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February 27, 2013 | History

The Best Books for Writers

37 items

A list of the best books for writers curated by Poets & Writers.

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A Writer's Book of Days: A Spirited Companion & Lively Muse for the Writing Life

by Judy Reeves edition

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Is life like this?: a guide to writing your first novel in six months

by John Dufresne First published in 2010
3 editions, 1 ebook work

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The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises From Poets Who Teach

by Robin Behn and Chase Twichell edition

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A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry

by Mary Oliver edition

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The Writer's Notebook: Craft Essays From Tin House

by Dorothy Allison edition

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Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft

by Janet Burroway edition

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Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction

by Charles Baxter edition

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A Poet's Guide to Poetry

by Mary Kinzie edition
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Life Work

by Donald Hall edition

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Views From the Loft: A Portable Writer's Workshop

by Daniel Slager edition

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The Writer's Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life

by Priscilla Long edition

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A Writer's Workbook: Daily Exercises for the Writing Life

by Caroline Sharp edition

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On Becoming a Novelist

by John Gardner edition

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The Half-Known World: On Writing Fiction

by Robert Boswell edition
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The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Writing Fiction and Nonfiction

by Alice LaPlante First published in 2007
2 editions work

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The Making of a Story

by Alice LaPlante edition

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The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets

by Ted Kooser edition

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The Art of Description: World Into Word

by Mark Doty edition

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Art of the Novel: Critical Preferences

by Henry James edition

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Next Word, Best Word: The Craft of Writing Poetry

Unknown author edition

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Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft

by Janet Burroway, Susan Weinberg, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, and Ned Stuckey-French edition

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The Secret Miracle: The Novelist's Handbook

by Daniel Alarcón edition

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Ambition and survival: becoming a poet

by Christian Wiman First published in 2004
3 editions, 1 ebook work

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Writing Fiction

by R. V. Cassill
First published in 1962
5 editions, 2 ebooks
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Argument & Song: Sources and Silence in Poetry

by Stanley Plumly edition

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Letters to a Young Poet

by Rainer Maria Rilke edition

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Sol Stein's A-Z Guide to Writing Success and Publishing Know-How

by Sol Stein edition
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A Human Eye: Essays onAart in Society, 1996--2008

by Adrienne Rich edition

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Beautiful & Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry

by David Orr edition

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The Wink of the Zenith: The Shaping of a Writer's Life

by Floyd Skloot edition

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Toward the Open Field: Poets on the Art of Poetry, 1800-1950

by Melissa Kwasny edition

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Bird by bird: some instructions on writing and life

by Anne Lamott and Susan Bennett
First published in 1994
15 editions, 2 ebooks
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The Story Within: New Insights and Inspiration for Writers

by Laura Oliver edition

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Women on Poetry: Writing, Revising, Publishing and Teaching

by Cynthia Brackett-Vincent and Carol Smallwood edition

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Rules for the dance: A handbook for writing and reading metrical verse

by Mary Oliver edition

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How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One

by Stanley Fish edition

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The Art of Character: Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film, and TV

Unknown author edition

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History

Created February 7, 2011
39 revisions

February 27, 2013	Edited by Mary Gannon	updated list seeds.
February 27, 2013	Edited by Mary Gannon	updated list seeds.
February 27, 2013	Edited by Mary Gannon	updated list seeds.
March 14, 2012	Edited by Mary Gannon	updated list seeds.
February 7, 2011	Created by Mary Gannon	Created new list.

The Best Books for Writers

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