13 Inspiring Books for Writers

The Writer's Essential Bookshelf: 13 Books for Writing Inspiration and Craft Advice

I believe every writer needs a shelf of physical books you can go to for inspiration. This shelf should include books on writing, such as those listed below, as well as the novels, story collections, memoirs, and essay collections that you think about often, the books in any genre that inspire you to be a better writer.

Here are some of the books I recommend to students in my Foundations of the Novel course. They range from the practical (Patricia Highsmith, Chuck Palahniuk, and Stephen King) to to the inspiring (Julian Green and Columnist McCann) to the unclassifiable (Jeff Vandermeer). I have every one on my shelf. At some point I have read each one of these books all the way through, but more often I just pick one up and skim until I find what I’m looking for.

Practical Books for Writers

Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different, by Chuck Palahniuk

Palahniuk offers old advice in an entirely new way. The book is worth reading for the long chapter on Textures alone, featuring numerous ways to add texture to your writing. If you're looking for ways to improve your writing style, this book is an accessible, entertaining, and practical must-read.

Novel Starter: 50 Days of Exercises and Advice to Get Your Novel off the Ground, by Fiction Attic Press

The title pretty much says it. This workbook includes daily writing assignments as well as a number of craft notes on the fundamental elements of of fiction, including dialogue, point of view, setting, description, characterization, structure, and style. It’s a nuts-and-bolts workbook designed to inspire you and quickly get you into writing your novel.

On Writing:A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King

By the time I got around to reading this modern classic by one of the most prolific writers of our time, I'd already published three novels. I wish I'd found it sooner! While King's smart, down-to-earth memoir/writing lesson is a must-read for beginning novelists, fiction writers at any stage of their careers will find much to admire and be inspired by. Consider it a crash course in how to write fiction that people want to read.

First You Write a Sentence, by Joe Moran

This isn't just a book about what makes a wonderful sentence (although it is that). It's also a book about how sentences lead us into our writing, how sentences guide us to discovery and help an idea become a story. This book is an inspiration for those of us who geek out on language and a primer for anyone who wants to know how a great sentence is made, and why it matters.

Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction, by Patricia Highsmith

You don't have to be a writer of crime fiction or thrillers to learn a great deal from this slim, to-the-point guide on creating suspense in fiction. Highsmith's advice on everything from plotting to getting past "snags" is invaluable to novelists in any genre. As a writer of literary fiction, I found that it provided me with a much-needed kick in the pants.

Inspiring Books for Writers

Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction, by Jeff Vandermeer

This book by the New York Times bestselling author of the Southern Reach Trilogy and a whole bunch of other novels is a feast for the eyes. In additional to being a physically beautiful book, it's packed with information on world-building, narrative forms and structures, plot devices, and more. It also includes writing exercises. While this doorstop is geared toward science fiction and fantasy writers, it's so beautiful and joyful, I think every writer should have a copy. Just be sure it's a hard copy! This is a big, colorful book. Kindle would not do it justice!

Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel, by Elizabeth George

After having huge success as a novelist, George takes you inside the process of how she wrote a particular novel, from the first inspiration (which for her is setting), all the way to the first editorial letter from her editor (who was also my editor at Random House for two books), on through revision. George's approach is very location-specific and includes a careful building of character before she begins writing the book. An insightful behind-the-curtains look at how one very successful writer crafts a novel. Each chapter includes a suggested writing exercise.

Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction, and Other Dilemmas in The Writer's Life, by Bonnie Friedman

According to Friedman, "Successful writers are not the ones who write the best sentences, they are the ones who keep writing." While the other books on this list focus on narrative craft, Writing Past Dark is the book you'll turn to when you feel gobsmacked by your novel, and you're not sure how (or why) to continue.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Listen to this audiobook whenever you think, "Why am I doing this? Can I really do this?" It's truly inspiring!

The Apprentice Writer: Essays, by Julian Green

A refreshing, wide-ranging collection of essays by a French-American writer. While the essays cover various subjects such as translation and Paris neighborhoods, the book is worth reading for the essays "How a Novelist Begins," "Where do Novels Come From?", and "Lectures on Writing." This one isn't that easy to find, although there are occasional a few used copies on Amazon. If you do find it, buy it!

Letters to a Young Writer, by Colum McCann

This wide-ranging book by Pulitzer Prize winning author and long-time teacher McCann is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read on writing. McCann talks about how to focus on the work instead of the ego, how to get past envy, how to work with an agent, and why exhaustion is an essential part of the writing process. If you're in a slump, this brilliant little book will pull you out of it.

Books on Writing Memoir

Still Writing by Dani Shapiro - very inspiring, with some terrific thoughts on craft

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr - memoir-specific, but also includes craft advice that is helpful to fiction writers

On Detail

The next book is not a book about writing. It is that more wonderful thing: a book so exquisite it will inspire you to write. I urge you to read it, because I can talk to you all day about how to write significant detail, but the best way to learn is a book that does it brilliantly. The book is The Guardians: An Elegy for a Friend by Sarah Manguso. If you want to see how to draw a character with a single stroke, how to describe a moment in an unforgettable way, how to select details so specific your reader will have never seen them before, read this book (or any book by Manguso, but especially this one).