10 Best Creative Writing Books to Read in 2023
Last updated: 18th october 2024.
Rhys Mackenzie
Disclaimer:.
Please note that the following list of books is recommended reading to broaden your knowledge and deepen your appreciation of creative writing and literature. While some of these books may be included in the Oxford Summer Courses curriculum, the specific content of the summer school can vary. If you wish to study these subjects with us, you can apply to our Creative Writing summer school.
1. On Writing, by Stephen King
- "Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work."
- Published in 2000, "On Writing" by Stephen King is a masterclass in the craft of storytelling. It combines King's personal journey as a writer with practical advice on honing your writing skills during your time at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How can Stephen King's advice on discipline and the writing process benefit aspiring writers at Oxford Summer Courses today?
2. Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott
- "Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere."
- Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird" is an encouraging guide for writers facing the daunting task of putting words on the page. Through humor and personal anecdotes, she offers valuable insights into the writing process during your Creative Writing summer school at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How does Lamott's emphasis on "shitty first drafts" resonate with your own experiences as a writer at Oxford Summer Courses?
3. The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
- "Omit needless words."
- A timeless classic, "The Elements of Style" is a concise guide to writing well. It provides essential rules of grammar and composition that every writer should know, especially during their time at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How do the principles outlined in "The Elements of Style" apply to various forms of creative writing, from fiction to poetry, at Oxford Summer Courses?
4. The story, by Robert McKee
- "Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact."
- Robert McKee's "Story" is a comprehensive exploration of the principles behind effective storytelling. It's a must-read for anyone looking to understand the structure and elements of compelling narratives during their time at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How can the insights from "Story" enhance your ability to construct engaging and impactful stories during your Creative Writing summer school at Oxford Summer Courses?
5. Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert
- "Do whatever brings you to life, then. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart."
- In "Big Magic," Elizabeth Gilbert delves into the creative process and encourages writers to embrace their creativity with courage and curiosity, a valuable lesson during your time at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How can Gilbert's philosophy on creativity inspire you to approach your writing with a sense of wonder and daring at Oxford Summer Courses?
6. The Art of Fiction, by John Gardner
- "Fiction seeks out truth. The writer has to go into the dark, quiet spaces of himself and feel around for the truth."
- John Gardner's "The Art of Fiction" offers profound insights into the art and craft of writing fiction. It explores the intricacies of character development, plot, and the writer's role in conveying truth through storytelling during your Creative Writing summer school at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How can Gardner's exploration of truth in fiction inform your own creative writing endeavors at Oxford Summer Courses?
7. Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg
- "Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open."
- Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones" is a meditative guide to writing practice. It encourages writers to tap into their innermost thoughts and emotions during their Creative Writing summer school at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How can Goldberg's approach to writing as a form of meditation help you access deeper layers of creativity in your work at Oxford Summer Courses?
8. The Elements of Eloquence, by Mark Forsyth
- "Rhetoric is the art of dressing up some unimportant matter to fool the audience for the moment."
- "The Elements of Eloquence" explores the art of rhetoric and language play. Mark Forsyth's witty and informative book will inspire you to experiment with language in your writing during your time at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How can a deeper understanding of rhetorical devices enhance your ability to craft persuasive and evocative prose at Oxford Summer Courses?
9. Zen in the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury
- "Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me. After the explosion, I spent the rest of the day putting the pieces together."
- Ray Bradbury's "Zen in the Art of Writing" is a collection of essays that celebrate the joy and passion of writing. Bradbury shares his insights on creativity and the writing life during your Creative Writing summer school at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How can Bradbury's enthusiasm for writing infuse your own creative process with energy and purpose at Oxford Summer Courses?
10. The Nighttime Novelist, by Joseph Bates
- "Writing is an exploration of the heart."
- "The Nighttime Novelist" by Joseph Bates is a practical guide for writers who balance their craft with busy lives. It offers strategies for maximizing your writing time and making progress on your projects during your time at Oxford Summer Courses.
- Discussion: How can the techniques outlined in "The Nighttime Novelist" help you maintain a consistent and productive writing practice at Oxford Summer Courses?
