3 Books Every Writer Must Read
If you’re a writer, then chances are you’re a reader, too. And if you’re not, you need to be. Reading naturally augments our writing abilities. For generations, writers didn’t have prompts, guides, or classes— they had books. They immersed themselves in prose and found their voice through the reading process. This article explores why now, as much as ever, writers need to be keen readers. And I’ll offer you three books every writer must read.
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Lisa Cron’s guide to outlining: Story Genius
Steven Pressfield’s inspirational book on taking back your creativity: The War of Art
Your favorite book(s) (not kidding)
These three books will help every writer at any stage in their journey. They will motivate, inspire, and teach what’s fundamental to story structure and spark your creative spirit. Personally, these books helped me when I began my creative writing journey; I learned so much about writing the craft with these stories.
You can learn more about my writing journey at the bottom of this article.
Although I believe in these books, I know every writer learns differently. Some devour story, and can simply write. Other writer’s need a bit more guidance through the storytelling process before they begin. Writing tools are helpful and can teach you how to write a story, but there we want you to know that books are also our teachers, they are tools.
The aforementioned writing tools are beneficial, yes, and I advocate for them. We offer guides for writers, and they work—they helped sharpen my fiction! However, I wouldn’t have known how to apply them without first learning stories need structure or reading books to understand that each narrative is composed within a formula.
For those of you who don’t like work pages— go back to the dustjacket. You have to practice the craft in some capacity. Go back to the place that sparked your passion for prose: books. Now, let’s dive into why I chose these three books every writer must read to enhance your writing.
For structure, outlining, and character creation
(Ten Speed Press; 1st edition August 9, 2016)
Lisa Cron's non-fiction book is a step-by-step guide to the craft with direct instructions on how to write a gripping novel. As you learn what makes up an outline, the author breaks down a fictionalized story to show you the process of crafting it. Cron’s teaching writers what to avoid and how to craft a meaningful story. You will learn how to create characters that have internal conflict and weave that into a plot that revolves around their arc. All good stories are character-driven, and you want to execute them correctly with what Cron calls brain science. Trust me, you won’t regret picking up this book.
Truthfully, Story Genius helped me understand how crucial outlining is to the writing process— particularly by utilizing scene cards. If you’re struggling to outline, like I was, I recommend this book. It's guaranteed to help you write a fully structured novel so you're not ripping your hair out. I suggest keeping this book around your desk for reference, even after you’ve finished it. I still do this, and it helps tremendously.
After you read this book, check out one of my favorite YouTubers/Authors, Abbie Emmons. She dives into character internal conflict and other writing advice videos that also evolved my writing. Her videos are also extremely inspirational and helpful to any author.
For reconnecting with your creative spirit and finding inspiration
(Black Irish Entertainment LLC; 47716th edition, January 11, 2012)
Steven Pressfield writes about the internal struggles artists face. These concepts may sound familiar to you, they are known as: resistance, procrastination, self-doubt, criticism, and fear. The author expresses how to overcome these adversities in your creativity so you can write the book you want to share with the world. If you’re feeling uninspired, or without any drive to create— pick up this book. I guarantee it will bring your creative spirit back to life.
For inspiration and finding your voice
Your favorite book(s)
Yes, re-read your favorite book(s). Do this for two reasons: reason #1: it will inspire you, and reason #2: you naturally will write what you read. Your favorite books are just that for a reason— they are the stories that inspired you to become a writer in the first place.
** Please do not copy anyone else's work and attempt to sell it as your own— that's plagiarism.**
Immerse yourself in your favorite stories because your voice is in there somewhere.
And that’s it!
The three books every writer must read to transform their writing and find inspiration for their creativity. Comment below and share other writing books that helped you on your journey. Also, tell us your favorite book!
How these books helped my writing journey
Before these books, my drafting process was scattered— I didn’t understand how important story structure was until Lisa Cron showed me the truth.
Writing often looked like sitting at my computer and pouring out something until the fire died out. This is because I didn’t understand story structure and therefore didn’t understand how to write one. Practicing the craft is crucial to your book’s success; it’s like that saying goes— once you know the rules, you can break them. This is why learning how to write a story through an outline makes you a better storyteller.
Writer’s need to learn how to structure a story. I know many pantsers reading this might click off this article, but before you do, hear me out.
You can’t fix a car before you learn how to do it—you can’t write music until you understand what the notes mean—you get where I’m going.
If you want to write a good book, you need to practice story structure and study narrative. Once, I started applying Lisa’s scene cards to outlining process, everything I learned up to that point through books and other writing advice teachers started to click. Then, I studied the three-act structure and created a tool to help writer’s craft a compelling novel with a new tool launching in 2025.
I applied this tool to write my first novel—and it worked. For years, I’d only written short stories, but until I studied the craft and took the time to outline my novel did it become a full story.
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