I’m putting together a list of helpful, funny, and inspirational writing books as part of a workshop handout and I thought it might be helpful to the blogosphere at large to list and link to them here. You may want to bookmark this page refer back to it when you’re running dry.

I’ve grouped them very generally, because there is inspiration within books on the craft, and there is certainly instruction and advice to be had from the more narrative ones, so I encourage you to check them all out at some point. And if I’ve missed your favorite, add it to the comments.

BOOKS TO MAKE YOU A BETTER WRITER

The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman

The Art of Fiction by John Gardner

On Writing by Stephen King

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss

Spunk & Bite by Arthur Plotnik

77 Reasons Why Your Book Was Rejected by Mike Nappa

How Not to Write a Novel by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman

BOOKS OF WRITING PROMPTS AND EXERCISES

The Pocket Muse by Monica Wood

The Pocket Muse 2 by Monica Wood

Writing without the Muse by Beth Joselow

Write: 10 Days to Overcoming Writer’s Block. Period. by Karen E. Peterson

BOOKS TO INSPIRE YOU & REMIND YOU WHY YOU WRITE

If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland

Writers on Writing: Collected Essays from the New York Times

Writers on Writing, vol. 2: More Collected Essays from the New York Times

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

 

So did I miss any big ones? Please share them with us!