Library

Here is a listing (far from complete) of books that I’ve found useful in the pursuit of writing. I’ve divided this list into categories arbitrarily, but this is the way I’ve found them to be of use to me. Perhaps you’ll disagree, but you’re allowed to; each has his or her own way of doing things. That’s why we all write differently.

Getting Started/Motivation/Craft

• CouponFollow’s Money-Saving Guide for Authors and Writers provides good information on getting started as a writer, resources for writing, editing, and publishing, as well as information on grants and scholarships for students studying writing. Thanks to reader Ellie for the tip!
• A Writer’s Paris; a guided journey for the creative soul
  by Eric Maisel
  For me, entries 03 and 08 were crucial reads and re-reads as I began.
• The Art of War for Writers
  by James Scott Bell
  Lots of good stuff here. A little cheerleading, and a little kicking in the pants.
• Beginnings, Middles and Ends
  by Nancy Kress
  Where does your writing lag, your story start to drag? This can help you overcome it.
• A Writer’s Book of Days
  by Judy Reeves
  I got this when I was just starting out, and I needed something to keep me writing on a daily (or almost daily) basis. This fit the bill, and some days, I go back to it still.
• Storyteller
  by Kate Wilhelm
  Both fun to read and educational; who can beat that?

Reference

• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
  by Renni Browne & David King
• The Elements of Style
  by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White
• The Writer’s Digest Character Naming Sourcebook
  by Sherrilyn Kenyon
  Yes, old-school indeed in this age of online databases. But I love looking up words in books, love dictionaries of all kinds and the cool thing you stumble across by accident. So it is here. Also, while limited in scope (it is a book, after all), I like the breadth of languages presented.