January 22, 2009 Books on the Craft of Writing

Here's a partial list of books on the writing craft that I promised was coming today!

1) On Writing by Stephen King. A memoir of sorts, but the last half of the book is where the meat on writing is found, and it's worth the read for any writer.
2) Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly by Gail Carson Levine. This is an excellent book, especially for aspiring young writers.
3) The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers & Screenwriters by Christopher Vogler. A good book for plotting the coming of age story structure that is used in such films as "Star Wars" series or "The Wizard of Oz."
3) From Where You Dream by Robert Olen Butler. Excellent for the serious novelist.
4) Writing and Selling The Young Adult Novel by K.L.Going. If you're interested in writing for this age group, this book by an award winning author of YA, should be on your shelf.
5) Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is excellent for a writer's survival. Inspires, motivates, as well as packing a wallop of humor.
6) Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose. A better reader makes a better writer, and this book will give you an edge.
7) The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. Good for blocked writing and good for writers just getting started. It is a course in discovering and recovering your creative self.