For Readers and Writers Alike: A Peek Into the Literary Toolbox

• Terry Ambrose:

  For any author who wants to write engaging scenes and dialogue, I would recommend Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickham. This book provides insight into what makes a scene work and what doesn’t. It also helps to learn how to control the pacing of a novel.

• Nancy J. Cohen:

  I’d recommend a beginning author read as many books in their chosen genre as they can find to get a feel for the tropes and structure. There’s no single writing book that I adore enough to recommend, except for my own WRITING THE COZY MYSTERY. Even if you don’t write in this genre, you may want to include elements of a mystery in your story.

• Debra H. Goldstein:

  There are so many writing-related books that I’ve gleaned knowledge from, but I particularly like the simplicity of Janet Evanovich’s HOW I WRITE.

• Cheryl Hollon:

  I always recommend BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott. It was the first book that demystified the process of creating a novel. This review nails it: Anne Lamott is “a warm, generous, and hilarious guide through the writer’s world and its treacherous swamps” (Los Angeles Times). Don’t wait. Hint: if you purchase the Kindle version, you can highlight the passages that resonate with you for later.

• Diane A.S. Stuckart:

  I recommend Stephen King’s ON WRITING. Even if you don’t like horror or don’t want to read about King’s past personal struggles, the book still is an excellent “over the shoulder” look at how a professional author writes and edits. And you’d better have a copy of Dwight V. Swain’s TECHNIQUES OF THE SELLING WRITER on your shelf. Yes, the book is 60 years old but the info it provides is timeless. 

• Maggie Toussaint:

  My recommendation is to find a writing book that speaks to you. I have quite a collection and thought I understood the craft of writing, but then… While pre-published, I attended a writer’s function, and the presenter spoke about a character’s agenda (instead of motivation). A light bulb shone in my head. Coming from a meeting-oriented discipline, I knew all about agendas. Soon thereafter, I got my first two contracts, one in mystery and one in romance.

• Lois Winston

  ON WRITING by Stephen King, but I’d also add that all writers need a strong command of grammar and should have a good grammar book in their author toolbox. If you want to break the rules, you first need to understand them.