Appendix

As promised, here’s a list of writing books (classics and otherwise), in no particular order, and other resource books that have proven particularly helpful. You can order them digitally online for instant gratification, if you prefer.

Inspirational

Becoming a Writer, Dorothea Brande

Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke

One Writer’s Beginnings, Eudora Welty

The Writing Life, Annie Dillard (Also, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek)

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott (one of my essentials)

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, Natalie Goldberg

On Becoming a Novelist, John Gardner

Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity, Ray Bradbury

On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King

Books on Craft (from Older to More Recent)

Aspects of the Novel, E.M. Forster

The Art of Fiction, Notes on Craft for Young Writers, John Gardner

The Writing of Fiction, Edith Wharton

How Fiction Works, James Wood

How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling, James Frey

How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques for Dramatic Storytelling, James Frey

Telling Lies for Fun & Profit, Lawrence Block

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (9th Edition), Janet Burroway, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, and Ned Stuckey-French

Learning to Write from the Masters, Barnaby Conrad (Santa Barbara Writers Conference)

The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing: Everything You Need to Know about Creating and Selling Your Work, Writer’s Digest Books

Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York’s Acclaimed Creative Writing School (Gotham Writers’ Workshop)

The Making of Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing

Write Away, One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life, Elizabeth George

Specialized Approaches

The Art of the Novel, Milan Kundera

The Art of Dramatic Writing, Lajos Egri

Stein on Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques, Sol Stein (an editor’s point of view)

The Hero’s Journey, Joseph Campbell (a bible for story structure/character arcs)

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Christopher Vogler

Creating Unforgettable Characters, Linda Seger

The Situation and The Story, Vivian Gornick

Plot Perfect: How to Build Unforgettable Stories Scene by Scene, Paula Munier

Writing the Breakout Novel, Donald Maass

13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, Jane Smiley

Nonfiction

On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, William Zinsser

Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, Mark Kramer and Wendy Call

Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past, William Zinsser (Memoir)

The Elements of Narrative Nonfiction: How to Write & Sell the Novel of True Events, Peter Rubie

Playwriting

The Art & Craft of Playwriting, Jeffrey Hatcher

The Playwright’s Guidebook: An Insightful Primer on the Art of Dramatic Writing, Stuart Spencer

Screenwriting

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, Syd Field

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, Robert McKee

Making a Good Script Great, Linda Seger

On Directing Film, David Mamet

Resources for all Sorts of Things

The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron (Also, The Vein of Gold, and others)

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of Grimm Brothers

The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, Bruno Bettelheim

Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales, Marie-Louise Von Franz

The Maiden King: The Reunion of Masculine and Feminine, Marion Woodman and Robert Bly (Almost anything by Marion Woodman or Robert Bly)

She (or He or We, or anything written by), Robert Johnson

Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature, Connie Zweig

Gods in Every Man, Jean Shinoda Bolen

Women Who Run with the Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estés

The Synonym Finder, J.I. Rodale

A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman

And finally, here’s one of my new favorites, from Jeff VanderMeer, author of The Steam Punk Bible, because it’s incredibly fresh, unique, and uses imagery in fantastically creative ways: Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guild to Creating Imaginative Fiction. It will wake up your senses and rattle your brain!