Helpful Books on Writing

After my post on Helpful Writing Websites, I actually started writing again.  So, I figured I would do a post on my favorite writing books.  I've been researching writing books from the moment I decided to go through with writing my novel.  Being a beginner, the entire process of writing a book was immensely overwhelming. Trying to sort out characters, story ideas, settings and everything else and then form it into a cohesive story arc all while making sure it stays interesting is difficult.  I've had a couple books that I've tried and they helped me very little, but I've had even more that I've read and they've helped me tremendously.


I knew that I would need to outline my novel.  I could never be someone that just started writing and hope that it ends up going well.  Many people work really well with that method, but not me.  I had no idea where to even start when outlining and that's when I found and bought K.M. Weiland's Outlining Your Novel.  It is an absolute treasure for new writers feeling lost.  It helped me flesh out my story ideas, work on my characters and put everything together into a working outline.

Find It Here

This book came out recently, right when I needed it most.  I was about to start writing the first draft and was feeling anxious about it.  I then saw that Weiland had a new book coming out and was overjoyed to have yet another writing help book from her to add to my resources. Structuring Your Novel helps you understand story structure - how to set things up to keep your book going strong.  Weiland also goes into detail on scene structure, and even briefly touches on sentence structure. Great resource!

Find It Here

The Elements of Style I saw recommended time and time again as essential to all writers.  I couldn't imagine wanting it. But, I had a Barnes and Noble Giftcard and decided I would buy it.  The cashier even sarcastically said it looked like a fun book. However, this book is a tremendous help. It's written in a way that doesn't drag and instead presents everything in a clear and informative way. Reading a little section now and then has helped me rework my sentences to read and flow better.  I now would recommend it to anyone who wants to write. It's small, and useful.  Definitely a must have.
Amazon Link

I just purchased this book a couple days ago.  I've seen it mentioned a few times and had some interest in it, but hadn't taken the plunge to actually buy it.  Then as I was writing, I found myself stuck on how to express someone's emotions, without constantly repeating myself.  That's when I finally bought this gem.  It's wonderful. Look up the emotion your characters feeling and find physical, mental and outward appearances that can cue a reader into how your character is feeling.  It helps you show instead of tell.

Find It Here  (There's even a a free PDF companion piece, Emotion Amplifiers, at their site.)

Personal Tip:  If you also find yourself stuck trying to figure out what your character looks like when they're happy, pissed, scared, etc., I like to try out the expression myself.  It feels a little silly to be writing then stop and pull a face, but I find it helps me better figure out what reaction I would naturally make and therefore what my character might make.  So, go ahead and make a frustrated face or your best look of shock.  But don't worry, The Emotion Thesaurus has your back if you find your acting chops aren't quite up to par.

What are your go-to writing help books?