Some Craft Books I've Found Useful
I was just compiling a wee list of some good writing craft books for my students and thought it might be worthwhile sharing them on here. Not everybody finds craft books helpful and that is absolutely fine. I don’t like workshops. I know they’re immensely beneficial for many writers but they don’t work for me. When it comes to making art of any kind a huge part of the journey is working out your own process and letting yourself be ok with it.
My attitude to craft books is usually, read for ideas, questions and ways of thinking which resonate with who you are as a writer. Don’t try to completely implement someone else’s writing process. It just won’t work. Ignore the bits which aren’t helpful and don’t feel bad about doing this. Be open to thinking in new ways about writing. Be open to recognising issues in your work. Be open to disagreeing with the craft book. Sometimes you’ll learn more about yourself and your writing through a strong negative reaction than heartily agreeing with the writer’s point.
One wee thing I’ve noticed about reading craft books is that they often signpost me to writers and books I’d never encountered before and this has been an absolute joy. Make sure you don’t miss the bibliography at the back of the book for further reads to explore.
Aside from a few, slightly rarer books, most of these can be found quite easily in the library system. I like to scribble and underline craft books so I can return to the interesting passages but if you’re reading a library copy just take notes in a notebook instead. Another great thing to do is to start a folder of online articles, essays, talks and podcasts which discuss writing. Most of these are free to access and can often be full of brilliant insight. Hope there’s something useful here.
My Ten Favourite Craft Books
1. Verlyn Klinkenborg – “Several Short Sentences About Writing” This is the Bible for anyone who’s struggling to write clean, concise sentences. It’s easy to follow. It articulates problems in your writing which you’ll instantly recognise and probably be mortified. It’s surprisingly funny. I think every writer should have a copy of this wee book.
2. Mark Fisher – “The Weird and the Eerie” If you’re interested in writing uncanny stories this is an absolutely essential guide to rendering the unbelievable believable in your readers’ eyes.
3. James Woods – “How Fiction Works” Does what it says on the tin in an incredibly eloquent and thought-provoking fashion. I found this particularly helpful for thinking about voice and narrative perspective.
4. Anne Lamott – “Bird by Bird” An oldie but a goodie. If you’re in need of a gentle but firm push towards writing then this is such a brilliant wee book for encouraging you on your way. It’s searingly honest, really practical and very, very funny.
5. Robert Boswell – “The Half-Known World; On Writing Fiction” This collection of essays turned everything I thought I knew about narrative and plotting upside down and really made me think in a fresh way about why I write. Couldn’t recommend highly enough.
6. George Saunders – “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” Nobody writes about editing as well as Saunders. This is an absolute masterclass in the short story and full of wee nuggets of wisdom that felt like real light bulb moments for me.
7. Stephen King – “On Writing” The man’s sold a lot of books and he wrote Carrie. He knows what he’s talking about. Listen to him.
8. John Yorke – “Into the Woods” Ignore the fact this is meant to be for screenplay writers. There’s no better book I know for forcing you to think about structure and plot. It’s full of theory but also very easy to read.
9. Patricia Highsmith – “Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction” If you’re struggling to bring tension or drama to your writing, there’s a lot of brilliant insight in this wee book.
10. Francine Prose – “Reading Like a Writer” Not a craft book so to speak, but I’m a big believer in the fact that reading is the best way to improve your writing, and this is such a great book for forcing you to think about how you read. Be warned though, it will make you want to buy more books.
Sneaky extra non-craft book.
AL Kennedy – “On Writing” If you’re only going to read one book about being a writer please please make it this one. It is the closest to real account I’ve ever read and proves that the writing life involves much more staring blankly at walls, eating custard creams for dinner and staying in Travelodges than the literatti would lead you to believe.