Tuesday’s Ten: Top Ten Books To Read On Writing

In order to become a part of the blogging community that does “Ten on Tuesday” or “Top Ten Tuesday” or “Ten Things Tuesday” or any of those other astounding alliterations that have to do with “Tuesday” and “Ten”, here is my “Tuesday’s Ten”. And for once, I’m going to write a blog about READING instead of WRITING. But, true to my passion, it is about reading books ON writing…

Since I started my first novel 16 months ago, I have broadened my library on books on writing. I currently own 35 of these books in print and ten of these books in ebook form.

While it’s important for a writer to write at least once a day (thus the title “writer”), it’s also VERY important for them to read the same kind of books they are writing. But it is also effective to read books on the craft of writing. I have found that my own writing skills (though not outstanding), have improved enormously since reading such books. And my, there are A LOT of them.

Finally, here are my ten all-time favorite books on writing. All of these pertain to fiction, but the last four are also relevant to nonfiction.

1. Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers At Page One and Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton.  (Currently free on Amazon Kindle. I don’t know how long that offer will last. Within the first ten minutes of reading this book, I had gone back and re-written the first three paragraphs of my novel. That’s just how good it is.)

2. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. A MUST HAVE for building your story.

3. A Novel Idea: Everything You Need to Know About Writing Inspirational Fiction by a multitude of great authors. Forward by Angela Hunt and Robin Jones Gun. (This book provides tips on the fundamentals of fiction, as well as information on publishing, conferences, and marketing.)

4. Your First Novel by Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb.  (Also provides tips on both writing your novel and publishing your novel.)

5. Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell. (This is an interesting and helpful read for after you’ve finished your first draft.)

6. Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell. (Another one by Bell that will be helpful WHILE writing your first draft.)

7. Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg. (Another good one by her is Writing Down the Bones.)

8. Spunk & Bite: A Writer’s Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style by Arthur Plotnik

9. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lammott (This is a favorite!)

10. Book Proposals That Sell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success by W. Terry Whalin (I had the honor of meeting and dining with Terry at the Indianapolis Christian Writers Conference this past weekend!)

These are just a few of the many books on the craft. If you have some favorites that you want to share, feel free to do so. Happy reading!

Sarala