My Top-10 Favorite Craft Books

I was lucky enough to plan, draft, revise and edit Ahab at the University of Tampa’s low-res MFA program: however, I supplemented their instruction with “how to” books about the writer’s craft. Here‘s my top-10 list of my favorite craft books:

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. The classic handbook on the rules to follow in order to write more clearly; boring but essential for all serious writers.

The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray. A must read before you start drafting your first novel. Forget the crazy one-year timeline, and take everything else to heart.

Scene & Structure by Jack M. Bickham. Learn that scenes (and not paragraphs or chapters) are the true building blocks of great fiction.

Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark. A collection of essays for novelists which runs in the same direction as The Elements of Style; however, it’s tips and examples are much more fun than the rules based Elements.

On Literature by Umberto Eco. Eco’s academic work drives home the point that in the end the interpretation of the novel belongs to the reader (not the author).

On Writing by Stephen King. Half autobiography, half craft book, and 100% interesting. A candid and entertaining “pantser” how to book written by the greatest storyteller of his generation. Spoiler alert, his love of writing probably saved his life.

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. An inspiring collection of essays which celebrate the thrills of writing and the joys of the writing life.

Writing Fiction and Nonfiction by Pat Kubis and Bob Howland. This book makes my list out of pure nostalgia because it’s the first craft book I bought (in Fayetteville, NC, 1997).

The Art of X-Ray Reading by Roy Peter Clark is a wonderful book packed with wisdom. Reading it, I felt like I was having a pint of Guinness with Mr. Clark while he generously shared his favorite authors‘ writerly secrets with me.

The Weekend Novelist Re-writes the Novel by Robert J. Ray. Read this to develop a solid plan before revising your novel. For aspiring novelists, I believe that Mr. Ray’s books are the two most important ones to acquire and apply.

So what are your favorite craft books? Do you have any must-reads? To end with a quote from Ray Bradbury, “So while our art cannot, as we wish it could, save us from wars, privation, envy, greed, old age, or death, it can revitalize us amidst it all.” So in these crazy times keep writing, my friends, keep writing!