48 Books on Writing for Writers

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

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

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

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


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