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100 Must-Read, Best Books on Writing and the Writer's Life

Read better. Write better. Your personal MFA in Creative Writing. These are must-read books for a writer.
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1
A House of My Own (Sandra Cisneros)
A House of My Own
Sandra Cisneros
2
A Little Book on Form (Robert Hass)
A Little Book on Form
Robert Hass
3
A Personal Anthology
A Personal Anthology
4
A Room of One's Own (Virginia Woolf)
A Room of One's Own
Virginia Woolf
5
About Writing (Samuel R. Delany)
About Writing
Samuel R. Delany
6
The Anatomy of Story (John Truby)
The Anatomy of Story
John Truby
7
Art and Fear
Art and Fear
8
The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story (Edwidge Danticat)
The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story
Edwidge Danticat
9
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers (John Gardner)
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers
John Gardner
10
The Art of Memoir (Mary Karr)
The Art of Memoir
Mary Karr
11
The Artist's Way (Julia Cameron)
The Artist's Way
Julia Cameron
12
Big Magic (Elizabeth Gilbert)
Big Magic
Elizabeth Gilbert
13
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
14
Black Milk: On Writing, Motherhood, and the Harem Within (Elif Shafak)
Black Milk: On Writing, Motherhood, and the Harem Within
Elif Shafak
15
Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country (Louise Erdrich)
Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country
Louise Erdrich
16
Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer's Guide to Getting It Right (Bill Bryson)
Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer's Guide to Getting It Right
Bill Bryson
17
Bullies, Bastards and Bitches (Jessica Morrell)
Bullies, Bastards and Bitches
Jessica Morrell
18
Crazy Brave (Joy Harjo)
Crazy Brave
Joy Harjo
19
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Lynne Truss)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Lynne Truss
20
The Elements of Style (William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White)
The Elements of Style
William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White
21
The Emotional Craft of Fiction (Donald Maass)
The Emotional Craft of Fiction
Donald Maass
22
Everybody Writes (Ann Handley)
Everybody Writes
Ann Handley
23
The First Five Pages (Noah Lukeman)
The First Five Pages
Noah Lukeman
24
The Forest for the Trees (Betsy Lerner)
The Forest for the Trees
Betsy Lerner
25
Free Within Ourselves (Jewell Parker Rhodes)
Free Within Ourselves
Jewell Parker Rhodes
26
Getting Into Character (Brandilyn Collins)
Getting Into Character
Brandilyn Collins
27
The Heart of a Woman (Maya Angelou - 1981)
The Heart of a Woman
Maya Angelou - 1981
28
If You Want to Write (Brenda Ueland)
If You Want to Write
Brenda Ueland
29
Immersion (Ted Conover)
Immersion
Ted Conover
30
In Other Words (Jhumpa Lahiri)
In Other Words
Jhumpa Lahiri
31
In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens (Alice Walker)
In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens
Alice Walker
32
It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences (June Casagrande)
It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences
June Casagrande
33
The Kick-Ass Writer (Chuck Wendig)
The Kick-Ass Writer
Chuck Wendig
34
The Language of Fiction (Brian Shawver)
The Language of Fiction
Brian Shawver
35
The Lie That Tells a Truth (John Dufresne)
The Lie That Tells a Truth
John Dufresne
36
The Magic Words (Cheryl Klein)
The Magic Words
Cheryl Klein
37
Making a Good Script Great (Linda Seger)
Making a Good Script Great
Linda Seger
38
Memoirs (Pablo Neruda)
Memoirs
Pablo Neruda
39
The Modern Library Writer's Workshop (Stephen Koch)
The Modern Library Writer's Workshop
Stephen Koch
40
Naked, Drunk and Writing (Adair Lara)
Naked, Drunk and Writing
Adair Lara
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