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Helpful Books for Writers

In the beginning, I would suggest writing without any sort of knowledge of what you’re doing. This will allow you to enjoy what you’re doing for a little while until the real work begins.


Once you’ve let your talent (or lack thereof) rip, you will find that there is a limit to what your instinct can give you. After that, it’s time to lean on thousands of years of knowledge and experience from people who have set out on the same path as you. There are, of course, millions of books available that claim to help writers improve their craft.

Here are just a few to help you get started.


Fiction Storytelling:


The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them) by Jack M. Bickham


Craft, Style, and Rhetoric:


The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss


The My Reviewers Guide to Style and Grammar by Brooke Downey, Elizabeth Loyer, and Katie Walkup


Rhetoric (Really) Matters by Allyson Hoffman and Kimber Wiggs


Book Business:


The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit by Elizabeth Lyon


The Rights of Authors, Artists, and other Creative People by Kenneth P. Norwick and Jerry Simon Chasen


Note: Read the books yourself. Do not rely on second-hand sources, videos, summations, etc. When folks online offer to explain information to you, they are doing so to create content and benefit themselves. The best way to learn is first-hand.


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