Top 8 Books every writer must read To become a better writer
Books you must read
If you are reading this, my guess is there is a passion for writing in you. You either write for the fun of it or you desire to pursue a writing career. Either ways, what matters is that you desire to improve your writing skills. The books listed here are the best books I have ever read on the art or habit (as Ann Handley prefers) of writing. These books will not only equip you to become a better writer, they will serve as guides to a successful path in your writing career.
Disclosure: I might earn a commission from any of the sales you make through the links below; however, as I have said, I have read every book listed below. I would not recommend a book I haven’t read myself.
1. Adewale Joel’s Learn creative writing: a guide to writing perfect drafts: If you are interested in having an in-depth knowledge on all the necessary details you need to know about creative writing from the basics to the advanced level, then this book is the exact book you need. This book is well written with brief histories and details on grammar, sentences, schemes and tropes, fiction and nonfiction. Virtually all you need to understand to write the best phrases, sentences, and stories are found in this book. Each chapter seems to be fixed with exercises that can help you track and monitor your progress as a writer. If you are interested in having all the necessary knowledge and skills to write brilliant drafts, read this!
2. Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: I would recommend this book over aand over. Bird by Bird appears to be one of the most sincere books on writing I have ever read. This is one of the few books that truly teaches the dark shades about publishing or even pursuing a writing career—it’s not exactly as sweet as you might expect it to be. The book starts out with the family difficulties the author experienced in her early life. How Lamott was able to sail through the harsh situation of a dying father and a disappointment from a published work to become the successful writer that she is today is one of the most inspiring things I took from this book. Beyond the personal experiences, writing tips and advice shared in this book, Anne Lamott writes with a great sense of humor that makes this book not only enjoyable, but truly remarkable.
3. Stephen king’s On writing: A memoir of the craft: King appears to be a god in the contemporary writing sphere, particularly if you are familiar with the gothic style he writes with. One might even rate his grim writings higher than Allan Poe or Nathaniel Hawthorne. (I believe even Poe’s Dark Romanticism is not as scary as the writings of Stephen King). Consequently, King’s ‘On writing' remains a classic when it comes to the world of learning/teaching creative writing. I believe I wouldn’t do any justice to this article if I do not add this book to the list. His theories on plotting and the use of adverbs have been major ideologies that affect the way I write and view things.
4. Natalie Goldberg’s Writing down the bones: The chapter that remains with me in this book is ‘Don’t marry the fly’. This is the first book that made me realize how descriptions can be the weakness of a text. I hadn’t realized how easy it is for writer’s to get distracted in their descriptions of the details in their story. This book made me realize this. Natalie is right. From my early teens when I had interest in reading and writing, I noticed how writers often got distracted with descriptions. It is true that descriptions are very effective in making the reader imagine the world within the story, but it’s important to know when to get back into the story. I prefer to quote the book: ‘The fly on the table might be part of a whole description of a restaurant. It might be appropriate to tell precisely the sandwich that it just walked over, but there is a fine line between precision and self-indulgence.
5. John Garnder’s On becoming a novelist: Just the preface of this bok is enough to nab your attention. One of the most striking things I got from this book is how much importance should be placed into the story-telling process. This book made me realise how wrong it is to place more attention to the words/sentences of your draft than the story itself. In truth, readers read books because they want to be entertained by a good story, not by good phrases or sentences.
6. Steven Pinker’s The sense of style: Well, I could say this book appeals a lot to me because it feels a lot like academical writing. My thought really—I mean, I had never heard of Strunk & White or Phonesthetics until I read this book. Still, it’s one of the best books on writing you can ever read.
7. Ann Handley’s Everybody writes: Unlike most of the books in this list, ‘Everybody writes’ is not primarily centered on creative writing. I still think it could easily top the least—well, arguably. This is the first book I have ever read that proved that everyone is a writer—including grannies. Lol. This is quite amusing. The most powerful thing about this book is that it makes the writer recognise how much he will continually be in demand. It makes the writer recognise how important he and his skills are to the global world.
8. Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the art of writing: I had a great time with this book. I will personally recommend this if you have need something to motivate you to write daily.
At the early pages of this book I was so glued. The statements Ray Bradbury makes will make you question how passionate you are about writing. If you need some writing motivation, read this!
Have you read any of the books above? Let me know the ones you enjoyed most, in the the comment section