Oxford Summer Courses invites you to immerse yourself in the enchanting world of creative writing during your time at our summer school. In this blog post, we present a meticulously curated list of 10 classic books that will ignite your imagination and deepen your understanding of the art of storytelling. From Stephen King's practical wisdom in "On Writing" to Ray Bradbury's celebration of the writing life in "Zen in the Art of Writing," these books will serve as your companions on your creative writing journey at Oxford Summer Courses. Through our Creative Writing program, you will have the opportunity to explore these influential texts, share your insights with fellow writers, and refine your craft. Join us on this literary adventure and embark on a transformative experience that will shape your writing skills and inspire your creative spirit during your time at Oxford Summer Courses. Who knows, you might just discover a newfound passion for the art of storytelling and create narratives that resonate with readers for generations to come.
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About the author
Rhys mackenzie is the website marketing manager at oxford summer courses. with extensive experience in seo and digital content management, they are passionate about showcasing the best that oxford has to offer. their previous role at experience oxfordshire gave them a deep appreciation for the city's unique cultural and academic offerings. learn more about rhys here ., share this article.
Ignite your passion for creative writing at Oxford Summer Courses. Immerse yourself in a carefully curated list of books that will spark your creativity, refine your storytelling abilities, and help you embark on a transformative journey as a writer.
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Nonfiction Books » Language » Writing Books
The best books on creative writing, recommended by andrew cowan.
The professor of creative writing at UEA says Joseph Conrad got it right when he said that the sitting down is all. He chooses five books to help aspiring writers.
Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande
On Becoming a Novelist by John C. Gardner
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner
Worstward Ho by Samuel Beckett
1 Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande
2 on becoming a novelist by john c. gardner, 3 on writing: a memoir of the craft by stephen king, 4 the forest for the trees by betsy lerner, 5 worstward ho by samuel beckett.
How would you describe creative writing?
But because it is in academia there is all this paraphernalia that has to go with it. So you get credits for attending classes. You have to do supporting modules; you have to be assessed. If you are doing an undergraduate degree you have to follow a particular curriculum and only about a quarter of that will be creative writing and the rest will be in the canon of English literature . If you are doing a PhD you have to support whatever the creative element is with a critical element. So there are these ways in which academia disciplines writing and I think of that as Creative Writing with a capital C and a capital W. All of us who teach creative writing are doing it, in a sense, to support our writing, but it is also often at the expense of our writing. We give up quite a lot of time and mental energy and also, I think, imaginative and creative energy to teach.
Your first choice is Dorothea Brande’s Becoming a Writer , which for someone writing in 1934 sounds pretty forward thinking.
Because creative writing has now taken off and has become this very widespread academic discipline it is beginning to acquire its own canon of key works and key texts. This is one of the oldest of them. It’s a book that almost anyone who teaches creative writing will have read. They will probably have read it because some fundamentals are explained and I think the most important one is Brande’s sense of the creative writer being comprised of two people. One of them is the artist and the other is the critic.
Actually, Malcolm Bradbury who taught me at UEA, wrote the foreword to my edition of Becoming a Writer , and he talks about how Dorothea Brande was writing this book ‘in Freudian times’ – the 1930s in the States. And she does have this very Freudian idea of the writer as comprised of a child artist on the one hand, who is associated with spontaneity, unconscious processes, while on the other side there is the adult critic making very careful discriminations.
And did she think the adult critic hindered the child artist?
No. Her point is that the two have to work in harmony and in some way the writer has to achieve an effective balance between the two, which is often taken to mean that you allow the artist child free rein in the morning. So you just pour stuff on to the page in the morning when you are closest to the condition of sleep. The dream state for the writer is the one that is closest to the unconscious. And then in the afternoon you come back to your morning’s work with your critical head on and you consciously and objectively edit it. Lots of how-to-write books encourage writers to do it that way. It is also possible that you can just pour stuff on to the page for days on end as long as you come back to it eventually with a critical eye.
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Good! Your next book, John Gardner’s On Becoming a Novelist , is described as comfort food for the aspiring novelist.
