So many books exist, and so many writing books have been published too! Most of them probably share similar knowledge, but let’s be honest not everyone vibes with the same writing, right?

If you’re here about writing, then you know this is totally true! Some writers and authors just write how you love to read, and some just don’t.

[note: links below are Amazon Affiliate, which means no extra charge to you, but a small profit for me. thank you!]

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

Why do I suggest a book that isn’t formulaic in how to write the best novel first? Well, what I love about Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life is that she breathes through the writing, sharing the highs and lows with the confusing bumps too. Writing a large body of text (especially when it’s creative) will be anything except straightforward.

When I was writing Take a Right at the Mistletoe, Annie Dillard’s book calmed my pulse and helped me feel less crazy.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

I think I’ve had a girl crush on Anne Lamott since high school — please tell her! Yes, I’m serious.

What I adore about Bird by Bird is that it brings creativity home and makes me feel more normal in the fact that I’m not a machine churning out content. Creativity doesn’t work like that. Bird by Bird is as much about writing as it is about living, and I adore that.

Story Trumps Structure by Steven James

If you’re looking for a well-written book that breaks down the formula of writing a really amazing story, then Story Trumps Structure is EXACTLY that. What I love about Steven James and his book on writing is that he’s not pedantic, and he’s not a Grammarian. In fact, he’ll tell you pretty straight that his strengths are not spelling, grammar, or sentence structure.

Good storytelling can come from individuals who may not have all the writing skills, and that’s okay because you can hire an editor or if you’re working with a publisher, they’ll hire the editor.

Troubleshooting Your Novel by Steven James

Listen, if you thought Steven James was brilliant in Story Trumps Structure, Troubleshooting Your Novel is another book that novelists should own, especially if you struggle with certain parts of novel writing.

Hi, my name is Barbara, and I really struggle with plot. The great thing is that Troubleshooting Your Novel is easy reading with great suggestions for improving your story!

The Scene Book by Sandra Scofield

Touting itself as “a primer for the fiction writer,” I cannot help but agree. What I like about The Scene Book is that…it’s not massive! Honestly, that’s helpful. While I do love reading about the craft of writing, giant tomes on writing is just… a little intimidating, and IF I READ YOUR GIANT BOOK, I’ll never have time to get to my own writing.

The Scene Book is split up into chapters with writing categories, explanations, and more.

Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass

We all want to write the Next Breakout Novel that stays on the bestseller lists forever, and well, basically this workbook is trying to tell you that it’s got the keys for exactly that.

To be honest, this was a book that was used in one of my writing courses in college, and I enjoyed the layout of it. If you’re teaching yourself, this could be a great option because the author uses excerpts from a bunch of different well-known novels. It’s also a workbook so they took time to ask questions and leave space for answers.

Shop My Favorite Writing Books Here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2Y31420JG310?ref_=wl_share

AND THE GENRE YOU LOVE TO READ

Hi, hello, read what you love to write. Really. This is one of the most important things a writer can do for themselves. If you want to write a bestselling mystery novel, then go and read every single bestselling mystery you can get your hands on!

I love that this is part of becoming a better writer because one of the things I love to do most IS READ!

Since you’re doing this in your own time, you can spot-check your writing and jump to the sections that you need in each of these books!

Do you love a particular book on writing? I would love to know — tell me in the comments!

Love Romance? Read Teal Paisley Tights!

If you’re anything like Jadyn, the main character of Teal Paisley Tights, then you have BIG dreams but you still have bills to pay. Jump into this cute novel and find out how she does it.

Buy your copy here (and yes, this is an Amazon Affiliate link): https://amzn.to/2WDYlac

With the help of the Libby App, I’ve had the great pleasure of listening to some amazing (and intense) reads this summer, and I have to say that I highly recommend them.

If you’re looking to learn more about the world and live in another’s shoes for the extent of a book, you MUST add these 3 intense reads to your To Be Read list. Each of these books was beautifully written while they covered difficult subjects.

For me, a beautifully written book helps to smooth the discomfort of experiencing the hardships of the main character.

