There are so many good books on the craft of writing. When I was starting out and had no money, I checked novels out from the library or bought them at used bookstores but I bought craft books and reference books, many of which I still have. This is one of the first that I bought and still refer to and recommend. For dramatic writing, which includes novels, plays, and screenplays, I haven’t found any better. It’s so well-used its pages are brittle and the book is falling apart. I love it.
For memoir, I haven’t found any better than Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir. I rarely mark up my books but this copy is so marked up so I can find what I resonated with the first time I read it, and the second time, and the third…
No reference or craft book library should be without Dreyer’s English. I’ve recommended this book so many times.
So many good books on the craft of writing. All my favorites—what you see below—and more are on this page in my affiliate Bookshop.org site.
Which books on the craft of writing do you find yourself using these days? I’d love to know.
It hasn't occurred to me that shame might be involved in writers turning to craft books!
I’ve read *so many* craft books over the decades 🤓 But honestly I’ve learned far more by simply rereading authors whose style inspires me: Camus, Maggie Nelson, Anne Carson etc... That’s where I really dig into the craft.