Book cover of Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew

Book description

Ursula K. Le Guin generously shares the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime's work.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Steering the Craft as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

As with Madeleine L’Engle, everything I’ve read by Ursula K. Le Guin—fiction as well as nonfiction—has radically influenced my writing and my teaching of writing. In fact, her impact on my creative awakening was so profound that I sent her a copy of my first book as a thank you! Steering the Craft is filled with wisdom and exercises for both new and seasoned writers, but perhaps the most liberating for blocked writers is her controversial view that “story” is defined by “change” not “conflict.” That’s especially welcoming for writers who feel hemmed in (and, perhaps, blocked) by the traditional…

If you love Steering the Craft...

Book cover of Cyborg Fever

Cyborg Fever by Laurie Sheck,

From Pulitzer Finalist Laurie Sheck (A Monster's Notes), a new speculative literary fiction in the spirit of Italo Calvino, Umberto Ecco and Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto that enacts an incisive and moving exploration into what it means to be human in the age of AI and increasing inhumanism.

…

Want books like Steering the Craft?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Steering the Craft.

Browse books like Steering the Craft

Book cover of Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Book cover of Letters to a Young Poet
Book cover of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Share your top 3 reads of 2026!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

164

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Steering the Craft, you might also like...

Book cover of Spellbinding Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Achieving Excellence and Captivating Readers

Spellbinding Sentences by Barbara Baig,

Spellbinding Sentences is for writers who want mastery of their craft, writers who want to know the secrets of powerful prose that will give readers pleasure and keep them turning pages. These techniques are available to anyone who’s willing to practice them consistently.

Sentences shows exactly what to practice and…

Book cover of God of Murder

God of Murder by Jen Finelli,

What if the gods could be FORCED to answer our prayers? Amelia and her friends were once DnD-style fantasy adventurers, who found themselves launched into science fiction when they discovered their medieval world’s “gods” just have access to space-age biomech.

Since ascending to "godhood" herself—that is, earning a place on…

5 book lists we think you will like!