5 Books You Should Read if You Want to Be a Writer

Now, according to my Wednesday post, all you need to do in order to be a writer is... well, write. 

And while I do believe that (and it is semantically undeniable), I would still argue that in order to be a good writer, a successful and an admired writer, you probably need to do some reading.

Most of this reading, I would argue, should be fiction. You should read deeply in the genre you want to write in. You should read widely across genres, to get a sense for different tones and styles. Read the classics, read the pulp, read teen romance, read Hemingway.

There comes a time, though, when you may have hit a ceiling in your reading. Maybe, like me, you can only learn so much from observing the work of others, and you need to get meta: you need to read a dissection of the tools of writing. You need to read what great writers say about writing. 

Now, be warned: it is all too easy to fall down an endless rabbithole of writing advice, and to tell yourself you can't write anything until you've read ALL THE BOOKS. This is a self-sabotage technique, and should be avoided. Stick to a few basics, and make sure that you're still writing something every day while you read, to avoid switching into "reader" mode and forgetting that you are also a creator of words.

For today's link post, I am going to share with you my top 5 suggestions for must-read writing advice books. Three of these I have read personally, and two have been recommended to me and are currently on my "buy as soon as I get a job" list, along with new shorts that don't make old ladies stop me on the street and ask me if I'm a mother.

Seriously. That happened. It was weird.

#5: The Everything Get Published Book by Meg Schneider and Barbara Doyen

This book is useful, so it made my list, but it's last on my list because the book is 100% about the nitty-gritty marketing and business side of writing, and like 0% about the art and craft of writing itself. I don't recommend reading this while you're working on a first draft of a novel-- it will just overwhelm and discourage you. However, if you have a fairly polished second draft you're ready to start querying, or you have some short stories you want to shop around, this is a pretty solid bet.

#4: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction by Stephen Koch

This is one of the books that was recommended to me. I like toe look of it because it focuses on craft, which is a tricky part of writing for me. It also has really good reviews on Amazon, which I always trust.

#3: Structuring Your Novel by K.M Weiland

Structure is my downfall. Just look at the number of times I've flaked out on posting, or forgot to go to class, or just generally could not get my crap together. So a whole book on structure sounds pretty awesome. Plus, I just really like Weiland's advice and tone.

#2: On Writing by Stephen King

This was a tough call and almost made my #1. I love this book. It's full of so much good advice, and it has helped me in my writing. There are only a few things that I have a little issue with-- a total ban on all adverbs and any dialogue tag besides "said," for example. Now, I mean, I recognize that these are good guidelines for nice, clean, effective writing, but they just leave so little room for voice! I hate purple prose as much as the next guy, but I swear, the right adverb at the right time can take your story to the next level. And sometimes your characters just need to shout, scream, snort, or scoff.

Of course, that's coming from an amateur with no real publishing credits, so I probably wouldn't listen to me over a master of the craft.

#1: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

There are so many great things about this book, and a thousand reasons it's my number 1. For one, Lamott just makes me feel like all the crazy things I do-- like staring at the blank screen for what feels like hours before starting, diagnosing myself with all kinds of disease, talking to characters in my head-- are not only not crazy, but actually unite me with writers throughout history.

Another reason this book is number one is because of the chapter entitled "Shitty First Drafts." This is possibly the most important concept in writing, if you're anything like me (a consistently underachieving perfectionist). Giving yourself permission to be flawed at first is one of the most important things you can do, whether it's in writing or anything you do in life. Being afraid to make mistakes is kryptonite to creativity. Half of the awesome things you love started as mistakes. (You didn't really think someone set out to invent the Snuggie on purpose, did you?)

What do you think? Did I miss your favorite book on writing advice? Suggestions are welcome in the comments below!