If you are a writer, or aspire to be one, you must read, read, read.
Besides reading everything in the genre you write in, there are several ‘essential’ books that writers would do well to read. Books on writing range from the ones that cover the basics, to the art & craft of writing, to the specialist process of genre writing.
Here are my favourite books on writing:
1. Stephen King’s On Writing: This is the only book of King’s that I can bear to read beyond page one. I’m not a fan of horror and blood and gore on the book jacket is often enough to prevent me from going beyond the prologue. ‘On Writing’, however is a classic that I highly recommend for all writers - new and experienced. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, Stephen King’s engaging account of his writing life is inspiring enough to make you want to rush to your notebook. When you find that the going gets tough, read this book.
2. Books by Julia Cameron : I enjoy Julia Cameron’s books because they are simply written, with short chapters that always have a great idea or two. While her Artist’s Way book is probably the most famous, I like ‘The Right to Write’ and ‘The Sound of Paper’ for instant inspiration.
3. In the same style as Julia Cameron is Natalie Goldberg’s ‘Writing down the bones’. If you enjoy reading Zen-style books, this one is for you. Again, the pages are littered with nuggets of wisdom that would help you at any stage of your writing career. I have found Goldberg and Cameron to be very useful when dealing with a temporary lull (or ‘ writers block’).
4. Writer’s Market : Ok, so this one isn’t one of those ‘inspirational’ books. I have a copy of the 2005 Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook and leafing through the pages is often enough to get me writing furiously. One glance at the hundreds of listings in the book and you may feel inspired to send out queries and outlines by the dozens!
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1 Dealing with deadlines « Writers’ Bloc // Sep 2, 2007 at 4:43 pm
[...] you’re a writer, take a look at my posts on the Reading and Writing Lounge Blog : Essential reading for Writers, Finding writing markets online and Keeping a Reading [...]
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