The other day, I came across this wonderful post on Lindsay Elizabeth’s blog, called “Five Books That Made Me a Better Writer”–which got me thinking about the books that made ME a better writer.
Inspired by Lindsay’s post, I listed my five favorite books on writing craft below! These books have made me a better writer, and I keep on turning to these lovelies for each new project.
ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT by Stephen King
Of course, this gem is on my list! It’s THE must-read book for every (aspiring) writer. Not only is ON WRITING a memoir of King’s writing journey, but the book also has some great advice for writers.
This book was the first book on writing I ever bought—at a time when I was messing around with writing, but didn’t really dare to think about writing my own book. After reading about King’s writerly journey, I decided to try. I felt motivated and emboldened to chase my dream of becoming a storyteller.
ON WRITING will always be special to me because of that.
THE ANATOMY OF STORY by John Truby
John Truby’s ANATOMY OF STORY is my favorite book on the technicalities of craft. It’s actually a book on screenwriting, but it’s equally applicable to novels and short stories. Out of all the books I have on the craft of writing, this is the one I go back to the most.
Truby breaks down all the essential elements of a story, and lays down 22 steps that will help you build your story from the ground up. Personally, I really L-O-V-E the idea that a story starts with character instead of plot. Before I read ANATOMY OF STORY, I tried to fit my characters to the plot and it was sooo frustrating because it absolutely didn’t work for me. Truby taught me to get to know my characters first, before plotting the book. This was a GAMECHANGER!
I was sooo happy that I found what worked for me that I wrote a gushy post about the creepy f*cker ghost that now kick-starts all of my stories.
BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lemott
This list wouldn’t be complete without Anne Lamott’s BIRD BY BIRD. It’s a different kind of writing book, because it doesn’t really talk about craft but focusses on Lamott’s experiences as a writer.
The key lesson of the book is to tackle your (writing) projects little by little (or: piece by piece). Writing a book may seem daunting, but writing a paragraph is a lot less overwhelming. Over time, the paragraphs will add up and take the shape of an actual novel. The same lesson is true for revisions, querying, connecting with other writers, etc.
Another important lesson is: accept that your drafts may be terrible (a.k.a. “write shitty first drafts”). You can’t edit a blank page and writing often reveals itself through writing: you have to write to figure out what you’re writing about—then make it better in revisions. Revising is the name of the game!
All in all, BIRD BY BIRD is motivating and inspiring and very honest about what it’s like to be a writer. Also, Lamott’s voice in this book is wonderful and sooo much fun!
FINDING YOUR VOICE by Les Edgerton
Les Edgerton is the author of 23 books, including the writing craft book FINDING YOUR VOICE.
To a writer, “voice” is perhaps the most essential part of your story—it’s what gets your reader interested in reading more (and getting an agent/editor interested in publishing the author). At the same time, voice is something intangible and mysterious—you either have it or you don’t.
So how DO you get it? Edgerton argues that the best way to develop voice is to simply be yourself while writing. He also argues that you shouldn’t listen to your harsh inner critic, who tends to rewrite and rewrite until the writing is sooo over-polished it has lost its unique voice. Staying true to yourself and your characters is the go-to advice.
SAVE THE CAT WRITES A NOVEL by Jessica Brody
SAVE THE CAT WRITES A NOVEL is a novel-focused version of the popular screenwriting guide SAVE THE CAT!by Blake Snyder. Snyder and Brody believe that every story, when boiled down, follows the same set of “beats” (or plot points). These beats are outlined in the book.
Like many writers, I use SAVE THE CAT a lot—especially when outlining and revising! In fact, I wrote a whole blog series about how I use SAVE THE CAT to outline. Check out part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5 (if you’re interested;-)).