This is another one of the classics. He was quite a successful novelist in the States, but possibly an even more successful teacher of creative writing. The short story writer and poet Raymond Carver, for instance, was one of his students. And he died young in a motorcycle accident when he was 49. There are two classic works by him. One is this book, On Becoming a Novelist , and the other is The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers . They were both put together from his teaching notes after he died.
On Becoming a Novelist is the more succinct and, I think, is the better of the two. He talks about automatic writing and the idea, just like Dorothea Brande, of the artist being comprised of two people. But his key idea is the notion of the vivid and continuous dream. He suggests that when we read a novel we submit to the logic of that novel in the same way as we might submit to the logic of a dream – we sink into it, and clearly the events that occur could not exist outside the imagination.
What makes student writing in particular go wrong is when it draws attention to itself, either through bad writing or over-elaborate writing. He suggests that these faults in the aspirant writer alert the reader to the fact that they are reading a fiction and it is a bit like giving someone who is dreaming a nudge. It jolts them out of the dream. So he proposes that the student writer should try to create a dream state in the reader that is vivid and appeals to all the senses and is continuous. What you mustn’t do is alert the reader to the fact that they are reading a fiction.
It is a very good piece of advice for writers starting out but it is ultimately very limiting. It rules out all the great works of modernism and post-modernism, anything which is linguistically experimental. It rules out anything which draws attention to the words as words on a page. It’s a piece of advice which really applies to the writing of realist fiction, but is a very good place from which to begin.
And then people can move on.
I never would have expected the master of terror Stephen King to write a book about writing. But your next choice, On Writing , is more of an autobiography .
Yes. It is a surprise to a lot of people that this book is so widely read on university campuses and so widely recommended by teachers of writing. Students love it. It’s bracing: there’s no nonsense. He says somewhere in the foreword or preface that it is a short book because most books are filled with bullshit and he is determined not to offer bullshit but to tell it like it is.
It is autobiographical. It describes his struggle to emerge from his addictions – to alcohol and drugs – and he talks about how he managed to pull himself and his family out of poverty and the dead end into which he had taken them. He comes from a very disadvantaged background and through sheer hard work and determination he becomes this worldwide bestselling author. This is partly because of his idea of the creative muse. Most people think of this as some sprite or fairy that is usually feminine and flutters about your head offering inspiration. His idea of the muse is ‘a basement guy’, as he calls him, who is grumpy and turns up smoking a cigar. You have to be down in the basement every day clocking in to do your shift if you want to meet the basement guy.
Stephen King has this attitude that if you are going to be a writer you need to keep going and accept that quite a lot of what you produce is going to be rubbish and then you are going to revise it and keep working at it.
Do you agree with him?
He sounds inspirational. Your next book, Betsy Lerner’s The Forest for the Trees , looks at things from the editor’s point of view.
Yes, she was an editor at several major American publishing houses, such as Simon & Schuster. She went on to become an agent, and also did an MFA in poetry before that, so she came through the US creative writing process and understands where many writers are coming from.
The book is divided into two halves. In the second half she describes the process that goes from the completion of the author’s manuscript to submitting it to agents and editors. She explains what goes on at the agent’s offices and the publisher’s offices. She talks about the drawing up of contracts, negotiating advances and royalties. So she takes the manuscript from the author’s hands, all the way through the publishing process to its appearance in bookshops. She describes that from an insider’s point of view, which is hugely interesting.
But the reason I like this book is for the first half of it, which is very different. Here she offers six chapters, each of which is a character sketch of a different type of author. She has met each of them and so although she doesn’t mention names you feel she is revealing something to you about authors whose books you may have read. She describes six classic personality types. She has the ambivalent writer, the natural, the wicked child, the self-promoter, the neurotic and a chapter called ‘Touching Fire’, which is about the addictive and the mentally unstable.
Your final choice is Worstward Ho by Samuel Beckett .
