These are some of the writing craft books you can find on my bookshelf (digital or physical). None of them will give the magic pill that’ll make you the next J. K. Rowling (all these pills are locked in a Bermuda Triangle bunker). However, these books have helped me in different ways, and hopefully they’ll help you too!
Also, this list contains awesome affiliate links! When you use these, I’ll get a tiny bit of money, at no extra cost to you! So if you want to support my writing and podcasting, use these links, not Google’s 😊. I only recommend things that I personally read and love: I always have your best interests at heart. Happy clicking!
Favourite Writing Craft Books:
Story by Robert McKee
The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland
Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K.M. Weiland
Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide by K.M. Weiland
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
PS: Got any writing craft book recommendations? Comment below and I might just add them to this list – giving you credit, of course :).
Favourite Fiction Books:
This list contains stories that have taught me a lot about writing, purely by virtue of being so freakishly good. If you think of the other list as the left-brain, technical side of writing, this list is its complement: a collection of masterworks that have subconsciously fed me the more instinctual aspects of writing. (Note: this list is not necessarily in order of preference)
The Heroes: A First Law Novel by Joe Abercrombie (Listen to this episode for my analysis)
Half a King (Shattered Sea, Book 1) by Joe Abercrombie (Great example of world building, sensory immersion, and narrative voice)
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (Another fantastic masterclass in world building. Also has excellent pacing considering its length)
Mistborn: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
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The Novel Analyst Podcast by Jed Herne 