If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I write a book?”, “How do I write a short story?”, or “How do I write a poem?” you’re not alone. I’m halfway done my MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I ask myself these questions a lot, too, though I’m noticing that by now I feel more comfortable with the answers that fit my personal craft. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a Master’s of Fine Arts in Writing candidate, or even a college graduate, in order to soak up the great Wisdom of Words, as I like to call it. Another word for it is craft. That’s because there are so many great books out there on writing craft. In this post, I’ll guide you through 20+ of the most essential books on creative writing. These essential books for writers will teach you what you need to know to write riveting stories and emotionally resonant books—and to sell them.
I just also want to put in a quick plug for my post with the word count of 175 favorite novels. This resource is helpful for any writer.
Now, with that done… Let’s get to it!
What Made the List of Essential Books for Writers—and What Didn’t
So what made the list? And what didn’t?
Unique to this list, these are all books that I have personally used in my journey as a creative and commercial writer.
That journey started when I was 15 and extended through majoring in English and Creative Writing as an undergrad at UPenn through becoming a freelance writer in 2014, starting this book blog, pursuing my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and publishing some fiction and nonfiction books myself. My point here is not to boast, just to explain that these books have all helped me better understand and apply the craft, discipline, and business of writing over the course of more than half my life as I’ve walked the path to become a full-time writer. Your mileage my vary, but each of these books have contributed to my growth as a writer in some way. I’m not endorsing books I’ve never read or reviewed. This list comes from my heart (and pen!).
Most of these books are geared towards fiction writers, not poetry or nonfiction writers
It’s true that I’m only one human and can only write so much in one post. Originally, I wanted this list to be more than 25 books on writing. Yes, 25 books! But it’s just not possible to manage that in a single post. What I’ll do is publish a follow-up article with even more books for writers. Stay tuned!
The most commonly recommended books on writing are left out.
Why? Because they’re everywhere! I’m aiming for under-the-radar books on writing, ones that aren’t highlighted often enough. You’ll notice that many of these books are self-published because I wanted to give voice to indie authors.
But I did want to include a brief write-up of these books… and, well, you’ve probably heard of them, but here are 7 of the most recommended books on writing:
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – With her guided practice on how to rejuvenate your art over the course of 16 weeks, Cameron has fashioned an enduring classic about living and breathing your craft (for artists as well as writers). This book is perhaps best known for popularizing the morning pages method.
The Art of Fiction by John Gardner – If you want to better understand how fiction works, John Gardner will be your guide in this timeless book.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – A beloved writing book on process, craft, and overcoming stumbling blocks (both existential and material).
On Writing by Stephen King – A must-read hybrid memoir-craft book on the writer mythos and reality for every writer.
Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose – A core writing book that teaches you how to read with a writer’s eye and unlock the ability to recognize and analyze craft for yourself.
Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin – Many writers consider this to be their bible on craft and storytelling.
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg – A favorite of many writers, this book takes an almost spiritual approach to the art, craft, and experience of writing.
I’m aiming for under-the-radar books on writing on my list.
These books are all in print.
Over the years, I’ve picked up several awesome books on creative writing from used bookstores. Oh, how I wish I could recommend these! But many of them are out of print. The books on this list are all available new either as eBooks, hardcovers, or paperbacks. I guess this is the right time for my Affiliate Link disclaimer:
This article contains affiliate links, which means I might get a small portion of your purchase. For more on my affiliate link policy, check out my official Affiliate Link Disclaimer.
You’ll notice a lot of the books focus on the business of writing.
Too often, money is a subject that writers won’t talk about. I want to be upfront about the business of writing and making a living as a writer (or not) with these books. It’s my goal to get every writer, even poets!, to look at writing not just from a craft perspective, but from a commercial POV, too.
And now on to the books!
Part I: The Best Books on Writing Craft
The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
For you if: You want to develop an instinctive skill at understanding the contours of storytelling.
All I want to do as a writer, my MO, is tell good stories well. It took me so long to understand that what really matters to me is good storytelling. That’s it—that’s the essence of what we do as writers… tell good stories well. And in The Anatomy of Story, legendary screenwriting teacher John Truby takes you through story theory. This book is packed with movie references to illustrate the core beat points in story, and many of these example films are actually literary adaptations, making this a crossover craft book for fiction writers and screenwriters alike.
