Books require readers, but they also require writers. And not just books – writers are required for things you never think of, from greeting cards to the labels on your cough syrup and face cream jars. Writers put words in the comic book superhero’s mouth. Writers help K-Mart ship their pants, the Geico Cavemen get insurance, and made Downton Abbey so intriguing.

For a small town, Cheshire has a large number of published writers, and for every published author, we have at least four who are either dreaming of writing, or struggling with the actual task. Good writing – like acting, like music, like fine art, like athletics – starts with a natural talent. You have an ear for speech. You have a knack for conversation. Grammar was easy for you. This doesn’t mean that if you’re dyslexic, or can’t spell, or have no idea when to use a semicolon, that you can’t be a writer. That’s what an editor is for. What’s important is getting that idea out.

But how? How do you know what you need to do, when you haven’t had an English class in 20 years? You don’t remember a past perfect subjunctive case? And what do you mean by third person unreliable narrator? I just want to write a story – why is this so complicated?

Writing a story your mom loved is a good start, but to reach a larger audience, you will need grit, determination, skill, and a steel spine. But I don’t know any writers! you wail. Workshops are so expensive! I can’t take three weeks off my job for a retreat in Washington State!

Few people can, and that’s why libraries are so important! Ray Bradbury – Pulitzer winner, multiple Hugo-award winner, Emmy winner, and more – told the story of how he was too poor to afford college, so instead he read every book in his hometown library – every one – and got the education he needed that way. There are so many good books out there to help you with writing, depending on what level you’re at, what you want to know, and how you need to do it. Let’s explore a few of the best ones:

Writer’s Digest Magazine

This is a great resource if you’re just starting out. You’ll find helpful hints, articles by authors, agents, publishers, and vague contests (caution: most cost money to enter, which is how they get the prize money. They aren’t exactly a scam, but your chances of winning are low). You’ll learn about genres and what other authors are doing. This is great for a year, but after that, you realize they run the same information over and over again every year.

Sol Stein: Stein on Writing

To this day, my favorite book on writing. If you only have the patience to read one book on writing, read this one. Stein will walk you through every aspect of writing, from making the characters real to creating tension to love scenes, and he does it in everyday language you will understand. This is your college class on writing. If you’re starting out or still in school, this book will turn you into a writing powerhouse.

Ursula LeGuin: Steering the Craft  

This is probably the best book on the practice of writing I’ve ever read. LeGuin states this isn’t for beginners – she’s not going to give you the basics like Stein does; she digs a level deeper. This is your Writer’s Workshop in a box. LeGuin will walk you through the various aspects of writing, from multiple points of view, to tense, to use of adjectives and adverbs, dialogue, and the rest. She will assign you writing exercises, some easy, some not. Find a buddy, even online, and do the exercises. This is a full creative writing class for zero cost . I wound up buying myself a copy (a whopping $7).

Donald Maass: Writing the Breakout Novel 

I went into this one with a swagger, and landed on my butt. Donald Maass, owner of one of the premiere literary agencies in the country, sent me crawling back to my manuscript like it was fit for nothing but lining the litter box. Maass discusses the death of the mid-level writer, and takes you point by point illustrating what makes a novel not just good, but brilliant. I ran right back to my manuscript and dug deeper, and was so pleased with the result. This was far more useful than I’d ever hoped, and I read it with actual interest. This is a must-read, but, published in 2001, some of it is woefully dated: He says The Handmaid’s Tale is not believable, no one can follow more than one subplot (he obviously never read Game of Thrones), and to never submit by email, when that’s all agents and publishers accept today.

Annie Dillard: The Writing Life

Dillard’s another Pulitzer Prize winner, with lofty prose that requires a lot of thinking. If you are a beginner, just starting out, trying to see if this is the career you want, this is not the book for you. You’re not going to get the deeper story. If writing is burning your soul with a searing pain that keeps you awake night and day, if you can think tangentially and in leaps and in metaphors, then you will appreciate this book and take comfort in it. In short, writing is not a straight line, and the story you think you want to write will probably not be the one you wind up with as the story twists out of your control. It’s a book for the writer’s soul. 

Ray Bradbury: Zen in the Art of Writing

Bradbury, as a short story writer more than a novelist (he said the goal is to write one short story a week; going by the law of averages, at least 10 a year should be really good), isn’t going to bore you with “Do This.” Instead, this is a collection of essays delving into how he writes, and his thought processes. It’s painless and inspirational, will boost your creativity, and is one you should be reading.

Anne Lamont: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

This is another surprise book I wound up purchasing. Lamont frees you from the guilt of writer’s block by giving you permission to write one word at a time. That’s how books are written: one word at a time. She’ll drag you through all the pitfalls of writing while holding your hand, patting you on the back, and inspiring you all at the same time. 

John Mullan: What Matters in Jane Austen

Okay, this isn’t a book on writing – but if you ignore the fact that it’s Austen, and the fact some of it dates from the late 1700’s, and PBS has ground the stories into the dirt, there is a LOT of writing advice to be found in this book. Mullan picks apart Austen’s stories, discussing how she shows characterization, dialogue, even class in between the lines, describing things without ever coming out and saying them. Whether or not you’re an Austen fan (I’ve only read one, and that was 40 years ago), this is a treasure-trove of writing information if you don’t mind feeling like a total failure in her shadow.

Stephen King: On Writing

This is the first book everyone runs to, and then squeals about. I’m going to commit heresy here: Don’t bother. This book is not going to help you become a writer. It’s going to help you sympathize with King for having all the same highs and lows and writer’s blocks that you do, but primarily, this is a book on King’s journey into writing. It’s not a self-help guide. It’s a biography.

Want to improve your writing? Track down Sol Stein, Ursula LeGuinn, and Donald Maass. They will not fail you. Dean Koontz’s book, How to Write Best Selling Fiction is widely regarded as an excellent book, but is out of print and used copies go as high as $500(?!?). However, you CAN access the material (or other bits on Youtube and such) through a PDF here on Scribd.com (beware of frequent ads).