books

books on the craft of writing fiction memoir and short story

4 Favorite Creative Writing Craft Books

Many writers find it challenging to locate craft books that meet them where they are in their writing development. There are hundreds of texts to choose from whose topics range from plot-centric to memoir-esque to publishing to process, and anything in between. Having read two dozen or more books on the craft of writing, I decided to put together a post of the books I most often recommend to others, depending on their needs and experience.

James Agee A Death In The Family Review Response Writer Workshops

Book Response: A Death In The Family

James Agee’s A Death In The Family follows a young family in the early 20th century directly before and after the unexpected, sudden death of the patriarch, Jay Follet. Agee beautifully illustrates how each family member copes with Jay’s death, following their journey from anxiety to anger to confusion to acceptance. But despite the beauty […]

The Birds Tarjei Vesaas book review literary fiction workshops

Book Response: The Birds

Difficulty Categorizing This Book I have never read a book quite like this before. Perhaps that’s because it was written by a Norwegian author. Or perhaps it’s because of the original publication year (1957). Despite the novel’s tiny cast and contained setting, I found that I did not want to put it down. Ironically, there […]

Blue Nights quote by author Joan Didion

Book Response: Blue Nights

Every time I read a book by Joan Didion, I am struck by her skill. Blue Nights is no exception. This non-fiction rumination centers around what it means to raise a child and to lose that child prematurely, all while dealing with one’s own aging. It is a powerful look into Didion’s psyche. “When we […]

The Lover by Marguerite Duras

Book Response: The Lover

The Lover by Marguerite Duras What a perfect novel to read following Robert Olen Butler’s From Where You Dream. There are several things I admire about Marguerite Duras’s The Lover. First, the prose itself is lyrical and unique. Her analogies and themes are consistent and poignant throughout. In fact, the entire novel reads like one […]

Robert Olen Butler From Where You Dream Quote

Book Response: From Where You Dream

Unique Approach To Story Writing In Robert Olen Butler’s From Where You Dream, the author explains his unique approach to writing a story. The foundational technique Butler promotes is the act of dreamstorming. “Think about how you go to sleep,” he says. “You lie down and all that garbage just turns off. Suddenly an image […]

William Faulkner Light in August Quote

Book Response: Light in August

Having never read Faulkner before now (I know, sacrilege for a southern writer), I began with his “most accessible work”, Light in August. At just over 500 pages, the novel was dense and the writing often obtuse, difficult to follow, and overly embellished. There was, however, something compelling about the story and its characters that […]

Jill McCorkle's Life After Life Review

Book Response: Life After Life

I saw Jill McCorkle give a reading a couple of years ago and have been wanting to read her most recent novel, Life After Life, ever since. She is a dynamic speaker full of energy and verve for southern stories especially. She is originally from North Carolina, and has taught for many years in the […]