Great writers keep writing great books about writing and creativity. How do you know which book to read when?

A Writer's Guide To

If you are just starting to think about writing, or about writing again after a long hiatus, start here. This book is compassionate and gentle and comforting. It’s a celebration of the creative act. It would also be very comforting for people dealing with rejection. Key quote: "The work wants to be made and it wants to be made through you.”

WRITING BOOKS

BIG MAGIC1

If you are stuck and you know something is blocking you and you are determined to knock it down, this 12-week step-by-step course will help you crash through your conscious and unconscious barriers. Key quote: "Creativity - like human life itself - begins in darkness."

THE CREATIVE HABIT

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OR THE ARTIST'S WAY

If you are stuck and you are a somewhat practical person and you like systems and strategies, and you believe that habits are the foundation of anything good you ever did, pick this book. Key quote: "Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits."

by Jennie Nash, Book Coach www.jennienash.com

by Elizabeth Gilbert

If you are burning to write but feel frustrated and stuck, chose one of the following two books:

by Twyla Tharp

by Julie Cameron

A Writer's Guide To Writing Books, p2

If you are angsty because you believe the world is hostile to artists and you worry that being an artist is a hard and thankless job, and you'd like to see what you gain and lose by REALLY putting yourself out there, this is the book for you. Key quote: “Those who can ask without shame are viewing themselves in collaboration with —rather than in competition with —the world.”

THE ART OF ASKING

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If you are angsty because you believe that art shouldn't be bought and sold like toothpaste, and you'd enjoy a dense scholarly exploration of the topic, choose this. Key quote: "The artist's gift refines the materials of perception or intuition that have been bestowed upon him; to put it another way, if the artist is gifted, the gift increases in its passage through the self."

THE GIFT

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by Lewis Hyde

If you are angsty about making art in a capitalist, commercial society, chose one of the following two books:

OR

by Amanda Palmer

THE WAR OF ART

5by Anne LamottBIRD BY BIRD

If you are filled with doubt and self loathing, this is your go-to guide to move past those things. Key quote. “Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign... Fear tells us what we have to do... the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”

by Stephen Pressfield

When you start taking yourself seriously as a writer and you want to feel less alone with the craziness in your head, this is the Bible. Key quote. “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.”

A Writer's Guide To Writing Books, p3

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HANDLING THE TRUTH by Beth Kephart

If you have no idea how to proceed with writing memoir, this book will show you through practical, proven tactics. Key quote: "These are the decisions all memoirists have to make: What goes in; what stays out."

THE MEMOIR PROJECTby Marion Roach Smith

If you want to write memoir, read both these books.

WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron6

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ON WRITING WELL

If you are going to write fiction, read this to understand how the reader's brain works so you can hook your reader from sentence one. Key quote. “We think in story. It’s hardwired in our brain. It’s how we make strategic sense of the otherwise overwhelming world around us.”

If you are going to write non-fiction, read this to understand how to write clear, concise, engaging prose. Key quote. “Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.”

If you are tempted to write your life story instead of a crafted, shaped story designed to engage your reader, read this book to learn why that's a mistake, and how to take a different approach. Key quote. “Teaching memoir is teaching vulnerability is teaching voice is teaching self.”

by William Zinsser

A Writer's Guide To Writing Books, p4

If you are considering self publishing, this book gives you most of what you need to know to get into the entrepreneurial mindset. Includes several examples of writers who have turned projects into businesses. Key quote: "Value is created when a person makes something useful and shares it with the world.”

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THE $100 STARTUP by Chris Buillebeau

The second you decide that you are writing something you would like other people to read and enjoy, and possibly pay for, you must stop everything and read this book. And once you read it, you need to write down your WHY and let it be your North Star -- and yes, this absolutely applies to fiction writers, too.

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED

by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry

If you are seeking a literary agent and a traditional publishing deal, read this book cover to cover. As they say on the website, "this nuts-and-bolts guidedemystifies every step of the publishing process....You’ll hear from Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, Amy Bloom, Seth Godin, Susan Orlean, Dan Ariely and many many more."

START WITH WHY by Simon Sanek

“People don't buy what you

do; they buy why you do it. And what you

do simply proves what you believe.”

KEY QUOTE:

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A Writer's Guide To Writing Books, p5

If you don't want to make a rookie mistake in approaching traditional publishers, read each of the 77 reasons. Key quote: "Never forget that books are published for profit."

THE ARTFUL EDIT

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77 REASONS WHY YOUR BOOK WAS REJECTED by Mike Nappa

by Susan Bell

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If you don't want to send out a book full of weak writing and editorial mistakes, read this guide. Includes awesome famous examples of before and after revisions. Key quote: "An editor doesn't just read, he reads well, and reading well is a creative, powerful act."

YOUR FIRST 1000 COPIESby Tim Grahl

If you are serious about reaching readers, whether you are self publishing or going with a traditional publisher, read this to see exactly how it's done, one reader at a time. a time. Key quote: “Long- term career plans require long-term thinking.”

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15 CREATIVITY, INC by Ed Catmull

If you want to know how to sustain a creative career over the long haul, and also want to peek inside the storytelling powerhouse of Pixar (and who wouldn't?), read this book. It's incredibly inspiring. Key quote: "I believe, to my core, that everybody has the potential to be creative—whatever form that creativity takes—and that to encourage such development is a noble thing.”

A Writer's Guide To Writing Books, p6

If you want some big picture perspective on creative work, this book puts creativity into a historical context by looking at the history of big ideas and big innovations. There are proven patterns to creativity -- and your creativity is part of that mix. Key quote: “The best artists, scientists, engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and other creators are the ones who keep taking steps by finding new problems, new solutions, and then new problems again.”

TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS16

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HOW TO FLY A HORSEby Kevin Ashton

by Cheryl Strayed

If you need some serious tough love about the writing life, and no one in your life is willing to tell it like it is, read this book. Most of it is not about writing, but enough of it is. And also the writing itself is a masterclass in voice and courage and generosity, which is really what writing is about at the end of the day.

NOW GO WRITE A GOOD BOOK!

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“I know it's hard to write,

darling. But it's harder not to. The only way

you'll find out if you `have it in you' is to get

to work and see if you do.”

KEY QUOTE: