100 Books Like Becoming a Writer

I admire the way this book jumps out of the box and debunks the emphasis on “pure craft”—a term that grew out of the hero’s journey. (Basically the “Horatio Alger” story about a character going from rags to riches.)

This model stifles the voices of writers from other cultures.

Salesses’ techniques help writers mine their cultural background and discover stories only they can tell. It also frees all writers from the model of the hero’s journey.

This book has a playful quality that engaged me immediately.

I was intrigued by Allison’s adventurous vision—one that sees patterns in nature as models for stories that don’t follow the traditional Aristotelian arc.

Alison analyzes many novels in terms of their shape (waves, spirals, tsunamis, and fractals)—stretching my imagination. She also makes it brilliantly clear that the shape of the hero’s journey is just one of many possible shapes for a fictional work.

I resonated to the originality of Faulkner’s vision in which he explores the art of minimalistic writing—a path that gives writers unique and interesting alternatives to classical fiction.

There is a wonderful discussion of the early minimalists, among them Natalie Serrault, whose work Faulkner brings to life. He argues that contemporary flash fiction—a form that can be as short as one hundred words—is a serious and legitimate form of storytelling.

This book is especially important to me because I love to write short pieces and tell a story quickly. I’ve also noticed that all students, regardless of training and background, can write excellent short fiction.

The poet Tony Hagland celebrates the colloquial voice—an approach that is liberating for poets—but also for fiction writers.

He describes voice as being “like a womb around an embryo” that does the crucial work of connecting the writer and the reader. I admired the way this book demystifies the notion that the voice occupies a cerebral realm. Hoagland uses slang and street talk—showing writers a rich and complex palette.

This book is useful for fiction writers as well as poets. It will liberate your adherence to “literary language” and push you right out into the street.

I am not a plotter. I have always wished I was. But nope, sorry, Gwen. That said, this is still an amazing book. Even if you are a discovery writer (sometimes called pantster for writing by the seat of your pants), thinking about your plot in terms of pacing, story elements, backstory, characterization, and setting…and thinking about them in a logical way is beneficial.

Kudos if you can write it down in a notebook before you start drafting. That’s not in my wheelhouse.

My all-time favorite amateur detective is Miss Marple, and if I had to pick a favorite book she is in, it would be this one. I love the idea of a quiet, mostly ignored spinster who most people dismiss being the one character who seems to know exactly what is going on and what people are up to.

I really like the way Miss Marple figures out why the main character thinks she is going mad and proves that she isn’t. In this book, Miss Marple really proves her status as one of the best amateur detectives, and I love it.

This is somehow the antidote to Roth’s novel. It is a daunting read, often thought of as a Viennese answer to Proust. What was fascinating was its very unsentimental and often quite funny representation of wealthy Viennese society. Musil is a seductive writer and it is easy to keep reading even while wondering when something might actually happen.

Like Roth, the effect of the novel is cumulative–only after reading it suddenly comes together. It also balances the presentation of Vienna as a city of musicians and poets and gives us the politicians, the mathematicians, the scientists, and the economists. The central character is himself a mathematician with little comprehension of the finer arts.  

These short stories lure you in to a world of fantastical distortions and mythical resonances, which make you look differently at women’s lives.

A young girl with an eating disorder turns into an eel; a group of female friends go hunting for male conquests whom they kill and eat to satisfy their appetites. In a world of anarchic desires and obtuse relationships, strange and inexplicable metamorphoses take place. Violence bridges the gap between human and animal, between desire and carnal action.

In candid language not for the faint-hearted, this book probes the potentially dark recesses of the female psyche against a timeless backdrop of rural folklore and magical possibility. 

This is one of the first books I read about writing that gave me that A-HA feeling. Originally published in 1999, it’s still relevant and foundational. What does your character want? Why? And what is standing in their way? It seems like a simple concept, but it isn’t easy! And boy, oh boy, if you are missing one of those elements, it can be the difference between a page-turner and a wall-banger (when a reader throws your book against the wall because you just wasted their time.)

Without really understanding what your character wants and why, writers risk nonsensical plot progression and alienating the reader.

I was totally engrossed in this story about brave, intelligent women in 15th-century China. Yuxian is trained to be a doctor by her grandmother within the constraints of traditional Chinese society. I was amazed by her ability to see past obstacles and challenges. I found myself holding my breath as she was confronted with unbelievable scenarios.

Like Yunxian herself, every woman in her circle, especially her lifelong friend Meiling, finds ways to rise to a higher plane within the limitations of arranged marriages and class prohibitions. Through friendship and purpose, this woman of the Ming dynasty left a remarkable legacy for generations to come.