's Donald Maass' THE FIRE IN FICTION. I'll give that title as answer to both questions.
>I'll add HOOKED by Les Edgerton.
>Definitely "The First 5 Pages" by Noah Lukeman; a close second was Ron Carlson's "Ron Carlson Writes a Story". And maybe a third "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers"… Okay, it's too hard to choose! 🙂
>Gail Carson Levine's "Writing Magic". It's written for kids, but I find the advise really can be applied by anyone.
I'm working on a YA fantasy, and like someone else mentioned, I went back to my Juliet Marillier books. The only problem is that I forget I'm reading to learn about the craft, and get totally immersed in the story. She's a master storyteller!
>I don't have a favorite book about getting published, but my favorite book on writing is "Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors" by Brandilyn Collins. It's an amazing book about creating believable characters!
>I don't think anyone mentioned the very fun, excellent, practical, inspiring, and hilarious:
"How I Write"
by Janet Evanovich.
>All of my favorite books on writing have already been mentioned, but my favorite about getting published is:
78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published, 14 Reasons Why It Just Might (Pat Walsh)
>Writing: The Fiction Editor… by Thomas McCormack. I learned some new perspectives both on my writing and self-editing.
Publishing: I've learned more from agent/editor blogs than from any one book. But I liked Janet Evanovich's How I Write.
>Someone-don't ask; I don't remember-recommended THE ART AND CRAFT OF STORYTELLING by Nancy Lamb. I just started it, and I'd recommend it.
My fav about getting published? BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott, which is also one of my favs on writing. Also reading REVISION & SELF-EDITING by James Scott Bell. A must-buy.
>How to Write Western Novels by Matt Braun.
http://www.amazon.com/Write-Western-Novels-Genre-Writing/dp/0898793211/
It is the only writing book I will ever need. 🙂
-P.D.
>Stephen King's 'On Writing" is the best one I've found so far. Of course, I've read just about everything he's written.
>Maass' Breakout Novel and Zinsser's On Writing Well tie for my vote on craft books.
On publishing I loved It's a Bunny Eat Bunny World by Olga Litowinsky. (It's for children's book writers.)
>Stephen King's On Writing – Pow!
William Zinsser On Writing Well
>My fav book on writing is "Stein on Writing" by Sol Stein. It's in-your-face and gives lots of examples, which I need.
On getting published I like Terry Brooks' "Sometimes The Magic Works." He's my favorite fantasy author and I enjoyed reading the behind the scenes of his first few books.
>Stephen King's On Writing is still my favorite, but Robert McKee's Story (technical) and Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird (writing life) are good too. I reviewed the DVD of Anne Lamott on my blog, and it's a great companion to her book.
>I have one more question:
a good book about editing process?
thanks for all the suggestions!
béatrice
>To me the best books on writing are the books I most enjoy reading. A good book is a master class unto itself.
As for texts about writing, I'm a fan of Michael Seidman's two books: Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published and The Complete Guide to Editing Your Fiction. Syd Field's classic Screenplay is also essential to writers in any medium. Aristotle's "Poetics" (part of Writing 101) is good. And someone mentioned Steve Martin's Pure Drivel. That is a brilliant work. I can't believe I got it for a buck as a remainder at a dollar store. (What does that say about this business?)
There are many more to add, but one I haven't seen is Writer's Digest's collection entitled Legends of Literature. As they used to say in the westerns: there's gold in them thar hills.
>Stephen King's book On Writing. Also Self-Editing For Fiction Writers.
>Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. It's hilarious and endearing, and she offers some of the best advice I've seen anywhere.
>My favorites are:
The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier (this is about writing movie scripts but it has great advice for how to write tightly woven plots and how to diagnose problems.)
Write Away by Elizabeth George
Scene and Structure by Jack Bickham
The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes: (And How to Avoid Them) by Jack Bickham
Just for my curiosity's sake— why is it important to read in the genre we write? I almost never do. The genres I love to read I could not write well. And the genre I write has very few books out there that I can finish. I'd be interested in hearing a discussion of this idea. (I think I have read a quote from a famous writer– perhaps Arthur C. Clarke–that said a writer should never read the genre they write. And since I agreed with him, it made perfect sense to me 🙂
Liz
>My craft books are treasures. But I'm inspired most by these gems:
The One-Year Bible
At His Feet One-Year Devotional
Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity by Michael Card
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Making a Good Writer Great by Linda Seger
Writing for the Soul by Jerry B. Jenkins
The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogel
Stealing Fire from the Gods by James Bonnet
Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle
Wallace Stegner's classic, Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs: Living and Writing in the West
Wow, I thank God for such empowering, equipping resources!
