For writers: What books on writing have helped you become a better writer?

One of Alan Moore's books helped me out a little bit, but I think that it is all about reading and your experiences that will make you a better writer. If you read a lot, and you have a very observing mind, then that will usually make you a better writer.

I happen to like the writers who talk to their readers they are teaching. A great author that has really helped me with my writing is Natalie Goldberg. She writes poetry but also instructs on the art of writing. A couple of her books that are great to read and help boost your writing skills are: "Writing down the bones", "Old friend from Faraway." She has a huge selection off books that will really help to boost your writing.

I have a long list of books that come highly recommended, however some of them are geared towards a particular genre or style of writing. So it really depends on what you are looking for. I have read "The Artist's Way" and "On Writing by Stephen King", as well as a few others. I find going to writing workshops more helpful. The information sinks in better there. The books I took note of are books that I plan to maybe read some day. I think reading other writers' works is better than reading books on writing. "Write For Your Life" by Lawrence Block sounds like a book you would want to read if you were writing a memoir. "If You Want To Write" by Brenda Ueland and "Stein on Writing" by Sol Stein come highly recommended. If you want books with prompts in them to help you get started, there are tons of those too. "A Writer's Book of Days" by Judy Reeves is a really good one because it also has some lessons and words of inspiration. "A Writer's Book of Matches" is another one. I believe that is produced by Writer's Digest. A must-have for all writers is "Building Believable Characters" by Mark McCutcheon. There is a bit of reading but mostly it is a great reference book with lists of names, words in different languages, different styles of voice, facial expressions, clothes, houses, and tons of other stuff. I refer to this book often.

I am not sure if I can say that any book in particular has really helped me or inspired me to become a writer. I think it is more of something that sort of just flows out of you. I guess maybe I am just an inspirational writer in a way. I write on impulse and it starts with one word and turns into something magical ... lol! I guess maybe sometimes I can also be a dreamer so it just kind of comes to life on paper and tells it's own story.

one book that i really loved was called 'bird by bird' by ann lamont. it was a very practical book on writing with great advice that will help you not take yourself so seriously!

In my opinion, Balzac's books are usefull for most people to read. A lot of figures and intricate plots which look like real thing and they really impress me.

There's a few that I feel have really helped me along the way. One of them is "The Writer's Handbook". Each year they come out with a new edition. I own a few, and often I'll borrow other editions from the library. To me, this is one of my 'must read's', there's helpful advice from authors in every genre. My one edition has writing tips from Stephen King, Judith Krantz, and lots of other familiar writers. They also have articles on writing fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and every genre imaginable. Besides technique, included in the book is a complete article market: which is guidelines for each and every book publisher, magazine publisher, which editor where to submit to, etc. (That's why the new version each year is important if you're submitting something. Different editors are looking for different types of materials, and it sure does save on submissions to the wrong place.) Another one I keep a copy of is Shrunk & White's 'The Elements of Style', Margaret Shertzer's 'The Elements of Grammar', Plotnik's 'The elements of Editing', and Howard & Barton's 'Thinking on Paper.' I've bought copies of all of those because I find they're good reference. The 'Elements of' books are all really helpful I think. Flip through them next time you're at the library:-)