How our “library” works: Email the group and ask to borrow a title. Don’t lose it, ruin it, or keep it forever. If a title you’re interested in isn’t listed, send an email to the group asking whether anyone has a copy.
Writing a Novel
- Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
- Refuse to be Done by Matt Bell
- How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling by James N. Frey
- The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
- Writing the Breakout Novel (and workbook) by Donald Maass
- The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass
- Writing 21st century Fiction by Donald Maass
- The 90-Day Novel: Unlock the story within by Alan Watt
(though 90 days is unrealistic for most of us) - The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray and Bret Norris
- Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer
- The Essential Guide to Writing a Novel: A Complete and Concise Manual for Fiction Writers by James Thayer
- The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel by Joyce and Jim Lavene
- The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel by Joyce and Jim Lavene
Characterization
- The Art of Character by David Corbett
- The Compass of Character by David Corbett
- Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
- Creating Character Emotions by Ann Hood
Other Specific Aspects of Writing
- The Writer’s Journey, 3rd edition, Vogler
- Story by Robert McKee
- The Emotional Craft of Writing by Donald Maass
- Setting by Jack Bickham
- Description by Monica Wood
- Plot by Ansen Dibell
- Dialogue by Lewis Turco
- Conflict and Suspense by James Scott Bell
- Writing from the Middle by James Scott Bell
- Plot & Structure: techniques and exercises for crafting a plot by James Scott Bell
- Conflict, Action & Suspense by William Noble
- Beginnings, Middles, and Ends by Nancy Kress
- Theme & Strategy by Ronald B. Tobias
- Scene & Structure by Jack M. Bickham
- Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain
- Spider Spin Me a Web: Lawrence Block on Writing Fiction
- Finding your Voice: How to put Personality into your Writing by Les Edgerton
- Voice & Style by Johnny Payne
- Martha Alderson’s The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories and site
- Story Physics: Harnessing the Underlying Forces of Storytelling by Larry Brooks and site
- Writing the Other: A Practical Approach by Nisi Shawl & Cynthia Ward
Agents & Publishing
- Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye by Katharine Sands
- The Perfect Pitch by Ken Rotcop
- The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide by Becky Levine
Style
- The Writer’s Portable Mentor – Priscilla Long
- The Grammar Bible by Michael Strumpe and Auriel Douglas
- The Art of Styling Sentences by Anne Longknife and K.D. Sullivan
- How to Write a Sentence by Stanley Fish
- Getting the Words Right by Theodore A. Rees Cheney
- The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
- It was the best of sentences, it was the worst of sentences by June Casagrande
Being a Writer
- Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott
- On Being a Writer edited by Bill Strickland
- The Art of Fiction by John Gardner
- On Writing – Stephen King
- A swim in the pond by George Saunders
Mystery/Crime
- Talking about Detective Fiction by P.D. James
- How to Write Killer Fiction by Carolyn Wheat
- Cause of Death: a writer’s guide to death, murder and forensic medicine, Keith D. Wilson, M.D.
- Howdunit: How crimes are committed and solved, ed. By John Boertlein
- What Cops Know by Connie Fletcher
- Scene of the Crime: A writer’s Guide to Crime-Scene Investigations by Anne Wingate
- Police Procedural: A writer’s Guide to the Police and how they work by Russell Bintliff
Scriptwriting
- Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field
Comedy
- Comedy Writing Secrets, 2nd edition, Helitzer
Short Fiction
- Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight
- Flash Fiction by Michael Wilson
- Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular by Rust Hills
Header photo: Ithaca, NY courtesy of Paul Joran
Updated January 6, 2024