>There are so many good books about writing out there. Perhaps my favorites are:
Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by David Gerrold
and Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle
The first book is about the craft of writing in those two genres. It also better explains the differences between the two and what fans of each genre are looking for in "believable" sci-fi and fantasy writing.
I would list Walking on Water as one of my all time favorite books. It's not just about writing, but about art and life as well. Beautifully written by the author who inspired me to write. It forces you to think, to rediscover the world through a child's eyes, to take risks and step out into the impossible.
>I've got a lot of favorites that I go back to over and over again. By the way, as a former librarian, I encourage you to take advantage of interlibrary loan!
Essential (read these two before you send out your ms)
THE FIRST FIVE PAGES Hoah Lukeman
SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Renni Brown and Dave King
When you're feeling down about writing:
THE COURAGE TO WRITE: HOW WRITERS TRANSCEND FEAR by Ralph Keyes
THE RIGHT TO WRITE by Julia Cameron
BIRD BY BIRD by Ann Lamott
ON WRITING by Steven King
Other good books:
YOUR FIRST NOVEL by Laura Whitcomb
NOVEL SHORTCUTS: TEN TECHNIQUES THAT ENSURE A GREAT FIRST DRAFT by Laura Whitcomb
IT'S A BUNNY EAT BUNNY WORLD by Olga Litowinsky (children's books)
COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO PUBLISHING CHILDREN'S BOOKS by Harold Underdown
A NOVEL IN A YEAR: FROM FIRST PAGES TO LAST IN 52 WEEKS by Louise Doughty
HOOKED: WRITE FICTION THAT GRABS READERS FROM PAGE ONE AND NEVER LETS THEM GO by Les Edgerton
BETWEEN THE LINES: MASTER THE SUBTLE ELEMENTS OF FICTION WRITING BY Jessica Morrell
MANUSCRIPT MAKEOVER by Elizabeth Lyon
Happy reading (and writing)!
>Another Lamott fan here. For publishing, or readying the ms for querying, Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel (book & workbook).
>CRAFT/WRITING:
Stephen King's On Writing
Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem! (especially for NaNoWriMo participants)
CRAFT, PUBLICATION, SELF-MARKETING:
Carolyn See's Making a Literary Life
Mur Lafferty's podcast I Should Be Writing
PUBLICATION:
Agent blogs
Cathy Yardley's Will Write For Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel (specifically, this helped me write my synopsis)
Blythe Camenson's Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract : The Complete Guide to Writing Query Letters, Synopses and Proposals for Agents and Editors (no longer in print, was recommended by AgentQuery.com)
HAVEN'T FINISHED READING YET, BUT IT SEEMS PROMISING:
Walter Mosley's This Year You Write Your Novel
Oh, and I kind of liked Eats, Shoots & Leaves because I'm such a grammar nerd that I find apostrophe humor hilarious, but there's a GRAMMAR ERROR IN THE TITLE!!! What the heck were they thinking?!?
It should be "The Zero-Tolerance Approach to Punctuation" and that critical hyphen is MISSING in the book. Unbelieveable, given the nature of the book.
>Bird by Bird is probably my fave, but I also love Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones. One of the first "how-to" writing books I read and loved is Jerry Cleaver's Immediate Fiction — easy, accessible, quick read.
>I like From the Inside Out – discover, create, and publish the novel in you by Susan Warren and Rachel Hauck. I also regularly reread Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne and King.
>Having not read any books on publishing, I will simply put the books on grammar/writing I have found imperative to my own writing. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Pure Drivel by Steve Martin (hilarious), Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins by Theodore Bernstein, Spunk and Bite by Arthur Plotnik and Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss.
I think all writers should give each of them a look. Only three are about book writing, but the others are just as helpful and delights to read.
>Sel-Editing for Fiction Writers.
Loving it!! I also love Jodi Pecoult books, Nicholas Sparks and new authors!
>I put Jeff Gerke's ebooks "How To Find Your Story" and "Character Creation for the Plot-First Novelist." on my kindle before this last trip. Now I am eager to re-read them while filling in the chart.
I came home to find "The Fire In Fiction" by Donald Maass had arrived from Amazon so I am reading it first.
Highly recommend all these.
>Thinking like your Editor: How to write serious nonfiction–and get it published; by S. Rabiner/A. Fortunato seems to be an excellentbook to me. writer jim
>James Scott Bell – PLOT AND STRUCTURE. Hands down THE best.
BIRD BY BIRD by Ann Lamott is excellent for the days when you're discouraged.
>Dean Koontz's How to Write Bestselling Fiction.
David Morrell's The Successful Novelist.
Elizabeth Lyon's The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit.
Jerry Jenkin's Writing for the Soul.
