Are you looking for a book about writing?
Do you want to know that you’re not alone in your struggles; that even the greatest authors have experienced self-doubt, missed deadlines, received gut-wrenching reviews, or suffered from writer’s block?
Do you need help with sentence structure, punctuation, or dialogue?
Perhaps you just need some inspiration?
Friend, you’ve come to the right place. Every book on this list is an absolute must-have in your writer’s toolkit!
Now, then, let’s crack this book open!
In This Review
- On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – by Stephen King
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – by Anne Lamott
- The Elements of Style – William Strunk Jr. & E.B. White
- On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction – William Zinsser
- The Writing Life – Annie Dillard
- Writing Down the Bones: Freeing The Writer Within – Natalie Goldberg
- The War Of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles – Steven Pressfield
- Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot that Grips Readers from Start to Finish – James Scott Bell
- The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron
- The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work – Marie Arana
How Were the Books on This List Chosen?
It would have been easy to simply rank these titles based on my own opinions, but then I would have missed some amazing reads that I hadn’t yet discovered. And if you’re taking the time to read this, then you deserve nothing less than a definitive list. To make that happen, I pulled up 10 of the most respected lists on the internet, created a spreadsheet, and added every book from each of the ten lists.
Some books showed up only once, while two mighty tomes showed up on all 10. Of course they hold the number one and two spots on this review, but bear in mind, every book on this list, showed up on five or more lists. I arrived at the final rankings by determining what numbers they held on their respective lists.
Once the dust had settled and ten champions had taken their pedestal, there were enough high ranking books to warrant a part 2, 3, & 4, so be sure to subscribe to the EpiphanyMail Newsletter so you don’t miss out!
The 10 Best Books About Writing
Here are the highest-rated books about writing on the market:
This Stephen King classic is a magical blend of memoir, master-class, and writing guide, and will even appeal to readers who aren’t necessarily fans of horror. “On Writing” is not as much a telling, as a sharing of King’s rise to, well… the throne. King uses the easy tone and voice that fans have all come to love and recognize over the years, and the result is the equivalent of a relaxed fireside chat over drinks with an old friend. It’s as informative as it is witty and entertaining.
King takes learning by example to new heights as he shares how he came to be the writer we know and love, while cleverly interweaving the basics of writing. “On Writing” contains advice about everything from dialogue and descriptive passages to revisions, and tips for beginning writers. It even contains a mark-up of one of King’s own manuscripts and a suggested reading list.
A rare glimpse into the brilliant mind of one of the most prolific authors of any generation, “On Writing” is simply the best, most celebrated book on writing available.
“This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit…” ~Stephen King
This Stephen King classic is a magical blend of memoir, master-class, and writing guide, and will even appeal to readers who aren’t necessarily fans of horror. “On Writing” is not as much a telling, as a sharing of King’s rise to, well… the throne. King uses the easy tone and voice that fans have all come to love and recognize over the years, and the result is the equivalent of a relaxed fireside chat over drinks with an old friend. It’s as informative as it is witty and entertaining.
King takes learning by example to new heights as he shares how he came to be the writer we know and love, while cleverly interweaving the basics of writing. “On Writing” contains advice about everything from dialogue and descriptive passages to revisions, and tips for beginning writers. It even contains a mark-up of one of King’s own manuscripts and a suggested reading list.
A rare glimpse into the brilliant mind of one of the most prolific authors of any generation, “On Writing” is simply the best, most celebrated book on writing available.
“This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit…” ~Stephen King
Like our previous entry, “Bird by Bird” is an essential title on any writer’s bookshelf.
Lamott shares her craft, and ultimately herself, with readers. She opens up with childlike honesty about her life as a writer, a single parent, an addict, and finally finding purpose.
In “Bird by Bird” Lamott addresses getting started, dealing with writing groups, writer’s block, how to know when you’re done, and more. Lamott delves into the “shittiness” of a first draft, saying, “All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts.”
Anne believes that many people have a book inside of them, but may need assistance getting it out.
The title of this book comes from one of its most famous lines; the young writer’s brother had asked her father how he was going to finish a writing project about birds. “Start small, be tenacious, and take it bird by bird.” their father had replied.
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.” ~Anne Lamott
For years, “The Elements of Style” has been on most writing teachers’ required reading list. It covers grammar, structural writing rules, and the principles of composition.
The only style guide to ever appear on a bestseller list, “The Elements of Style” should be your go-to for the occasional ‘brushing up on the basics’.
If your grammar checker is throwing up a lot of red, this comprehensive refresher will help you get your point across with clean, clear sentences. Simply put, if you want to learn how to write better, this book belongs in your collection.
If you’re looking for touchy-feely solutions to writer’s block, inspirational exercises, and clever musings on the writing life, you won’t find them here. “The Elements of Style” offers clear, concise rules for writing well, delivered with confidence. Whether you’re a first-time author or have a long list of titles to your name, there’s something here to learn or rediscover.
