Craft and Inspiration

Here I share books and resources that have helped me on my journey with the craft of writing and developing habits and a state of mind to support my writing life. 

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I recommend reading a bunch of books on craft and inspiration, then choosing two or three that really speak to you. Invest in those, reread them, and keep them in your writing space. Refer to them often. In addition to craft and inspiration books, have at hand two or three model books that in some way accomplish what you are trying to do with your work. 

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Craft Books

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The Weekend Novelist, by Robert J. Ray

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, by Janet Burroway 

Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel, by Lisa Cron

The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults, by Cheryl Klein

Writing Picture Books, by Ann Whitford Paul

The Last Draft: A Novelist’s Guide to Revision, by Sandra Scofield

The Anatomy of Story, by John Truby

Books for Inspiration

The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron

Page after Page, by Heather Sellers

Chapter after Chapter, by Heather Sellers

Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg

Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process, edited by Joe Fassler

Daily Rituals: Women at Work, by Mason Currey

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, by Mason Currey

Black Women Writers at Work, edited by Claudia Tate

On Writing, by Stephen King

Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott

Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brand

The Writing Life, by Annie Dillard