>When I was writing a couple of children's books (middle grade readers), I read Judy Blume, Lois Lowry and Beverly Cleary. It really helps you understand how to set the story up and the tone the writing needs to have.
blessings
Mrs. White
>I can’t decide. So, as I think any of these would be helpful, I’m listing them all.
I found "How to Grow a Novel" and "Stein on Writing" by Sol Stein motivating. They helped define my strengths (the things I was naturally doing as a writer) and my weaknesses (because I’m human-lol!) and gave me my first glimpse into the publishing world.
When I completed my manuscript, I read Steven King’s "On Writing". Not a bad read. It was my first King book. I found it direct, relevant, and helped to humanizes King in my mind.(Concerning 'world-view' and writing content~think Nathaniel Hawthorne of modern times.)
Now, I’m reading Noah Lukeman's "First Five Pages". For those of you who’ve read it…I had four question marks in my first 5 pages! OMW (I just have to shake my head, read a bit of "Rants & Ramblings" for encouragement and…get back to editing.)
>I have a full shelf of books on writing, but the one I enjoy the most and that speaks to me when I need it is Lawrence Block's TELLING LIES FOR FUN AND PROFIT.
As for the best book on getting published, I don't really have one. I guess if there were one that guaranteed publication, it would be out of stock anyway.
>Favorite book on getting published:
Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams by Terry Whalin
Favorite book on writing craft:
Just Write! by Susan Titus Osborne
Both are reviewed on my book review blog for Christian writers: http://www.tnchristianreader.wordpress.com.
>I love Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. She is funny and offers many useful tips and tools to navigate the writing life. I also enjoy books by Julia Cameron… The Artist's Way and The Right to Write are good ones.
>Hmm, I'm glad to hear you say that. It occurred to me a couple months ago that while my current ms is YA fantasy, I don't read a LOT of YA fantasy myself at the moment. Hence, I'm planning to try and read a lot more YA fantasy – I'm ordering books like "A demon's lexicon" and "Silver phoenix" and re-reading my Juliet Marillier books to try and get a feel for how these authors write the genre.
So thanks for confirming my thoughts!
I look forward to see what other people list as their favourite books on writing – I haven't found any great ones myself (the most useful to date being Eats, Shoots and Leaves – not particularly related to creative writing).
>Oh wow, I have TOO many favorites!! But I'll share them here anyway.
Must-Read books on craft:
Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon
Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
Self-Editing and Revision by James Scott Bell
Getting into Character by Brandilyn Collins
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maas
There are so many others – but those are my favs!
Fiction authors that I could read all day: Karen Kingsbury, Nicole Baart, Susan Meisner, Francine Rivers, Susan May Warren are all super good!
>I've got three:
1. Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
2. Beginnings, Middles, and Ends by Nancy Kress
3. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card
The latter has a little information on getting published in the SF/F world, but otherwise they're all thick with good info on writing well.
>I love Paranormal Mystery and that has been my fav thing to write since high school. My favorite book about getting published is How NOT to Write a Novel. Hi-larious and informative.
>Favorite book on writing: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. I consumed it in a day, and laughed and cried in recognition.
Favorite books on craft: Writing the Breakout Novel workbook and book by Donald Maass, and the James Scott Bell books. There are other wonderful books on craft, but these two authors' advice is most helpful to me.
>Jane Wenham-Jones – Wannabe a Writer? is good, but Stephen King – On Writing still tops my list.
For getting published in the UK, Carole Blake – From Pitch to Publication is superb.
>You'll list many excellent books on craft. Two books on editing that are actually beneficial before you write are The First Five Pages (Lukeman) and Self-Editing For Fiction Writers (Browne & King).
You have Maass, Swain, Stein, Bell, Gardner (John or Rachelle, take your pick) King, Lamott…all belong on the list. So I'll toss in a couple to add: Jeff Gerke [www.marcherlordpress.com/Store] has an ebook called "How To Find Your Story" for character first writers who struggle with an eye-popping good plot. The plot-first types who find their characters too shallow can get "Character Creation for the Plot-First Novelist." His newest book, "The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction," is out now but I have not read it yet.
And just so I can say I called it first, Randy Ingermanson is co-writing the book "Writing Fiction For Dummies" which should make all our lives complete. Can't say when that one will be released, but it will no doubt belong on the must-have list.
>My Favorite book on writing is Stephen King's On Writing. He is one of my favorite authors, so not only does this book give great tips on writing and spark inspiration, but in my opinion, it is simply a great read.
>I'm not a published writer but the best book I've read so far is "The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers" by Betsy Lerner. It's a true inspiration that invites writers into the editor's mind and also lifts the curtain on the publishing industry in general.
>Favorite book on writing: Writing Fiction, Gotham Writers' Workshop.
Favorite book on getting published: Rants & Ramblings (and I don't care that it's not a published book it's still the best info on getting published out there).