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Recommended books on writing

Table of Contents

In my office, an entire bookcase is dedicated to books on writing. While you can’t learn writing just by reading a book about it, there are books that can help you plot your novel, create believable characters, revise your manuscript, and improve your writing skills.

Since there are so many books on how to write a novel out there, it’s hard to know which ones to read. Maybe my list of personal favorites will help.

Books about writing in general

  • Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King: Despite the title, this book doesn’t cover just self-editing; it covers all aspects of writing. I really recommend it for a basic understanding of concepts such as show and tell, point of view, and dialogue mechanics.
  • Stein on Writing by Sol Stein: Sol Stein’s books is a classic—and for a good reason. Stein was a well-respected editor and novelist. His book addresses both writing fiction and writing nonfiction and includes a great chapter on writing dialogue.
  • On Writing by Stephen King: This is both a memoir and a book on writing. Read it even if you are not a fan of Stephen King.

Books on creating believable characters and point of view

Books on plot and plotting

Books on Grammar, spelling, and style

There are many more helpful books on writing, but these are the ones I use most often.

If you can recommend other helpful books on writing, please leave a comment.

4 Responses

  1. Thank you for the list Sandra!

    I think “On becoming a novelist” by John Gardner is a superb book for a novice writer. It covers in details the “how” of writing (in Gardner’s words creating a “vivid and continuous dream” that your readers can later share) and becoming a writer (the qualities that are indispensable or important in a young novelist). His love for both writing and the language and the painstaking care with which every sentence is crafted are visible on every page.

    His book is also mentioned on the first page of “Self-editing for fiction writers” which you listed first.

    Hope that helps!

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