How to read it: Purchase The Anatomy of Story on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
For you if: You’re writing a memoir book or personal essays.
Nobody is a better person to teach memoir writing than Mary Karr, whose memoirs The Liar’s Club and Lit are considered classics of the genre. In The Art of Memoir, Karr delivers a master class on memoir writing, adapted from her experience as a writer and a professor in Syracuse’s prestigious MFA program. What I love about this book as an aspiring memoirist is Karr’s approach, which blends practical, actionable advice with more bigger-picture concepts on things like truth vs. fact in memoir storytelling. Like I said in the intro to this list, I didn’t include many nonfiction and poetry books on this list, but I knew I had to make an exception for The Art of Memoir.
How to read it: Purchase The Art of Memoir on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
For you if: Plot isn’t your problem, it’s character.
From literary agent Donald Maass, The Emotional Craft of Fiction gives you the skill set you need to master emotionally engaging fiction. Maass’s technique is to show you how readers get pulled into the most resonant, engaging, and unforgettable stories: by going through an emotional journey nimbly crafted by the author. The Emotional Craft of Fiction is a must-have work of craft to balance more plot-driven craft books.
How to read it: Purchase the The Emotional Craft of Fiction on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
How to Write Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson
For you if: You need a quick-and-dirty plotting technique that’s easy to memorize.
I first heard of the “Snowflake Method” in the National Novel Writing Month forums (which, by the way, are excellent places for finding writing craft worksheets, book recommendations, and online resources). In How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method, the Snowflake Method is introduced by its creator. This quick yet thorough plotting and outlining structure is humble and easy to master. If you don’t have time to read a bunch of books on outlining and the hundreds of pages that would require, check out How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method for a quick, 235-page read.
How to read it: Purchase How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative by Jane Alison
For you if: You want to do a deep dive understanding of the core theory of story, a.k.a. narrative.
A most unconventional writing craft book, Meander, Spiral, Explode offers a theory of narrative (story) as recognizable patterns. According to author Jane Alison, there are three main narrative narratives in writing: meandering, spiraling, and exploding. This cerebral book (chock full of examples!) is equal parts seminar on literary theory as it is craft, and it will make you see and understand storytelling better than maybe any book on this list.
How to read it: Purchase Meander, Spiral, Explode on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop by Stephen Koch
For you if: You’re wondering what it means to be the writer you want to become.
This is one of the earliest creative writing books I ever bought and it remains among the best I’ve read. Why? Reading The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop echoes the kind of mind-body-spirit approach you need to take to writing. The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop doesn’t teach you the nuts and bolts of writing as much as it teaches you how to envision the machine. Koch zooms out to big picture stuff as much as zeroes in on the little details. This is an outstanding book about getting into the mindset of being a writer, not just in a commercial sense, but as your passion and identity. It’s as close as you’ll get to the feel of an MFA in Fiction education.
How to read it: Purchase The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes
For you if: You write or edit the romance genre and want a trusted plotting strategy to craft the perfect love story.
If you’re writing romance, you have to get Gwen Hayes’s Romancing the Beat. This book breaks down the plot points or “beats” you want to hit when you’re crafting your romance novel. When I worked as a romance novel outliner (yes, a real job), our team used Romancing the Beat as its bible; every outline was structured around Hayes’s formula. For romance writers (like myself) I cannot endorse it any higher.
How to read it: Purchase Romancing the Beat on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
For you if: You have big ideas for a plot but need to work on the smaller moments that propel stories.
Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel adapts Blake Snyder’s bestselling screenwriting book Save the Cat! into story craft for writing novels. Brody reworks the Save the Cat! methodology in actionable, point-by-point stages of story that are each explained with countless relevant examples. If you want to focus your efforts on plot, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is an excellent place to go to start learning the ins and outs of what makes a good story.
How to read it: Purchase Save the Cat! Writes a Novel on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Story Genius by Lisa Cron
For you if: You’re a pantser and are terrified at outlining yet also realize you might have a “plot problem.”
More than any other book, Lisa Cron’s Story Genius will get you where you need to go for writing amazing stories. Story Genius helps you look at plotting differently, starting from a point of characterization in which our protagonists have a clearly defined need and misbelief that play off each other and move the story forward from an emotional interior and action exterior standpoint. For many of my fellow MFA students—and myself—Story Genius is the missing link book for marrying plot and character so you innately understand the contours of good story.
