Read Writing About Writing

 

 Our walking graphic today shows a person, no doubt a writer, with a large stack of books. And a shiny, red apple on top. 

Why is that writer carrying myriad numbers of books? I'd like to think that they are all books dealing with the craft of writing. That this is a writer who knows the more he/she reads about the craft, the better writer he/she will become. Consider the amount of knowledge that can be gained by reading that stack of books.

I've known writers who say they don't need to read books about writing. They just do it. Of course, no one must read these refernce books, but those who do are going to move much faster on their writing journey. 

Will you soak up every bit of information in each of those books? Probably not, but you will get a great deal of it, especially when it comes to the kind of writing you do. If an entire book doesn't appeal to you, read the sections that pertain to your writing, but at least skim through the rest. You might be surprised at what you find. 

There will be writers who say they can't afford to purchase all those reference books. So, they don't read any of them. You need not buy these books if you have a library in your community or area. The library carries all kinds of reference books, including many on the writing craft. Find that section and start checking them out one by one. Keep a list of the ones you've read. Put a star by the ones you liked best and might consider buying to have on hand at home. 

You can also find the books about writing on Amazon and purchase the less-expensive kindle copy. Or do a trade with other writers. 

Use your favorite search engine to find the 'best' books about writing. I experimented and found many places that give you a list of what the editor/author of the article considers the 'best.' I noted that many had some of the same titles. When you see a title over and over, that's a sure sign it's one to check. 

My own favorites are:

On Writing by Stephen King

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Beginnings, Middles, and Ends by Nancy Kress 

The books above are aimed at fiction writers, but all writers can gain something from them. There are many others that deal with specific types of writing--memoir, essays, scientific articles and more. 

Another excuse writers give for not reading books about writing is that it takes up preceious writing time. Yes, it does, but it is still beneficial to you, the writer. Soaking up the information in books about writing will make you a better, stronger writer. And perhaps one that can add more publishing credits to their resume.