“All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation — it is the Self escaping into the open.” ~E.B. White
Though this classic is aimed at nonfiction writers, “On Writing Well” is an aspiring author’s goldmine, discussing many forms of writing. In addition to tips on consistency, voice, and editing, Zinsser includes fundamentals of the craft that will help you grow in any genre. The tone is light and conversational, making it an easy read.
Instead of focusing on sentence-by-sentence grammar and word choices, it discusses how to more successfully bring your overall point across, narrow down your unique perspective and author’s voice, and analyze what works and doesn’t.
Zinsser offers excellent examples of crisp non-fiction in a straightforward guide to improving your writing.
“Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience—every reader is a different person.” ~William Zinsser
Over the years, Annie Dillard’s “The Writing Life” has become a staple on most writers’ bookshelf. Dillard is a master in the art of illumination, focusing on the edges of big ideas. “The Writing Life” is as mystifying as it is enduring.
Dillard’s approach to the creative process manages a balance of magic and practicality that is conspicuously rare, even today. This book is the writer’s guide equivalent of a journey to Mount Doom, as Dillard acknowledges and addresses the unknowable road ahead that every writer must face. Her brutal honesty about the highs and lows of the craft keeps the stakes high, and the message clear: Do not fall in love with your words.
“The line of words is a miner’s pick, a wood carver’s gouge, a surgeon’s probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead-end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this time next year.” ~Annie Dillard
Appropriately sub-titled Freeing The Writer Within, “Writing Down the Bones” is a great place to start if you’ve always wanted to write, or have been away from the page for a while. This wonderfully insightful book breaks down the art of writing, examining brainstorming, learning how to listen, the vital role verbs play in writing, and even finding an inspiring place to write.
This book offers a Zen view of the creative process, encouraging writers to ‘live in the moment’ as a way to overcome writers’ block.
Like a famous sports brand, Goldberg advises readers to “just do it.” Stop second-guessing yourself and obsessing over each word. Just start writing, and the story will flow. She views the act of writing as a battle with practice. The more you do it, the better you get at it. She deep dives into every single writing topic imaginable. From choosing which restaurant or cafe to write in, to proven techniques for getting pen to paper. While this book has plenty to say about the minute details of writing, it excels at exploring the ‘author life’.
“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” ~Natatlie Goldberg
Taking the concept that we are our own harshest critics to heart, this book was written to help creators of all kinds overcome the biggest obstacle of all: the inner naysayer. Described as “tough love…for yourself,” “The War of Art” is a short-ish book that postulates that great art is a war and that any serious artist is in a constant battle against themselves.
If something inside of you keeps you from your biggest accomplishments, if you procrastinate, have trouble motivating yourself, or put off turning up every day in front of the blank page, this book might help.
“The War of Art” is not just a motivational pep talk. Pressfield explains how his mindset helped him overcome a career crisis as a failed screenwriter during his forties. He deftly blends a personal memoir with solid advice on how to overcome the idea that we aren’t good enough.
“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” ~Steven Pressfield
In “Plot & Structure”, Bell discusses how to outline your novel, describing what should be in each section, and breaking down the different plotting systems available to a novelist.
From techniques for brainstorming and extensive chapter reviewing, to simplistic plotting diagrams and infographics, this book’s ideas are mostly focused on writing fiction, but many of the tools can serve in other genres.
“Keep writing. Get to the end. Don’t allow yourself to abandon the project. You must finish what you write. But what, you ask, if I have a chaotic mess at the end? Celebrate. This is the way it usually is, even for veteran novelists.” ~James Scott Bell
Every writer occasionally suffers from burnout or writer’s block. Understanding that, Julia Cameron focuses exclusively on the craft of writing and training yourself to be more creative.
The Artist’s Way focuses on training the mind to work more creatively by engaging in free-writing every morning and taking time each week to explore a subject one finds fascinating.
Each chapter addresses a different obstacle in the creative’s path. This is another book that works for all kinds of creatives. But it’s especially brilliant for blocked, burned out or stalled writers.
“Experienced writers sometimes struggle with the idea of freewriting, because they hold themselves to higher standards. My tip? Do it without any grammar at all – I use dashes and little else – and don’t go back to edit, correct spellings or anything else. It works like a spring-clean for your mind, stopping thoughts playing on endlessly repeating loops by getting them down, however incoherently, onto the page.” ~Julia Cameron
This book is the culmination of 10 years of Arana’s Washington Post Book World column.
More than 50 fiction and nonfiction authors share how they discovered they were writers and how they work.
With contributors as diverse as Jimmy Carter, Joyce Carol Oates, and Carl Sagan, each essay is paired with biographical information about each author, allowing readers to learn more about the writers, and their timeless ideas on the craft of writing.
It’s an amazing journey inside what it takes to become a successful writer — from their beginning, their struggles, to their thoughts on creativity and writing block. It’s definitely an interesting ride,
“Writers learn their craft, above all, from the work of other writers. From reading.” ~Marie Arana
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