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Alice: Anne Lamott wrote Bird by Bird

Honestly, there are no excellent books about writing. I’ve read tons and none have them helped me one bit. The only way to improve your writing is to simply read a lot and write a lot. Unfortunately, there’s no surprise recipe.

There are certainly a lot of them, and a lot of different angles to gather this information from.

I reckon Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block is probably the best all-purpose overview book there is for a fiction writer, and it’s certainly one I’d recommend without hesitation. He covers everything from studying the market, to developing character/plot/etc, to writing a query. And the best part of it is that the book is written in small, easily digested segments with a very down to earth language. Honestly, if you haven’t checked it out, I reckon you must start here.

Another fantastic one for the writer who just needs help honing his craft is The Artful Edit by Susan Bell. This is one of the most complete, fascinating, and unique ‘self-editing’ stylishness books I’ve read. Another one that I recommend across the board. Susan Bell’s resume, and clarity of voice speak for themselves. A book chalk full of fantastic advice.

There’s also How Fiction Facility by James Wood. This book is less a ‘How To’ than a ‘Critique of the Novel,’ but for someone who’s ready to dive headfirst into writing and not look back it is a must read. James Wood is one the premier living literary critics and he doesn’t miss a beat in this book. He examines everything from POV (in All it’s various appearances) to tone to sentence structure. The conundrum here is that the book is pretty heavy handed with literary jargon and can take a minute to wade through, and even longer to really comprehend the point being made. I reckon it’s an invaluable resource for down the line, and something to certainly place on the to-do list, but would ultimately be more helpful after a while of writing and conception.

Some honorable mentions: The Art of Fiction by John Gardner, Stein on Writing and How to Grow a Novel by Sol Stein.

And a word of warning about “best selling” craft guides:
Stephen King is a master in his own right, but mass appeal and record breaking sales don’t equate to a master of craft. On Writing by Stephen King is more an explanation of how he writes than it is a document a childish writer must model after. The book spends a lot of time defending the tactics of ‘hack’ writing, and not enough time explaining the actual concepts behind narrative theory, and literary art. While there are a plethora of decent modest one liners, overall the book is misleading and serves modest purpose beyond stroking the author’s ego and providing insight into his own novels.

Another well loved one is How I Write by Janet Evanovich. While this book adheres more strictly to a standard “writing guide” format the huge issue is that most of the information can be gained for free right from her website. She also uses a lot of source material that you’d be better off conception from the get go.

This isn’t to say that these two books would steer you way off course (In fact, my first suggestion is from a bestselling, “hack” author) but they must be taken with a grain of salt, and I believe it would be much more beneficial to start with Block’s or Stein’s.

Excellent luck with your tale.

The best one and the most comprehensive is from Susan May Warren

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