The Mighty Ten - Part One

Recently, I met with a writer friend to chat about various aspects of writing. I don’t know about you but I LOVE the opportunity to chat with other writing fanatics in person instead of just by email. J While we were emailing before getting together, my friend mentioned she needed a book on editing. So I looked through my stash of writing books and made a list of a few I thought she might benefit from. Although I’ve mentioned several of these before, I thought a complete list might be helpful for some of you who maybe haven’t heard of all the great resources that are available.

 Today, I thought I’d share my list with you! So without further ado, the top ten writing books that have a permanent place on this author’s bookshelf.

1)      The Idiot’s Guide to Writing Christian Fiction - Ron Benrey

2)      The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing - by the editors of Writers Digest

3)      Self-Editing For Fiction Writers: How To Edit Yourself Into Print – Renni Brown and Dave King

4)      Deep and Wide: Advanced Fiction Techniques for taking your Characters deeper and your     Plots wider: Susan May Warren

5)      Kiss and Tell: Secrets to Writing A Great Romance – Susan May Warren

6)      Writing the Breakout Novel – Donald Maass

7)      Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook – Donald Maass

8)      On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – Stephen King

9)      Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – Anne Lamott

10)  Plot and Structure: Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish – James Scott Bell

There you have it! My favorite books on writing. I’ve read and reread all of these, and will continue to do so, always learning something new from each reread. In fact, I’m currently working through Susan May Warren’s Kiss and Tell, as I prepare to plot my next novel. Usually, I try to read a new book on craft or reread an old one before I start a new project, or begin editing (Self-Editing For Fiction Writers is a great one to peruse before edits, by the way.) This helps to keep my mind fresh and always churning with ideas on how to improve on craft.

Tune in next week for part two of the mighty ten, my top ten favorite blogs and websites for writers!

Happy Writing!

Amanda

Your Turn – What’s your all-time favorite book about writing? Any books on my list you haven’t read but would like to?