Here are some books on writing that I’ve read, along with my personal take on them. I’ve tried to organize them based on whether they are intended to motivate, teach the craft of writing, or a combination of the two. There’s also one entry on the business of writing. I’ve gleaned something from each of them, so they may help you, too, as long as you aren’t looking for a cookbook approach to publication. May your muse be with you. If you don’t believe in muses, best wishes anyway!

I have more writing books on my TBR list, but in the meantime, if you have some favorites, I would love to hear them. You can email me at egreene@stny.rr.com. Just please be sure to put something specific, like “Books on Writing” in the subject. I’ve been getting a spate of spam (what alliteration!) lately and no longer open anything without a specific subject.

Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, Warner Books, 2003, ISBN: 0446691437.

I really like his description of resistance (what keeps us from writing), and how a professional writer deals with it. He may come off a bit kick-ass and perhaps intimidating to a beginner, but I enjoy his no-nonsense attitude. His main message is that sitting down and doing the work will in itself help to clear blocks. I do believe this is true, though also I believe that sometimes it’s helpful to examine the specific fears that are usually at the root of a blockage. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (below) is good at addressing that side of things.

Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, Penguin Group, 2002 (10th anniversary edition), ISBN: 1585421464.

I did this 12-week program at a point in my career when my confidence was wavering terribly and found it a huge help. Since then I’ve reread parts and feel as if I’ve grown past some of it. I still do the Morning Pages (daily journaling) and have found that writing things down helps me figure things out better than working inside my head (my head is a messy place!). Also, like many, I try to do the Artist’s Dates (an "outing" with one’s muse, basically) every week though I don’t always manage it. Some people (perhaps those not currently suffering a creative block) say this program is a waste of time. I think a bit of self-examination is healthy for anyone, especially those who wish to be more creative. I’d certainly recommend this to anyone whose confidence or enthusiasm is faltering.

Dennis Palumbo, Writing from the Inside Out: Transforming Your Psychological Blocks to Release the Writer Within, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2000, ISBN: 0471382663.

Yet another writerly self-help book! What does this say about me? Anyway, it’s another somewhat anecdotal look at the writer’s mind. The author is a writer himself and also a psychotherapist, so well-qualified to understand the challenges facing professional writers. I enjoyed his humor and many of his insights, especially about burnout. Overall, the book was comforting and encouraging, but a bit light on specific techniques and tips for overcoming blocks.

Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1992, ISBN: 0553296345.

This is a good motivational book, with some hints on how to jump-start the creative process. It’s very much about Ray Bradbury (every book is to some degree about its author), so if you enjoy his fiction, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, Knopf Publishing Group, 1995, ISBN: 0385480016.

Another motivational book (with some tidbits on craft), also full of the personality of its author. If you are offended by some profanity, you may wish to avoid it, but there’s lots of sympathetic advice here for the neurotic writer. Is there any other kind? Yet some of her detractors seem to be so ultra-sane they despise her insights. I don’t, but I have not found this an essential book either. You may want to check it out from a library before buying it.

Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Wiese, Michael Productions, 1998, ISBN: 0941188701.

Vogler takes inspiration from Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell (which I have not read but would like to--so many books, so little time!) and shows how principles of the mythic hero’s journey can be applied to screenplays, novels, etc... When I read this, I had already completed 6 books and could see that I’d already included many of these elements in my writing. However, the questions posed in each chapter have been useful in helping to brainstorm my current work-in-progress. I think it would also help in pinpointing weaknesses in a draft. I like the way it parallels the writer’s journey with the story hero’s (the motivational part).

James N. Frey, How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-By-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling, St. Martin's Press, 1987,ISBN: 0312010443.

When I bought this, I’d already published a number of novels and found that I already knew much of the material. Nevertheless, I agree with most of what he says and think it would be most useful to those early in their writing careers.

Debra Dixon, Goal, Motivation and Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction, Gryphon Books for Writers, 1996, ISBN: 0965437108.

I usually do GMC charts a la Debra Dixon for at least the hero and heroine when I'm starting a book, and revisit them when troubleshooting weak spots. Sometimes I find the GMC model a bit static--I like combining it with principles from The Writer’s Journey (see above). But overall, it’s a useful approach. As I’d already been to one of Debra’s excellent workshops and used her GMC charts for a number of my stories, I found the book a trifle repetitive. But it may be well worth it to get a copy if you can’t attend a workshop, or like having more extensive backup material and more examples.

Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel, F & W Publications, Incorporated, 2002, ISBN: 158297182X.

I see this book as more advanced than most of the others, useful not only to beginners but to competent novelists looking to elevate their work. It’s written by a top agent and contains a lot of good insights into what makes for a powerful novel. The accompanying workbook (see below) has the same sort of information along with exercises, so if you want to buy just one, buy the workbook.

Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, Writer's Digest Books, 2004, ISBN: 158297263X.

I find the exercises in this workbook helpful for expanding ideas and for strengthening weak spots in a manuscript. OTOH I have heard some successful authors say it didn’t work for them, and others who say they have seen contest entries where they suspect Maass’s instructions have gone awry. I think I know why. Maass’s tone is somewhat intimidating and can make one feel that any manuscript will be improved by pushing things further and further. This can work well for a story that’s embryonic or limping, and when the writer uses good judgment in using the results. My guess is that when the exercises are used on a story that’s already OK, or without the aforementioned good judgment, they can lead to nonsense. For example, there’s an exercise called “Raising Public Stakes” which has you consider how to make your novel’s central conflict or problem even worse. Then do it again. And again. By this process, Winnie the Pooh feels the rumbly in his tumbly and goes up into the honey tree, and if he fails, everyone in the Hundred Acre Wood will die of famine. No, perhaps the whole world will perish. See what I mean?

This is the problem when writers treat craft books as cookbooks. My advice is to buy this book, go wild and brainstorm with the exercises, but then (and I’d bet Maass would agree) use good writerly sense when deciding which results go into the final product.

Richard Curtis, How To Be Your Own Literary Agent: An Insider’s Guide to Getting Your Book Published, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003, ISBN: 0618380418.

Richard Curtis, a top agent for decades and past president of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, gives good insights into the business of publishing. He doesn’t actually recommend writers represent themselves, of course, but describes what writers can and should expect from their agents and publishers and the process of publishing. I have an older edition, but have put in the link for the new and revised version, which is also on my TBR list.