I’ll be honest—I haven’t read every single book on writing in existence. My writing reference books take up less than a full shelf; rather than having their own space, they’re categorized with other nonfiction books I find inspirational, like Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. I’ve always felt that the best path to learning how to write well was to read the sort of books you’d like to write and, well, write. But I’ve been fortunate in that most of the books on creative writing I’ve actually bothered to read have, for the most part, been both profoundly written and incredibly motivational.
Below are the ones which have stuck out the most thus far, listed in no particular order.
#1: On Writing by Stephen King
I’m one of those terrible people who has watched more Stephen King stories on the big (and small) screen than I’ve read. He’s one of my mother’s favorite authors, and as such, I grew up knowing all about Cujo, Carrie, Christine, and the Wendigo, even before I was old enough to be allowed to read about them. On Writing was one of the first books by him I actually read, and I was blown away. I was eager to learn more about my craft, of course, but it never occurred to me that a part memoir, part reference book could be a real page-turner—and yet I stayed up all night finishing it. Seriously, no matter what kind of writer you are, or how much you like Stephen King, if you’re interested in putting words on a page, read this book.
“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” – Stephen King, On Writing
#2: How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card
Okay, this is going to sound even worse than my Stephen King confession, but here goes nothing: this book is, quite literally, the only book I’ve ever read by Orson Scott Card. I somehow managed never to be assigned Ender’s Game as required reading throughout my entire academic career, and never felt drawn to it enough to read it on my own. And then, just about the time I thought about starting it, I found out about certain things he said and believed in that just made it difficult for me to get excited about reading his work.
But I’ve got to give credit where credit is due, and this book is a pretty darn good introduction to writing speculative fiction. For me, the lesson that stood out the most was his advice on writing about magic. Magic, for fantasy writers, is seductive; it’s easy to believe it can do anything, solve any problem, right any wrong. But the best stories about magic abide by their own set of natural laws and rules—it’s what makes your readers believe, both in your magic and the world it lives in.
“If you have people do some magic, impossible thing by stroking a talisman or praying to a tree, it’s fantasy; if they do the same thing by pressing a button or climbing inside a machine, it’s science fiction.” – Orson Scott Card, How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy
#3: Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
This is far and away my favorite book on this list. I adore Ray Bradbury as much for his talent as for his obvious love of writing—everything he’s ever written seems, to me, to pulse with a joy and a passion for storytelling I’ve yet to see paralleled in any other author’s work (even my all-time favorite, J.R.R. Tolkien). In no book have I seen this joy shine so brightly than in this one—yes, there’s fantastic advice here for writers of all shapes and sizes, but perhaps even more importantly, it’s written in a way that inspires and reminds you of why you wanted to write in the first place. And for that, I will be eternally grateful to the late, great Mr. Bradbury.
“That’s the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.” – Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
Reading for Better Writing
When reading with the goal of becoming a better writer, take care not to fall too far down the reference book rabbit hole. There are a ton of books on writing out there, some better than others, all likely worth at least a glance. They can be great resources, but also a source of great distraction. Don’t delude yourself into thinking you’re working on your craft when all you do is read, never write.
Read when you can’t find your muse. Read when you lack inspiration. Read when you need a little extra push, or a kind word from a kindred spirit to fuel your motivation and self-confidence. But once the book is done, set it down. Take a breath. Then go put what you’ve learned into practice and write.
