12 Must Read Books for Writers

​Whether we are new to writing or a seasoned veteran, we could all use inspiration to spice up our writing life.  Here at Stacey's Book Blog, we have compiled a list of our all-time favorite writing books,  Whether you are looking for motivation, inspiration, or simply guidance to take your writing to the next level, look no further!  Here are our top 12 books for writers, in no particular order:

This book explains groundbreaking text-mining research in accessible terms and offers a new perspective on the New York Times bestseller list. It's a big-idea book about the relationship between creativity and technology that will be provocative to anyone interested in how analytics have already transformed the worlds of finance, medicine, and sports.

First published twenty-five years ago, The Artist's Way is the seminal book on the subject of creativity. Perhaps even more vital in today's cultural climate than when it was first published, The Artist's Way is a powerfully provocative and inspiring work. In it, Julia Cameron takes readers on an amazing twelve-week journey to discover the inextricable link between their spiritual and creative selves.

Write Your Story: How to Jump Start Your Writing Career will help and inspire you to reach your writing goals. Covering everything from healthy daily practices, overcoming self-doubt and comparitinitis, tips on writing both fiction and non-fiction, how to market your book and much more, Write Your Story will assist you in discovering the best path to reach your writing goals and to enhance your writing career.

Advice on writing and on life from an acclaimed bestselling author.

The Writing Life is a collection of stories accumulated during the writing of several books. Annie Dillard does not explain how to write books — she explains how to live a life in which you write, all day every day, and try to create with words on a page. There are few techniques here; rather, the book is filled with stories of how it feels to be stuck in a spot in the book (been there) and why the end product is never quite what we’d imagined starting out (felt that).

This ultimate insider's guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a show biz veteran who's proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat!

Backed by recent breakthroughs in neuroscience as well as examples from novels, screenplays, and short stories, Wired for Story offers a revolutionary look at story as the brain experiences it. Each chapter zeroes in on an aspect of the brain, its corresponding revelation about story, and the way to apply it to your storytelling right now.

From the best-selling author of Devotion and Slow Motion comes a witty, heartfelt, and practical look at the exhilarating and challenging process of storytelling. At once a memoir, meditation on the artistic process, and advice on craft, Still Writing is an intimate and eloquent companion to living a creative life.

Must Love Writing: The Magic of Living a Creative Life reminds you to believe in yourself. You will learn helpful methods for facing your writing fears, strategies for success, and how to embrace your creativity. The book also includes exclusive author interviews covering topics from the journey to becoming published, goal setting, practical writing advice, and much more.

Learn from bestselling memoirist Rachael Herron (who teaches this class at Stanford Continuing Studies) how to fast-draft your memoir while keeping its structure compelling. Learn how to frame your life's story and give it a natural arc to keep your reader glued to the page. Figure out how to handle those family and friends you're writing about. Explore what truth means in memoir. Work quickly to quiet the inner critic.

Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not.

Let us know your favorite books on Writing by finding us on Instagram @writeyourstory_contest or use #staceyritzbooks or #staceysbookblog

Stacey Ritz is a bestselling author and award winning writer. An empathetic and compassionate storyteller, Ritz wrote for a plethora of local and national news outlets, magazines, blogs, and websites (copywriter), prior to becoming a novelist. Her book, Covered in Pet Fur  has gained attention from RIVA Media and Animal Planet. She is the Executive Director and co-founder of Advocates 4 Animals, Inc. – a 501(c)3 non-profit animal welfare organization that has saved more than 11,000 lives (and counting). You can interact with Stacey online via Stacey's Book Blog and on Pinterest.

Ritz writes the following genres:
Non-Fiction:
Motivation/Inspiration
Writing/Publishing
Animal Welfare
Fiction:
Mainstream Fiction / Contemporary Drama

Click here to view Stacey's fiction books.

Click here to view Stacey's non-fiction books