Given my profession, I’m often asked about my favorite books on writing. Before I answer, I tend to want to know WHY someone wants this information, mostly because I’ve noticed the tendency to read extensively on the topic, as opposed to doing the uncomfortable work, namely writing. It’s much easier to read about something, after all, than it is to dive into all that uncertainty. I figure, why send someone off on a study binge when what they really need to do is sit down long enough to meet their first problem. That’s when books on writing become far more valuable.
Right now, I’m finishing up a 6-month writing cohort called Write a REAL Book Workshop. It’s for those who want to write a prescriptive non-fiction book that will be read from cover to cover, inspire readers, and build their authority and business reach. We spend the first couple of months establishing the proper foundation–who the reader is, your core message, the promise you mean to deliver in the pages of your book–then we get into….writing. It takes some doing to get over the hump of “studying” and “answering key questions” and into the whole “getting words down on the page” thing. That’s just how it works.
Personally, I think writers can find answers to their immediate burning questions–the kind that come up when they hit a roadblock or recognize they don’t really know how to express themselves as clearly as they’d like to–in the pages of similar books. When you see how another author has solved a particular problem, you can adopt their methods yourself. I’m a huge fan of modeling.
Caveat aside, these are the books I’ve recommended since the days we ran East Hill Writers’, a craft workshop. Each of them are terrific in their own way:
The Situation and the Story by Vivian Gornick
How does one pull from one’s own boring, agitated self the truth-speaker who will tell the story a personal narrative needs to tell? That is the question The Situation and the Story asks—and answers.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The seminal book on the subject of creativity. An international bestseller, millions of readers have found it to be an invaluable guide to living the artist’s life
The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
This book’s unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of “the little book” to make a big impact with writing.
How to Write by Richard Rhodes
Uniquely fusing practical advice on writing with his own insights into the craft, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes constructs beautiful prose about the issues would-be writers are most afraid to articulate: How do I dare write? Where do I begin? What do I do with this story I have to tell that fills and breaks my heart?
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
“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.’”
If I had to pick an all-time favorite, this would be it.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
A splendid combination of Zen wisdom and down-to-earth advice about writing. Wonderful collection of writing prompts.
