Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.
―Stephen King, On Writing
Only Stephen King can put the truth into perspective quite like that. He kind of scares me, but then he scares most people. Stephen scares us by telling the truth, and as we all know, there’s nothing scarier than honesty.
In this post you’ll find a list of books I’ve put together on writing. If you want to tell your truth, then there are books on this list that will help you do that.
Consider reading:
Serious Writers Never Quit: They Find The Way
The list:
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On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft Stephen King |
1
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Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Anne Lamott |
2
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Ernest Hemingway on Writing Ernest Hemingway |
3
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Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity Ray Bradbury |
4
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The Writing Life Annie Dillard |
5
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The Artist’s Way Julia Cameron |
6
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The War of Art Steven Pressfield |
7
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Escaping into the Open: The Art of Writing True Elizabeth Berg |
8
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Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within Natalie Goldberg |
9
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Pen on Fire Barbara DeMarco-Barrett |
10
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The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers Christopher E. Vogler |
11
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On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction William Knowlton Zinsser |
12
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The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well Paula LaRocque |
13
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100 Ways to Improve Your Writing Gary Provost |
14
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Second Sight: An Editor’s Talks on Writing Cheryl B. Klein |
15
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The Right to Write: Invitation and Initiation.. Writing Life Julia Cameron |
16
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Write Good or Die Scott Nicholson |
17
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How to Speak and Write Correctly Joseph Devlin |
18
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Write On! Dan Mulvey |
19
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The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Well Laurie E. Rozakis |
20
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English Grammar For Dummies Geraldine Woods |
21
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Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose Constance Hale |
22
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How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One Stanley Eugene Fish |
23
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Why I Write George Orwell |
24
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Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life Natalie Goldberg |
25
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The Elements of Style Strunk and White |
26
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Becoming a Writer Dorothea Thompson Brande |
27
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Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art, Second Edit Judith Barrington |
28
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More Writer’s First Aid: Getting the Writing Done Kristi Holl |
29
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The Mother Tongue – English And How It Got That Way Bill Bryson |
30
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Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer Roy Peter Clark |
31
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Writing Lessons Learned: A Book Of Inspiration For Writers Hope Wilbanks |
32
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Writers on Writing: Collected Essays from The New York Times The New York Times |
33
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Eats, Shoots & Leaves Lynne Truss |
34
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Write from Life Meg Files |
35
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Manuscript Makeover Elizabeth Lyon |
36
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The Little Red Writing Book Brandon Royal |
37
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Keys to Great Writing Stephen Wilbers |
38
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The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear Ralph Keyes |
39
A few more for the road:
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APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur-How to Publish a Book Guy Kawasaki |
If You Want to Write Brenda Ueland
The No Plot? No Problem! Chris Baty
Structuring Your Novel K. M. Weiland
Sometimes the Magic Works Terry Brooks
You Are a Writer Jeff Goins
Writer’s Doubt: The #1 Enemy of Writing Bryan Hutchinson
Add your favorite books on writing in the comments.
