I’ve read a lot of books about writing over the years. Those listed below are classics that have stood the test of time. No matter what genre in which you usually write, I believe you will find inspiration and instruction on the pages of these ‘top 20’ titles:
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
For a quarter century, more than a million readers—scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities—have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anne’s father—also a writer—in the iconic passage that gives the book its title: “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. It 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.’”
- On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Written as a complement to Strunk and White’s classic The Elements of Style, this is a helpful reference guide on how to write about a wide variety of topics, from business and technology to sports and the arts. In chapters such as “Simplicity,” “Clutter,” “Style,” and “Words,” the author describes the tools and the writer’s craft and how to use them effectively.
- On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Immensely helpful and illuminating to any writer, Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.
- Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. Le Guin
Le Guin masterfully addresses the most fundamental components of narrative, from the sound of language to sentence construction to point of view. Each chapter includes an exercise that may be done solo or in a group. She also offers a comprehensive guide to working in writing groups, both actual and online.
- Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
With insight, humor, and practicality, Natalie Goldberg inspires writers to take the leap into writing skillfully and creatively. Goldberg sees writing as a practice that helps writers comprehend the value of their lives. The advice in her book, provided in short, easy-to-read chapters, will inspire anyone who writes—or who longs to.
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Julia Cameron’s novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow. Each chapter offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery, and inviting them to connect more deeply to process and purpose.
- The Courage to Create by Rollo May
What if imagination and art are not the frosting on life but the fountainhead of human experience? This book aims to help all of us find those creative impulses that, once liberated, offer new possibilities for achievement, meaning and purpose.
- Coaching the Artist Within: Advice for Writers, Actors, Visual Artists, and Musicians from America’s Foremost Creativity Coach by Ph.D. Eric Maisel
The author shows readers how to become more effective creators by guiding them through 12 self-coaching lessons. Each chapter includes real-life examples, exercises, and questions to explore and reflect on underlying issues that may be keeping them from pursuing their urge to create.
- A Writer’s Space: Make Room to Dream, to Work, to Write by Eric Maisel
This book provides an original approach to creativity that focuses on having both a mental and physical space in which to create.
- The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
A succinct, engaging, and practical guide that is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the writer’s soul. The author clearly identifies the enemy within that every creator must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success—to create freely.
- First We Read, Then We Write: Emerson on the Creative Process by Robert D. Richardson
Writing was the central passion of Emerson’s life. Drawn from the many pages in his private journals devoted to the relationship between writing and reading, here you will find the Concord Sage’s energetic, exuberant, and unconventional advice on the idea of writing, focused and distilled by the preeminent Emerson biographer at work today.
- The Weekend Book Proposal by Ryan G. Van Cleave
Subtitled ‘How to Write and Winning Proposal in 48 and Sell Your Book”, this title is packed with useful, actionable advice on shaping your project for a successful submission to publishers and agents—no matter how long it takes.
- Bad Choices Make Good Stories: Conversations about Writing by Erin M. Dionne
Part craft, part inspiration, this title will give you plenty to think—and write—about.
- Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickham
Good overview of the forms of modern fiction and how they are best structured, scene by scene. Helpful information for those wishing to infuse life into their nonfiction projects as well.
- Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
No one better understands how all the elements of a screenplay fit together, and no one is better qualified to explain the “magic” of story construction and the relationship between structure and character than Robert McKee. The principles within this hefty book can be utilized by writers of all forms of fiction, narrative nonfiction…perhaps even poetry.
- The Great Book of Journaling by Eric Maisel and Lynda Monk
The subtitle, “How Journal Writing Can Support a Life of Wellness, Creativity, Meaning and Purpose” says it all. From psychotherapist Eric Maisel and Lynda Monk, Director of the International Association for Journal Writing, provides a comprehensive introduction to various techniques and methods for deepening your personal writing.
- The Talent Code: Greatness isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How by Daniel Coyle
Got talent? Brain research, behavioral research and real-world examples demonstrate how deep practice can activate neurological pathways to expand your native talent.
- If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland
Originally published in 1938, this classic book is a part a lesson on writing and part a philosophy of life, Ueland believed that anyone could become a writer if they wished, and that everyone had something important to say.
- Starting From Scratch: A Different Kind of Writer’s Manual by Rita Mae Brown
Tough love for writers. As the author says, “let me tell you up front, something you need to know. Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never ‘hope’ more than you work.”
- The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life by Twyla Tharp
Your creativity isn’t a lightning bolt of inspiration; rather, it is a collection of daily habits like discipline, preparation, and routine. Although its context is a choreographer’s world, the principles are applicable to any creative pursuit.
- The Portable MFA in Creative Writing by the New York Writers Workshop
The core essentials taught to MFA students in one book, written by the faculty of the only teacher-founded, teacher-run writing collective in NYC.
- Life Without Envy: Ego Management for Creative People by Camille DeAngelis
A practical guide to navigating feelings of jealousy, frustration and inadequacy that may arise in your creative life, regardless of how your career is (or isn’t) going.
- The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
Inspired by Joseph Campbell’s ‘the hero’s journey’, the book presents a set of myth-inspired storytelling techniques that any writer can use.
- Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron
This guide reveals how writers can utilize cognitive storytelling strategies to craft stories that ignite readers’ brains and captivate them through each plot element.
- Making Your Life as an Artist by Andrew Simonet
Living a creative life, no matter your chosen discipline in the arts, is hard. And hard to explain to others. Based on 20-plus years as a working artist, this text looks at why our lives can be so punishing, and how we can build balanced, sustainable lives. Available as a free download with no strings attached at www.artistsu.org.
Whew! That’s a big list. It was compiled over 25 years of working with fellow writers, creative types and noodling on the internet in an effort to coach myself through various projects and challenges.