Books on Writing
These are books on the writing craft that I (and/or writers and other editors I know) have found helpful. I find myself recommending these a lot, so here they are in one place! If you purchase a book from one of the links to Bookshop.org on this page, I will receive a tiny commission AND you will be supporting an indie book store. Double win!
General Writing Advice Books
by Anne Lamott
This is less about craft and more a self-deprecating memoir about encouragement and how to keep writing even when life is shitty.
by K.M. Weiland
This book expands on the differences between growth, fall, and flat characters arcs, as well as the lie your character believes and the truth they need to discover.
by James Scott Bell
Understanding how to insert tension into your story can elevate your writing, and Bell's advice is practical and easy to follow.
by Angela Ackerman
Several of my editing and writing buddies love this database of traumatic situations, as it can give helpful ideas for your characters' backstories.
​How to Write Dazzling Dialogue
by James Scott Bell
This is the resource I recommend the most to new writers. Dialogue writing takes practice, and Bell gives tips on how to do it, explaining what helps readers feel engaged.
by Stephen King
Similar to Lamott's Bird by Bird, this book is part memoir. Read it if you're looking for encouragement and stories about King's own writing life interspersed with some practical tips.
by Jessica Brody
If novel structure tickles your fancy, check out this book that helpfully explains plot beats with examples. There is also a companion book specifically for writing YA novels.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
by Rennie Browne and Dave King
Though the writing samples are outdated, there's good advice here, particularly on showing vs. telling and editing at a sentence level.
Steering the Craft: A 21st Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story
by Ursula K. Le Guin
A short handbook that includes Le Guin's witty commentary and writing exercises.
Story Genius: How to Outline Your Novel Using the Secrets of Brain Science
by Lisa Cron
I know several writers and editors who adore this one. It tackles structure via character development instead of plot points.
Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story
by K.M. Weiland
If you're fascinated by story structure and methods like Save the Cat, you might also appreciate this guide and how Weiland explains story beats in an easy-to-understand manner with plenty of examples.
Genre-Specific Books
Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels
by Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan
A humourous overview of the romance genre, its history and tropes.
Get Started in Writing Historical Fiction
by Emma Darwin
An introduction to writing historical fiction with practical tips and exercises.
How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy
by Orson Scott Card
Brief and outdated in places, but there is some helpful info here on writing speculative fiction.
Making Myths and Magic: A Field Guide to Writing Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels
by Shelly Campbell and Allison Alexander
This guide has chapters on beginnings, structure, worldbuilding, and more.
Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders
by Susanne Alleyn
A book on researching facts when writing historical fiction.
edited by Dan Koboldt
Articles by experts in their fields on topics like history, linguistics, martial arts, horses, armies, and more.
Putting the Science in Fiction
edited by Dan Koboldt
Articles by experts on topics like physics, engineering, medicine, and more.
Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels
by Gwen Hayes
A short introduction to the common story beats in romance novels.
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction
by Jeff VanderMeer
This is a fun, visually exciting romp through fantasy writing tips by the author of Annihilation.
Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels
by Brian Michael Bendis
A helpful introduction to visual storytelling for writers interesting in creating comics and graphic novels.
Writing & Selling Your Mystery Novel: The Complete Guide to Mystery, Suspense, & Crime
by Hallie Ephron
This goes over everything from characters and plot to manuscript length and query writing.
by Tim Waggoner
Masterful advice on how to write frightening and entertaining horror stories. I have a physical copy, and I've underlined a lot of it.
Line-Level Writing & Grammar Books
The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction
by Amy J. Schneider
While you don't need to go knee-deep into copyediting books if you're a writer and not an editor, this one has helpful tips on dialogue, voice, grammar, conscious language, and other fiction issues.
Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style
by Benjamin Dreyer
Many writers recommend Strunk & White's The Elements of Style, but I like Dreyer's style advice better. For one thing, Elements was published in 1918 and Dreyer's in 2019, so it has updated information and isn't so prescriptive. Dreyer's dry wit makes this an amusing read, and he gives helpful advice from his experience as Random House's copy chief.
Editing Fiction at a Sentence Level
by Louise Harnby
Louise Harnby, one of the hosts of The Editing Podcast, dives into many helpful topics in this resource, including character descriptions, narrative viewpoint, purposeful repetition, showing vs. telling, dialogue writing, punctuation, and more.
Grammatically Correct: The Essential Guide to Spelling, Style, Usage, Grammar, and Punctuation
by Anne Stilman
If you want to get into the nitty-gritty of grammar, this book is the one for you. It goes into spelling variations, hyphenation, irregular plurals, capitalization, punctuation, syntax and sentence structure, and style.