Book Recommendations for Improving Writers

Firstly, I need to request that if you identify as an “aspiring writer”, you drop that term immediately. If you write, you are a writer. If you don’t feel confident with that label, and you must seek an alternative, might I suggest “improving writer”? I recognise that most writers could fit into this category, but I see it as a sliding scale.

That aside, if you feel you need to improve your craft, here are some books I found helpful, which I will now share with you.

Written by two experts from a successful literary consultancy, On Editing by Helen Corner-Bryant and Kathryn Price is an invaluable guide to polishing your manuscript to a professional level. With chapters dedicated to characters, viewpoint, plot and structure, dialogue, description, pacing and show not tell, they guide you through the various stages of utilising an author’s toolkit to prepare your work for publication. Part Two is dedicated to submitting to the trade and working with an agent and publisher. What more could you want?

How about Self-editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King? “Come on, Geoff,” I hear you say, “who needs two books on editing? Don’t they say the same things?” Of course, there is some overlap, but they explain it in different ways and with a different approach – imagine giving two painters a blank canvas and asking them both to paint a monkey; they will not produce identical pictures, but each will have its merits. Written by two professional editors, Self-editing for Fiction Writers ends each chapter with a checklist and writing exercises for you to practice the techniques to help you hone your skills.

Finally, for those of you wanting to dabble in Creative Non-Fiction (it’s more fun than it sounds!), I highly recommend You Can’t Make This Stuff Up by Lee Gutkind, founder of the literary journal Creative Nonfiction. In this very accessible guide, Gutkind presents his wisdom and experience in the genre with examples, analysis and exercises designed to ease your progress into this increasingly popular genre.

If that doesn’t satisfy your appetite, try adding these to the menu: On Writing by Stephen King, Steering the Craft by Ursula LeGuin and Daemon Voices By Philip Pullman.

Happy reading and happy writing!