How to read it: Purchase Story Genius on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer
For you if: You’re writing in a speculative fiction genre—like science fiction, fantasy, or horror—or are trying to better understand those genres.
Jeff VanderMeer’s Wonderbook is a dazzling gem of a book and a can’t-miss-it writing book for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers. This book will teach you all the skills you need to craft speculative fiction, like world-building, with micro-lessons and close-reads of excellent works in these genres. Wonderbook is also one to linger over, with lavish illustrations and every inch and corner crammed with craft talk for writing imaginative fiction (sometimes called speculative fiction). And who better to guide you through this than Jeff VanderMeer, author of the popular Southern Reach Trilogy, which kicks off with Annihilation, which was adapted into a feature film.
How to read it: Purchase Wonderbook on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul
For you if: You’re looking to write picture books and/or understand how they work.
This book is the only one you need to learn how to write and sell picture books. As an MFA student studying children’s literature, I’ve consulted with this book several times as I’ve dipped my toes into writing picture books, a form I considered scary and intimidating until reading this book. Writing Picture Books should be on the shelf of any writer of children’s literature. a.k.a. “kid lit.”
How to read it: Purchase Writing Picture Books on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Writing with Emotion, Conflict, and Tension by Cheryl St. John
For you if: You need to work on the conflict, tension, and suspense that keep readers turning pages and your story going forward.
Mmm, conflict. As I said earlier, it’s the element of fiction writing that makes a story interesting and a key aspect of characterization that is underrated. In Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict, bestselling romance author Cheryl St. John offers a masterclass on the delicate dance between incorporating conflict, the emotions it inspires in characters, and the tension that results from those two factors.
How to read it: Purchase Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Part II: The Best Books on the Productivity, MFAs, and the Business of Writing
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
For you if: You struggle to find the time to write and always seem to be a chapter or two behind schedule.
If you’re struggling to find time of your own to write with competing obligations (family, work, whatever) making that hard, you need Rachel Aaron’s 2k to 10k. This book will get you in shape to go from writing just a few words an hour to, eventually, 10,000 words a day. Yes, you read that right. 10,000 words a day. At that rate, you can complete so many more projects and publish more. Writers simply cannot afford to waste time if they want to keep up the kind of production that leads to perpetual publication. Trust me, Aaron’s method works. It has for me. I’m on my way to 10k in the future, currently at like 4 or 5k a day for me at the moment.
How to read it: Purchase 2k to 10k on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
The 3 A.M. Epiphany by Brian Kitele
For you if: You’re going through writer’s block, have been away from writing for a while, or just want to loosen up and try something new.
Every writer must own an an exercise or prompt book. Why? Because regularly practicing your writing by going outside your current works-in-progress (or writer’s block) will free you up, help you plant the seeds for new ideas, and defrost your creative blocks. And the best book writing exercise book I know is The 3 A.M. Epiphany by Brian Kiteley, an MFA professor who uses prompts like these with his grad students. You’ll find that this book (and its sequel, The 4 A.M. Breakthrough) go beyond cutesy exercises and forces you to push outside your comfort zone and learn something from the writing you find there.
How to read it: Purchase The 3 A.M. Epiphany on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
For you if: You think being a writer means you have to be poor.
The 4-Hour Workweek changed my life. Although not strictly about writing in the traditional sense, The 4-Hour Workweek does an excellent job teaching you about how passive income can offer you freedom. I first heard about The 4-Hour Workweek when I was getting into tarot in 2013. On Biddy Tarot, founder Brigit (author of some of the best books on tarot) related how she read this book, learned how to create passive income, and quit her corporate job to read tarot full time. As a person with a total and permanent disability, this spoke to me because it offered a way out of the 9-to-5 “active” income that I thought was the only way. I picked up Ferriss’s book and learned that there’s more than one option, and that passive income is a viable way for me to make money even when I’m too sick to work. I saw this come true last year when I was in the hospital. When I got out, I checked my stats and learned I’d made money off my blog and books even while I was hospitalized and couldn’t do any “active” work. I almost cried.; I’ve been working on my passive income game since 2013, and I saw a return on that time investment when I needed it most.
