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.
Here are my four most-recommended books on the craft of writing.
Feel free to list your favorites that I haven’t included here in the comments!
From Where You Dream by Robert Olen Butler (2006)
This delightful craft book by FSU creative writing professor Robert Olen Butler might just be the revolutionary text that will help you deliver more consistent literary writing. He offers several techniques unique to this book. The first he calls dreamstorming, or the act of accessing a near-dream-state to develop character and story. The second technique he explores is a plotting method using notecards. This method involves first dreamstorming scenes for a novel and then writing each one on a notecard, allowing the writer to reorder, add, and revise scenes more effectively and organically than in a more linear outline.
I highly recommend this book for intermediate to advanced writers looking to improve the depth and breadth of their writing, particularly with a literary, character-driven slant. For more on this book, read my full review.
The Lie that Tells a Truth by John Dufresne (2003)
Novelist and professor John Dufresne’s book The Lie that Tells a Truth is an excellent pick for writers looking to move beyond the basics and begin developing more intermediate skills. I originally came across this text as a requirement for a creative writing class at Belmont University in 2008, and while some of the text’s references may feel outdated to the modern writer, the wisdom of Dufresne’s advice still stands. The first half of this book focuses on the writing process, addressing many of the struggles experienced by the working writer. The second half closely examines the basics of craft, including plot, character, place, beginnings and endings, dialogue, and point of view. In contrast to Butler’s more meandering approach, this book offers straightforward rules and examples for the emerging, growing writer.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (1986)
Natalie Goldberg is a painter, Zen practitioner, and author of fifteen books, including memoir, fiction, and craft. Her seminal process book, Writing Down the Bones, revolutionized the way writers teach and experience the process of writing. When I first read this book, I had already taken several college-level creative writing classes, and I found Goldberg’s methodology to be a bit obvious and even cliché. What I did not realize at the time is that the processes I had learned as common sense originated with Goldberg’s book and only seemed cliché because of how they have come to define the modern writing process since this book was published. Writing Down the Bones is almost entirely focused on process, on getting up again and again after rejection, on putting in the time, on seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary, and in defeating discouragement. I recommend this book to the beginning writer but also to any writer who needs to re-ground themselves in their process and is willing to read Goldberg with earnestness, setting aside ego and discomfort to better access their own stories and motivation for continuously coming back to the writing chair.
The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante (2007)
Alice LaPlante, novelist, creative non-fiction writer, and former professor at both Stanford and San Francisco State, authored this writer’s bible, The Making of a Story. At over 600 pages long, this text easily covers more material than any other craft book I have encountered. It makes a fantastic reference guide for intermediate to advanced writers, and it’s extremely useful for addressing common writing traps. LaPlante examines the craft of writing both fiction and non-fiction and includes many higher-level, nuanced topics such as “sentiment and sentimentality”, “seeing the general in the particular”, and whether or not “change” in the protagonist is even necessary.
Additionally, she directly addresses the short story, not just the novel and memoir, and she includes full-length story samples from well-known authors like Joan Didion, ZZ Packer, and Anton Chekhov. While this text may confuse or overwhelm the beginning writer, it is an excellent choice for an experienced writer looking to overcome a plateau in their work. It would also be an excellent textbook for an MFA-level writing class
There are many other craft books out there! Let me know your favorites in the comments.
Note: there are affiliate links in this post. If you make a purchase using a link in this post, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!