Hello Lovelies. This week I’d like to highlight 5 of the most often mentioned books about writing that I’ve heard about. Part memoir, part writing instruction, these books are touted all across the writing scene as being essential reading for anyone looking to become a writer. Let’s dive in.
Sometimes the Magic Works, by Terry Brooks
Fantasy author Terry Brooks should know a thing or two about writing. In his career as an author, the man has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has sold over 21 million copies of his books in print.
In Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, Brooks seeks to give advice to aspiring writers, often telling some of the stories behind his own literature as an example.
On Writing, by Stephen King
Who doesn’t love a good horror story? Well, me for one. But that doesn’t at all mean that Stephen King isn’t the most prolific Horror writer of our time. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft describes King’s experiences as a writer and his advice for aspiring writers. This was King’s first book after he was involved in a car accident a year earlier.
The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield writes in many genres, including historical fiction, non-fiction, and screenplays. He is most well known for his film-adapted novels, namely, The Legend of Bagger Vance (with the movie of the same title), and Gates of Fire (which eventually became the movie 300).
In The War of Art, Pressfield highlights the forms of resistance faced by artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and others who are trying to break through creative barriers.
The Way of the Writer, by Charles Johnson
Charles Johnson is a scholar and the author of novels, short stories, screen-and-teleplays, and essays, most often with a philosophical orientation.
For thirty-three years, Johnson taught and mentored students in the art and craft of creative writing. The Way of the Writer is his record of those years, and the coda to a kaleidoscopic, boundary-shattering career.
Zen in the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter. He worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, and mystery fiction. Predominantly known for writing the iconic dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, and his science-fiction and horror-story collections, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and I Sing the Body Electric, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated 20th- and 21st-century American writers.
In Zen in the Art of Writing, Bradbury’s unifying theme is his own love for writing. And if that isn’t the best reason for reading it, well, I don’t rightly know what is.
Have you read other author memoirs that you enjoy? Let me know in the comments below!
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