That’s why I’m recommending The 4-Hour Workweek to writers. So much of our trade is producing passive income products. Yes, your books are products! And for many writers, this means rewiring your brain to stop looking at writing strictly as an art that will leave you impoverished for life and start approaching writing as a business that can earn you a real living through passive income. No book will help you break out of that mindset better than The 4-Hour Workweek and its actionable steps, proven method, and numerous examples of people who have followed the strategy and are living the lifestyle they’ve always dreamed of but never thought was possible.
How to read it: Purchase The 4-Hour Workweek on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book by Courtney Maum
For you if: You’re serious about making a living as a writer and publishing with a Big 5 or major indie publisher.
Courtney Maum’s Before and After the Book Deal addresses exactly what its title suggests: what happens after you sell your first book. This book is for ambitious writers intent on submission who know they want to write and want to avoid common pitfalls while negotiating terms and life after your debut. As many published authors would tell you, the debut is one thing, but following that book up with a sustainable, successful career is another trick entirely. Fortunately, we have Maum’s book, packed with to-the-moment details and advice.
How to read it: Purchase Before and After the Book Deal on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community by Gabriela Pereira
For you if: You’re stressed out wondering if you really need an MFA.
The MFA is under this header “business of writing” because it is absolutely an economic choice you make. And, look, I’m biased. I’m getting an MFA. But back when I was grappling with whether or not it was worth it—the debt, the time, the stress—I consulted with DIY MFA, an exceptional guide to learning how to enrich your writing craft, career, and community outside the structures of an MFA program. I’ve also more than once visited the companion site, DIYMFA.com, to find a kind of never-ending rabbit hole of new and timeless content on the writing life. On DIYMFA.com and in the corresponding book, you’ll find a lively hub for author interviews, writing craft shop talk, reading lists, and business of writing articles.
How to read it: Purchase DIY MFA on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
MFA vs. NYC by Chad Harbach
For you if: You’re wondering how far an MFA really gets you—and you’re ready to learn the realities of the publishing world.
About a thousand years ago (well, in 2007), I spent the fall of my sophomore year of college as a “Fiction Submissions and Advertising Intern” for the literary magazine n+1, which was co-founded by Chad Harbach, who you might know from his buzzy novel, The Art of Fielding. In MFA vs NYC, Harbach offers his perspective as both an MFA graduate and someone deeply enmeshed in the New York City publishing industry. This thought-provoking look at these two arenas that launch writers will pull the wool up from your eyes about how publishing really works. It’s not just Harbach’s voice you get in here, though. The book, slim but mighty, includes perspectives from the likes of George Saunders and David Foster Wallace in the MFA camp and Emily Gould and Keith Gessen speaking to NYC’s writing culture.
How to read it: Purchase MFA vs. NYC on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living – edited by Manjula Martin
For you if: a) You’re worried about how to balance writing with making a living; b) You’re not worried about how to balance writing with making a living.
Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living is alternately one of the most underrated and essential books on writing out there. This collection of personal essays and interviews all revolve around the taboo theme of how writers make their living, and it’s not always—indeed, rarely—through writing alone. Some of the many contributing authors include Cheryl Strayed (Wild), Alexander Chee (How to Write an Autobiographical Novel), Jennifer Weiner (Mrs. Everything), Austin Kleon (Steal Like an Artist), and many others. Recently a young woman asked me for career advice on being a professional freelance writer, and I made sure to recommend Scratch as an eye-opening and candid read that is both motivating and candid.
How to read it: Purchase Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Write to Market: Deliver a Book That Sells by Chris Fox
For you if: You don’t know why your books aren’t selling—and you want to start turning a profit by getting a real publishing strategy
So you don’t have to be an indie author to internalize the invaluable wisdom you’ll find here in Write to Market. I first heard about Write to Market when I first joined the 20Booksto50K writing group on Facebook, a massive, supportive, motivating community of mostly indie authors. Everyone kept talking about Write to Market. I read the book in a day and found the way I looked at publishing change. Essentially, what Chris Fox does in Write to Market is help you learn to identify what are viable publishing niches. Following his method, I’ve since published several successful and #1 bestselling books in the quotations genre on Amazon. Without Fox’s book, I’m not sure I would have gotten there on my own.
