5 Books That Will Make You a Better Writer

As we’re officially into the holiday (read: gift-giving) season, I thought I might offer up my own thoughts on some great gifts for writers. Surprise, surprise – they’re all books. Each of these books affected me in a slightly different way. Some are funny, some serious. One should be kept on the back of the toilet, another can be plowed through in an afternoon. But all of them have something amazing to offer. Each will, in it’s own way, make you a better writer.

1. The Grammar Devotional

BEST FOR: Beginning writers or anyone looking to bone up on the basics.

This book is by one of my favorite nerd bloggers, Mignon Fogarty (aka Grammar Girl). Years ago, I decided that, as a writer, I needed to know my craft better – not just the literary side, but the nuts and bolts. This is the book that really helped me solidify some of the things I was unsure of and give me confidence as a writer on the most basic level.

Want to know whether to use “that” or “which”? Curious about “hanged” vs. “hung”? Do you struggle with “lay” and “lie”? Then you will love this book. With fun little tricks and cute illustrations, Fogarty presents the rules of grammar in memorable ways. And it’s organized like a religious devotional, with a tip for every day of the year. (This is the book I suggest keeping on the toilet. It’s not really for reading straight through, but a few minutes a day goes a long way.)

2. The Artful Edit

BEST FOR: Writers working on a final draft of a story.
This book has three main sections: how to gain perspective, managing the macro-edit, and drilling down with the micro-edit. It sounds simple, but it’s remarkably comprehensive and thoughtful.

It talks about how to see the whole of your story for what it is (and where it might be lacking) and then explains how to get super serious with the minutia that really make a manuscript sing.

It’s also just an entertaining read, with a final section that includes essays from other writers on how they manage the editing process.

3. On Writing Well

BEST FOR: Everyone

This book is a classic for a reason. Since its first printing in 1976, the book has sold 1.5 million copies, and Zinsser made sure to update the book often.

Back when I was teaching writing to engineers, it was my go-to resource for lesson planning. Though subtitled “The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction,” it is an excellent guide for writers of any genre.

It covers everything from semicolons to voice, in succinct, easy to digest sections. Any writer I know who is worth their salt knows this book well and has a copy of it somewhere in their house.

4. Big Magic

BEST FOR: Anyone who might be feeling discouraged at their lack of success

This book reminded me of why I write. More than that, it helped me to reframe what I do as an artistic calling.

Gilbert talks about stories, and art in any medium, as something more than what we create, something magical. Personally, I tend toward more empirical philosophies, but the way she discusses the magic of creation really won me over.

This book helped me to see that my work is valuable in the noble tradition of art, no matter how many copies I sell or how much money I make. I have been recommending it to pretty much every artist I know. (It’s also a quick read – I devoured it in one afternoon.)

5. The Writer’s Portable Mentor

BEST FOR: Writer’s who have the basics and want to hone their craft

I can’t even remember how I found this book, but it’s so thoroughly underlined and dog-eared at this point, that I had to include it here.

This book dives down into the ways in which a writer can train themselves to bring their best prose to the page. Priscilla Long doesn’t just encourage daily writing, she talks about observing gestures, playing with repetition, understanding how different sentence structures compliment each other, and so much more.

This one is not a quick read. It’s much more the kind of book you cuddle up with one chapter at a time, absorbing the ideas and implementing them the next time you sit down to write.

Becoming a Better Writer

So there you have them, my top 5 books for becoming a better writer.
Which books would make your top 5?