Books for Fiction Writers

Posted by Jennifer Jensen Oct 7, 2007

As I look at the three and a half shelves filled with writing books, I realize that Writers Digest Book Club has gotten me into trouble. For those who don’t know, Writers Digest Book Club is a mail order plan just like any other, except that if you pay for the books when you order them, you don’t owe any shipping.

It was easier and cheaper than going to my local bookstore, and here were all these writing books just waiting for me. So of course I bought more than I have time to read, but here are some of my favorites:

• 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never be Published & 14 Reasons Why It Just Might by Pat Walsh (read my review here)
• Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing by Jessica Page Morrell. Beautifully written – a chapter gives you enough to think about for several days.
• Revision: A Creative Approach to Writing and Rewriting Fiction by David Michael Kaplan. More than just editing, revision is re-seeing. Deep and very good.
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, and
• On Writing by Stephen King. I can’t help it – I love to read how other writers write, plus how they got started, and what advice they give.

I’ll start a discussion on favorite writing books. Stop by and add yours to the list!