Nonfiction books on how to write -in all different genres- well. (Not so much about publishing, just writing for the joy of creating).
created by UnfinishedDrafts
last updated January, 2026
Stein on Writing
Sol Stein
The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 2nd Edition
Christopher Vogler
The Joy of Writing: A Guide for Writers Disguised as a Literary Memoir
Pierre Berton
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them
Francine Prose
The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface
Donald Maass
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
George Saunders
The Writing Life
Annie Dillard
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Elizabeth Gilbert
The New New Journalism: Conversations with America's Best Nonfiction Writers on Their Craft
Robert S. Boynton
Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers' Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University
Mark Kramer
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Natalie Goldberg
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
Jessica Brody
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print
Renni Browne
Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You
Ray Bradbury
On Writing
Charles Bukowski
The War of Art
Steven Pressfield
Ernest Hemingway
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Anne Lamott
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Julia Cameron
Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew
Ursula K. Le Guin
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Stephen King
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