​The Aspiring Writer's Bookshelf: 30 Books to Inspire and Educate

By Francine Puckly
 
As I reflect on the year as it comes to a close, I am reminded by how important it is to be encircled in a loving, supportive writing community. I am grateful for the daily and weekly buoying by my 24 Carrot Writing peeps, my New England SCBWI team, my accountability genie, and many other writing friends and partners. These wonderful people are my sherpas—leading me up, up, up as I scale the mountain. They encourage me to keep going when I want to turn around and ride a toboggan back down to the bottom and forget the whole thing.
           
But I have other guides on this journey. Voices from the past. Voices in the present. A stack of books by other writers that I read, reread, and then read again. These mentors offer practical, detailed advice about perplexing aspects of drafting and revising, precious guidance in making plots and characters spring to life, and words of wisdom and encouragement when the journey feels long. I would be lost without these “friends” who accompany me on this pilgrimage as well. 
           
So just in case your loved ones are still asking you what you’d like for Hanukkah or Christmas, here are 30 of my favorite books to add to your Writer’s Book Shelf:
​
 Finding Your Way and/or Thoughts on the Journey:

1. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
2. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
3. The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
4. If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland
5. On Writing by Stephen King
6. How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yalof
7. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
8. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle
9. The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear by Ralph Keyes
10. Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande
11. Why I Write by George Orwell
12. The Right to Write by Julia Cameron
13. Write Away by Elizabeth George

Drafting and Revising:

1. WordSmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life by Douglas Wilson
2. The Plot Whisperer by Martha Alderson
3. On Writing Well by William Zinsser
4. How to Write Bestselling Fiction by Dean Koontz
5. Writing Irresistible KidLit by Mary Kole
6. Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton
7. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
8. Second Sight by Cheryl Klein
9. Story Genius by Lisa Cron
10. The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
11. The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner
12. Stein on Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies by Sol Stein
13. Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose
14. Beginnings, Middles, and Ends: Elements of Fiction Writing by Nancy Kress
15. Steering the Craft by Ursula K. LeGuin

Scriptwriting:

1. Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
2. My Story Can Beat Up Your Story: Ten Ways to Toughen Up Your Screenplay from Opening Hook to Knockout Punch by Jeffrey Schechter

Did I say 30 books? I think we all deserve a holiday bonus this year, and here it is!

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
​
 Invite a few of these writing masters to guide your journey in the new year!
~ Francine

---

“Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood.”
–John Green
 ​