How is your 2023 To Be Read pile stacking up? If part of your plan for the new year includes learning more about the writing process and the publishing world, you may want to add some tried and true titles to your reading list.
Get started here with some books that can boost your creativity, awaken your imagination, and teach you about the publishing world. Okay, here’s my suggested reading list to make you a well-informed writer.
The Artist’s Way is Julia Cameron’s guide to living the creative life.
She leads the reader on a quest to turn feelings and ideas into words. The Artist’s Way will teach you about morning pages, artist dates, and other practices that will elevate your craft and expand your creativity. It also lends itself well to group study, so if your creative pals are looking for inspiration, you may enjoy working through this one together.
Elizabeth Gilbert is a best-selling author of fiction and memoir.
So when she gives writing advice, you can trust that she knows what she’s talking about. In Big Magic, Gilbert digs into her own process and offers practical lessons in creativity. As an added bonus, you can tune into Gilbert’s podcast, Magic Lessons, to hear her talk to various artists about their journeys in overcoming fear and living a creative life.
There is so much to love about Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird.
With her typical wit and wisdom, Lamott offers writing wisdom while engaging readers in charming stories in Bird by Bird. The title comes from advice her father gave to her brother, who had procrastinated in starting a bird report and asked at the last minute how he would ever get it written. The father told him he would finish it “bird by bird.” Lamott uses simple but compelling stories to help us understand ourselves, the world around us, and the great goodness that can come from the messiness of life.
Cheryl Klein has worked in the publishing industry for years.
She’s currently the editorial director at Algonquin Young Readers, but she has a long history in editing, and she’s also the author of books for children and young adults. In The Magic Words, Klein offers practical advice to authors who want to enter the world of children’s and YA publishing. She discusses coming up with a premise that will sell, finding an agent, and knowing your target audience.
One of the best-selling writers of all time provides advice to aspiring authors.
Whether you’re a fan of Stephen King’s fiction or not, you can’t ignore the fact that he knows what he’s doing. As one of the best-selling writers of all time, he provides valuable advice to aspiring authors in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. King reveals his own processes and leads the reader through a series of lessons in developing the tools of the trade. He weaves biographical information into his advice so that readers can see both the struggles and the successes.
If you are serious about developing your creativity and your craft, or if your goal is to push your writing career forward, the first step is to arm yourself with information. And if you have suggestions to add t the author’s TBR pile, be sure to leave a suggestion in the comments!
