An important aspect of a writer’s trade is that of resource books. I’ll highlight a few of my favorites below. For writing craft topics, pick up as many Writer’s Digest Books as you can get your hands on.
The Craft of Writing:
– Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell (Writer’s Digest Books)
– Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell ((Writer’s Digest Books)
– Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress (Writer’s Digest Books)
– Scene & Structure by Jack M. Bickham (Writer’s Digest Books)
– Plot by Ansen Dibell (Writer’s Digest Books)
– Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card (Writer’s Digest Books)
– Conflict, Action & Suspense by William Noble (Writer’s Digest Books)
– Editing Your Fiction by Michael Seidman
– Mastering Point of View by Sherri Szeman
– The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes by Jack M. Bickham
– Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King
– On Writing Well by William Zinsser
– How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen
– Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass (accompanying workbook)
– Writer to Writer by Cecil Murphey
Grammar, Spelling, Usage and Punctuation:
– Eats Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
– The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
– Spunk & Bite by Arthur Plotnik
– Woe is I by Patricia T. O’Conner
– Write! Better by Ray Wiseman
– Merriam Webster’s 11th Edition Dictionary (or something similar)
– Roget’s Super Thesaurus by Marc McCutcheon
– Flip Dictionary by Barbara Ann Kipfer
My Digital Library of Writing Books: (in part):
– Author Publicity Pack by Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart
– How to Write Faster by Marcy Kennedy
– Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson
– The Story Template by Amy Deardon
– The Writer’s Idea Book by Jack Heffron
– Writing Online by Sean Platt
– You Are a Writer by Jeff Goins
– GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) by Debra Dixon
– Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell
Indie Publishing Resource E-books:
– Self-Publisher’s Ultimate Resource Guide by Joel Friedlander and Betty Kelly Sargent
– Search Engine Optimization for Writers by Clover Autrey
– Self-Publishing Boot Camp Guide for Authors by Carla King
– Indie Publishing Handbook by Heather Day Gilbert
The Writing Life:
– The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
– Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
– Write Away by Elizabeth George
– The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (a bit new-age here and there so beware)
Besides these gems, collect books, either print or digital, that resource your particular genre or time period. I write historical fiction set in Revolution era Russia, so I have a lot of books referring to that historical setting. (View my partial list HERE.)
You are a writer, as Jeff Goins says in his book, so start amassing helps and hints and tips. Happy writing to you!