This is a tiny book – it is only about 40 pages and it has got these massive white margins and really large type. I haven’t counted, but I would guess it is only about two to three thousand words and it is dressed up as a novella when it is really only a short story. On the first page there is this riff: ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’
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When I read this I thought I had discovered a slogan for the classroom that I could share with my students. I want to encourage them to make mistakes and not to be perfectionists, not to feel that everything they do has to be of publishable standard. The whole point of doing a course, especially a creative writing MA and attending workshops, is that you can treat the course as a sandpit. You go in there, you try things out which otherwise you wouldn’t try, and then you submit it to the scrutiny of your classmates and you get feedback. Inevitably there will be things that don’t work and your classmates will help you to identify those so that you can take it away and redraft it – you can try again. And inevitably you are going to fail again because any artistic endeavour is doomed to failure because the achievement can never match the ambition. That’s why artists keep producing their art and writers keep writing, because the thing you did last just didn’t quite satisfy you, just wasn’t quite right. And you keep going and trying to improve on that.
But why, when so much of it is about failing – failing to get published, failing to be satisfied, failing to be inspired – do writers carry on?
I have a really good quote from Joseph Conrad in which he says the sitting down is all. He spends eight hours at his desk, trying to write, failing to write, foaming at the mouth, and in the end wanting to hit his head on the wall but refraining from that for fear of alarming his wife!
It’s a familiar situation; lots of writers will have been there. For me it is a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is something I have to keep returning to. I have to keep going back to the sentences, trying to get them right. Trying to line them up correctly. I can’t let them go. It is endlessly frustrating because they are never quite right.
You have published four books. Are you happy with them?
Reasonably happy. Once they are done and gone I can relax and feel a little bit proud of them. But at the time I just experience agonies. It takes me ages. It takes me four or five years to finish a novel partly because I always find distractions – like working in academia – something that will keep me away from the writing, which is equally as unrewarding as it is rewarding!
September 27, 2012
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Andrew Cowan
Andrew Cowan is Professor of Creative Writing and Director of the Creative Writing programme at UEA. His first novel, Pig , won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Betty Trask Award, the Ruth Hadden Memorial Prize, the Author’s Club First Novel Award and a Scottish Council Book Award. He is also the author of the novels Common Ground , Crustaceans , What I Know and Worthless Men . His own creative writing guidebook is The Art of Writing Fiction .
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5 Essential College Writing Books for Ambitious Students
by Suzanne Davis | Aug 19, 2021 | College and Graduate School
Buying books for college is expensive.
Like me, you may have spent an hour scouring the university bookstore, looking for the best-priced used textbooks to save some money. Then maybe you hunt online for more bargain textbooks. Even if you find “gently-used books,” those dollars add up. So it’s tough to decide what college writing books to invest in on top of your required texts. When I put together this list of must-have books, I wanted to make this list short.
I also aimed to pick valuable college writing books that will help you beyond one class, one semester, or even one year of your university program. The five books that follow are ones I used as a student and again as an instructor. I use them today with my tutoring students which is why they are piled on my bookcase my desk so I can grab them quickly.
Note: This blog post has affiliate links for each of the images of book covers.
Now, let’s dive into these 5 excellent writing books!
5 Essential College Writing Books
The Top College Writing Books on my Bookcase
#1 The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
The Elements of Style provides sound advice on how to make writing clear, concise, and strong. The focus isn’t so much on grammar as using the language and developing a writing style. The chapters cover punctuation and parts of speech, guidelines for composition, form, and writing style.
The book has a unique history. William Strunk Jr., a Cornell University English Professor, wrote the first edition. Strunk Jr. used it for courses where one student, Elwyn Brooks White (E.B. White), read and studied it. Years later, Macmillian Publishing asked the author E.B. White to revise and edit the book for publication. At this time, E.B. White wrote the fifth chapter, “An Approach to Style.” He also edited other parts of the book.
There are other versions of The Elements of Style with other authors instead of E.B. White, but I prefer the Strunk Jr. and White editions. Most people prefer this edition, too, since it’s the number #1 Best-Selling Grammar Reference book on Amazon.
The Elements of Style has some biases and rules that differ from other writing and grammar books. Note: The rule about using commas in a series differs depending on what type of English you write (American English, British English, etc.) and the writing style in your genre or field. The debate about comma rules has gone on for decades. Here is the viewpoint of Strunk Jr.
