Here’s a list of books that discuss numerous aspects of creative writing, from craft to inspiration. As I’ve been slowly entering different books, I noticed (and already knew) that I had a fiction bias. I went to graduate school to practice fiction writing, so naturally many of the books I’m most familiar with are books on the craft of fiction. I’d like to grow this list, however, to include all sorts of genres, so please do not hesitate to note other books that might be of interest to me or my students.
A quick note on creative writing craft books: they’re a great starting place, but in no way are they better than reading the actual works of art themselves! So, if you are writing narrative poetry, read narrative poetry. If you writing plays, read plays. And so on. Then, mix things up and see how different genres spark your muse. It takes time to digest each book or poem, but the act of doing so will help you slowly develop your aesthetic and vision for your work. There is no substitute.
As you read books on craft, please know that they are only hand railings. You may use them to walk up or down the stairs of writing, but eventually you will not need them so dearly. It is nice to know that they are there, so if you stumble you may reach out and grab one, but as you become more surefooted, you will need them less. You will develop your own guidebook, your own manifesto, your own formula for writing exquisite prose or for finding just the write word to end a poem.
Eventually I’ll provide some links and descriptions for each of the books, but for now, here’s a partial list in no particular order:
- Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief by David Starkey. I’m actually using this book as a guide for my creative writing class this Spring 2011 based on a recommendation from a fellow teacher. While this textbook is by no means required, it might be helpful to understand my approach to the course.
- Beyond the Writer’s Workshop: New Ways to Write Creative Nonfiction by Carol Bly.
- Creators on Creating: Awakening and Cultivating the Imaginative Mind. Edited by Frank Barron, Alfonso Montuori, and Anthea Barron.
- Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew by Ursula K. Le Guin.
- Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose.
- Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury.
- Letters to a Young Novelist by Mario Vargas Llosa.
- Mystery and Manners by Flannery O’Conner.
- On Writing by Stephen King.
- Bringing the Devil to His Knees: The Craft of Fiction and the Writing Life. Edited by Charles Baxter and Peter Turchi.
- Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft by Janet Burroway.
- The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner.
- Creating Fiction: Instruction and Insights from teachers of the Associated Writing Programs. Edited by Julie Checkoway.
- “The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism” by Jonathan Lethem.
- [More to come]