[Amazon Affiliate links used below|your purchase supports Fiona’s snacks]

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

On a scale of cotton candy to Brussels sprouts, Know My Name by Chanel Miller is jalapeno popper cheesecake. Each forkful bites back, and its blend of flavors teases the tongue and the mind.

Known to the world as Emily Doe, she opens her story to the world in her memoir, revealing that she is Chanel Miller with a family, community, interests, and so much more than just the victim of Brock Turner’s assault. Every page spotlights how the US culture is biased toward protecting perpetrators and how she was forever made to feel that she had been the one that did wrong, though she was the victim. Raw and riveting, Chanel’s perspective and story demands change for the judicial system.

I found out about Know My Name from the book, The Body Keeps The Score, and I had to read it. When I saw that an audiobook was available via my favorite Libby app, I borrowed it. And I was brought to tears over and over again as I listened to Chanel Miller, herself, read her story to me. The audio editors even kept a few portions where Chanel’s voice breaks or you know that she may be wiping away her own tears. And I’m thankful. Chanel Miller brings her story to the page in an absolutely exquisite way, and her writing blew me away. It’s no wonder that her victim impact statement exploded across BuzzFeed. I hate that Chanel (and many others) have walked this road, but I’m grateful that Chanel decided to share her story. We need this story. We need to hear it. We need to wake up and demand change.

If you want to learn more about how you can help to support sexual assault victims, you can visit ovc.ojp.gov or thehotline.org.

If you enjoy memoirs and real-life stories, Know My Name is for you. It includes really tragic and heartbreaking moments (trauma effects, isolation, shame, oppression), but those moments are eclipsed by Chanel’s healing (resilience, humor, self-kindness).

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

On a scale of cotton candy to Brussels sprouts, Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate is salted caramel dark chocolate. That perfect combination of bitter, sweet, and salty coils around the tongue and heart, inviting quiet contemplation.

Split between Tennessee 1939 and South Carolina present day, two stories unfold, teasing how these two very different lives connect. In 1939, Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live happily on their family’s river shantyboat up until strangers arrive and throw them into the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage with promises that their parents will get them soon. Meanwhile, in present-day, Avery Stafford, the privileged daughter of a senator and a successful federal prosecutor in her own right, bumps into uncomfortable questions about her family’s past that send her looking for answers.

Another book that shredded my heart, Before We Were Yours struck me to the core, especially with recent news on so many “boarding schools” coming to light with such dark pasts. I’ve been avoiding this story because I had heard that it was AMAZING and heart-searing. Lisa Wingate’s characters came alive, and the plot turned me into a speed reader. Fiction will always be my favorite way to learn about history, but it can be one of the hardest ways because I feel like I live the story too. One thing I really love about Lisa Wingate’s character was their level of space for the complexities of humanity, holding the good and bad all at once. She showed resilience in motion.

If you enjoy family dynamics, history, and family mysteries, Before We Were Yours is for you. It includes themes of resilience, tragedy, love, and more.

Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

On a scale of cotton candy to Brussels sprouts, Island Queen by Vanessa Riley is a glass of fine red wine. The initial sip is bitter, but as it spreads across the tongue, it leaves a sweet aftertaste along with the memory of bitterness.

Dorothy, a young enslaved girl, dreams of freedom and she achieves it for herself, her mother, her sister, and all of her children. It’s far from easy as she deals with the evil in the shape of her Irish stepbrother, and she navigates the shifting politics of the Caribbean Islands. Dorothy builds the life of her dreams through wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter. Based on the real life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, this book captures the intense hardship and beauty of a woman who lived her life by her own rules within an era that offered her no assistance.

I absolutely recommend listening to this book as an audiobook with the narrator of Adjoa Andoh truly bringing this amazing story to life. One of the most standout qualities of this story and the character of Dorothy was her ability to claim responsibility for her every decision. She never shied away from that responsibility, and where she could have chosen to play the “victim card” she never did. I absolutely loved seeing resiliency on display throughout this book.

If you love an inspiring story of a woman who knew her values and oriented her life off of those beliefs, then Island Queen is for you. This story has strong themes of resiliency, empowerment, and power play.

Have you read any of these books? Did you love them?