Thank you to everyone who has helped to add to this growing list. Please leave more ideas in the comments, and happy reading and writing!
The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott
- Website
- Bird by Bird with Annie (PBS profile)
Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction, by Charles Baxter
The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear, by Ralph Keyes
Creating Character Emotions: Writing Compelling, Fresh Approaches that Express your Characters’ True Feelings, by Ann Hood
Don’t Murder Your Mystery and Don’t Sabotage Your Submission, both by Chris Roerden
The Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E.B. White
Elements of Writing Fiction: Characters & Viewpoint, by Orson Scott Card
Elements Of Writing Fiction: Scene & Structure, by Jack M. Bickham
The Emotional Craft of Fiction, by by Donald Maass
Escaping into the Open: The Art of Writing True, by Elizabeth Berg
The Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art, by Joyce Carol Oates
The Fire in Fiction, by Donald Maass
The First Five Pages, by Noah Lukeman
The Glimmer Train Guide to Writing Fiction, Volume 1: Building Blocks
Immediate Fiction, by Jerry Cleaver
Letters to a Young Poet, by Rainer Maria Rilke
- Publisher Website (Norton)
- Publisher Website (Random House)
- First Letter
The Lie that Tells a Truth, by John Dufresne
The Little Red Writing Book: For Writing Aficionados from all Walks of Life!, by Brandon Royal
Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir, by Natalie Goldberg
On Writing, by Stephen King
On Writing Well, by William Zinsser
One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer’s Art and Craft, by Susan M. Tiberghien
Page after Page: Discover the Confidence & Passion You Need to Start Writing & Keep Writing (no matter what), by Heather Sellers
A Poetry Handbook, by Mary Oliver
Publish Your Nonfiction Book, by Sharlene Martin and Anthony Flacco
- Excerpt (Publisher Website)
The Right to Write, by Julia Cameron
Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need, by Blake Snyder
The Scene Book, by Sandra Scofield
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne & Dave King
Shut Up & Write!, by Judy Bridges
Snoopy’s Guide to the Writing Life, edited by Barnaby Conrad and Monte Schulz
Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, by Terry Brooks
Starting from Scratch, by Rita Mae Brown
Steering the Craft, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Story Engineering, by Larry Brooks
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield
Wonderbook:The Illustrative Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction, by Jeff VanderMeer
Words Are My Matter, by Ursula K. Le Guin
Writer’s Little Helper, by James V. Smith, Jr.
Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel, by Hallie Ephron
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, by Natalie Goldberg
Writing Great Books for Young Adults: Everything You Need to Know, from Crafting the Idea to Landing a Publishing Deal, by Regina Brooks
The Writing Life, by Annie Dillard
Writing Picture Books, by Ann Whitford Paul
Writing Spiritual Books, by Hal Zina Bennett
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, by Donald Maass
Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process, by Peter Elbow
This post is part of the Summer Writing Reset blog series, with daily posts Monday through Friday. Subscribe to receive full-length new posts in your inbox or catch them on my Facebook page.