Strunk Jr. states a writer should place a comma after every item in a series except the last item before a conjunction ( and, nor, or , ).
- Example: The ice cream came in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and coffee flavors . Many writers follow this rule.
Other writers (like me) use what is called the Oxford Comma . An Oxford Comma is where you put a comma after every item in a list.
- Example: The ice cream came in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and coffee flavors.
The comma controversy is one example, but there are other writing style issues writers debate too. However, even if you disagree with some of the authors’ views and advice, you should read the book and absorb the knowledge. After all, E.B. White wrote the children’s classic Charlotte’s Web.
Here is the link to purchase Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style on Amazon.
#2 Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T.O’Conner
I first read Woe is I when I was tutoring an academic writing course at Skidmore College. I was always looking for a grammar book that was easy to understand and entertaining–this book is it. O’Connor writes about grammar as one who deals with professional writing, which as a former New York Times Book Review editor, she did.
This book will ease your fears of grammar. It’s helpful as a reference because it covers punctuation, parts of speech, and aspects of writing style like clichés. You’ll also find a handy list of contractions you can print and a list of contractions you should never use in writing like: Could’ve, How’d, That’d , etc.
Note : When purchasing a grammar book of any kind, make sure you purchase the latest edition of it. Grammar is a living, breathing thing that changes. If you purchase Woe is I: Ther Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English, buy the (2019) fourth edition.
Also, keep in mind this book applies to American English; other versions of English (Australian, British, Canadian) have slightly different rules.
#3 Your Subject Area’s Style and Reference Guide
Yes, websites like the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) cover many elements of APA, Chicago Style, and MLA. And there are citation programs like Chegg’s citation machine where you can add source information, and those programs give you the correct citation and reference format.
But, those resources and tools do not include everything you need to know about your field’s reference style.
You’ll find that information about writing style (special rules for hyphens, when to use italics, translating a title from one language to another) is hard to find online.
If you have your field’s reference and style handbook, you can answer those questions in a few minutes and have a clear explanation about those rules.
You’ll also learn about writing style and formatting in a reference book. The most common reference style in English 101 classes is MLA. The English, languages, literature, history, and other humanities use MLA reference style.
However, many fields like business, technology, and the sciences use The American Psychological Association (APA) Reference Style.
Here’s a list of the most common reference style guides you can find on Amazon:
- T he MLA Handbook Ninth Edition by the Modern Language Association of America.
- The Publication Manual for the American Psychological Association (APA) Seventh Edition by the American Psychological Association
- The Chicago Manual of Style Seventeenth Edition
#4 They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Kathy Birkenstein
You’ll learn different ways to quote, summarize, disagree with another scholar, and connect ideas. It is excellent for people new to academic language and writing and will help you write words and phrases in almost every aspect of writing.
There are lists of verbs for different ways of summarizing and quoting to help you decide how to introduce another person’s point of view. They have verbs for:
- Making a claim
- Expressing Agreement
- Questioning of Disagreeing
- Making Recommendations (Graff and Birkenstein 40-41).
The problem some people have with the book is that it includes templates for different skills. The writer in me agrees that this book can cause “template writing.” Yet, for my students who were unsure what phrases to use in Academic English, these templates helped them. However, the templates don’t foster original writing. It’s ideal for some students who need to learn more academic language.
If you are familiar with the academic language, you may want to skim the chapters and avoid the templates.
# 5 Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
No, an academic writing book. Yes, Natalie Goldberg focuses on the process of writing and activities to help readers become “writers.” It’s not about grammar, references, or academic language.
So, why did it make my list of college writing books?
Goldberg’s book is a classic writing book from a time when people used typewriters instead of computers. But as it was then and still is now, Writing Down The Bones is like a mini writing class from a fantastic (and cool) teacher. You’ll learn how to make your writing concrete, clear and striking. The chapters cover the habits and practice of writing, writing topics, and how to add detail to your writing.
One of the best things I learned from this book was freewriting. Freewriting is where you write whatever is on your mind for a set amount of time without censoring it, changing it, or correcting it. I do this with all my students because those who freewrite 3-5 times per week become better writers (and academic writers) faster than those who don’t or won’t do it.
Read and use Writing Down the Bones to develop your writing skills—just gloss over the references about smoking. Learn more about Natalie Goldberg and this book at https://nataliegoldberg.com/books/writing-down-the-bones/.
If you want to learn about one of the best writing activities in Writin g Down The Bones check out my blog post, “Three Fabulous Freewriting Techniques for the Uninspired Writer.” https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/3-fabulous-freewriting-techniques/
Which College Writing Books Should You Get?
I understand how expensive textbooks are. Your textbooks can cost around $200 dollars a semester. So can you forego these writing books? The truth is sloppy and shoddy writing costs you. It costs you good grades. Invest in learning how to write well through classes, books, resources, and tools.
Each of these college writing books helps you become a better writer. But, if you cannot afford all 5, start with the first 3 books: The Elements of Style, Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English, and your major’s reference style handbook.
Add Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within after that, and if you struggle with academic language, definitely buy They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. Don’t just rely on websites to answer your writing questions, use books! They are the most credible references you can have at your fingertips.
Which college writing books will you read? Please comment and share your favorite ones!
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The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide for Students Third Edition
There is a newer edition of this item:.
- ISBN-10 1319040160
- ISBN-13 978-1319040161
- Edition Third
- Publisher Bedford/St. Martin's
- Publication date August 19, 2016
- Language English
- Dimensions 6.56 x 0.69 x 9.14 inches
- Print length 544 pages
- See all details
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Product details
- Publisher : Bedford/St. Martin's; Third edition (August 19, 2016)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 544 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1319040160
- ISBN-13 : 978-1319040161
- Item Weight : 1.55 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.56 x 0.69 x 9.14 inches
- #263 in Core
- #463 in Fiction Writing Reference (Books)
- #10,455 in Literary Fiction (Books)
About the author
Heather sellers.
Welcome to my Amazon author page.
The new edition of The Practice of Creative Writing is now out in its fourth edition. Instructors who adopt the book for their courses receive the updated 170-page instructor's manual. I'm incredibly proud of this project. With my terrific team at Macmillan Learning, I've worked on this baby for two years.
In April 2022, my new collection of poems is forthcoming from BOA Editions.
I look forward to hearing from you.
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Customers say
Customers find the book powerful, instructive, and helpful. They also describe the writing style as concise, clear, and easy to read.
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Customers find the book powerful, instructive, and helpful. They say it has good information.
"...The author is succinct and very informative . Plenty of writing examples abound. I have recommended it to my writing group...." Read more
"...Heather Sellers is extremely inspiring and her book has some very useful information . However, the digital copy is missing page numbers...." Read more
"...This is a really powerful instructive book with lots of practices to learn. There are side boxes of quotes from writers about writing...." Read more
" A lot of good information but I think some of it could have been cut by 100 pages because when trying to read it in class it is a lot of reading...." Read more
Customers find the writing style concise, clear, and easy to read. They also say it's a great guide for creative writing.
"...The author is succinct and very informative. Plenty of writing examples abound. I have recommended it to my writing group...." Read more
"... loads of great writing advice ." Read more
"Clear. Concise . Easy to read. Entertaining." Read more
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COMMENTS
Looking for the best books on creative writing? This list of 20+ essential books for writers focuses on both the craft and commercial side of writing.
The best books on Creative Writing recommended by Andrew Cowan. The professor of creative writing at UEA says Joseph Conrad got it right when he said that the sitting down is all. He chooses five books to help aspiring writers.
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This book provides insights into what specific dynamics of writing that are effective, followed by excerpts from successful writers and how the author uses that particular technique for a specific type of writing.
Each of these college writing books helps you become a better writer. But, if you cannot afford all 5, start with the first 3 books: The Elements of Style, Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain …
This is my textbook for Creative Writing Class. I am learning more than I dreamed possible, about the craft of the pen. This is a really powerful instructive book with lots of practices to learn.
Designed for students in the introductory course, The Practice of Creative Writing teaches writers how to trust their own voice, experiment with form, and develop a writing …