Word Work
Bruce Holland Rogers
There are plenty of excellent books by famous and skilled authors who will give you advice about story structure, development and how to encourage yourself to keep going. But not many give you a glimpse of what their lives are like.

Bruce Holland Rogers does. He exposes the writers daily life. The practical, the pleasant and the perturbing. This is the book to read if you ever consider becoming a full time writer.

Sometimes the Magic works
Terry Brooks
The writers life can be a lonely one. Many of us spend long hours inside our head with our body as far from distractions as possible.

“Sometimes The Magic Works” is like an encouraging hug with useful and relevant advice about the process of creation. It never fails to let a little magic into my soul when drudgery grabs hold.

Bird by Bird
Anne Lamott
Patience. Writing takes Patience. Lots of it. Sometimes it is built word by word, sentence by sentence, chapter by chapter and so forth. Frustration is a common symptom for writers.

Whether you are staring down the first blank page of a new book, or plodding your way through writers block, Ann Lamott can help you. I’ve combined her advice to “write a shitty first draft” with Terry Brooks’ insistence on an outline. And the results have been revolutionary.

On Writing
Steven King
It is easy to feel alone in the process of writing. Learning the method for teasing out your best work can only come with time and practice. And if it is your obsession, as it is for most of us, it can be dreadfully hard to explain your urges to others.

Stephen King leads you through his journey to become an author, and the necessary mental preparation for the act itself. The most important advice he can give any aspiring writer is literally the importance of “getting your bum in the chair”. His approach is like sitting down for a chat with someone who truly understands. Someone interesting.

On the Technique of Acting
Michael Chechov
In the process of working with other authors I have found that we all have one trouble spot or another. I struggle with transitions, others with dialogue (See below). One sticky Widget can be getting inside your character’s head

If this is the case for you than this is the book for you. Actors have been getting inside of the ming of character’s for years. You might as well learn from one of the best. This was the book I used when I studied acting years ago, and this is the one I recommend you use. Though fair warning. A friend of mine told me she will never see movies the same way again.

Them's Fighting Words: A writer's Guide to Writing Fight Scenes
Teel James Glenn
Writing action is a pain in the patootie for someone like me. I don’t know what a roundhouse cut is, and what I know about parry and repost is from my fencing days over a decade ago.

With plenty of examples, analysis and plain-good advice, Teel James Glenn is the authority on fight scenes. His knowledge of the subject is superb, and with him you will be able to craft exciting, gripping action.

For those of you with sex in your novels, you may find the advice carries over, a slightly disturbing fact I haven’t dwelled on too closely. But it works and works well. Which is all that matters.

Essentials Of Screenwriting
Richard Walter
The only writing class I have ever taken was on screenwriting. As some of you may know I view the craft as something you must teach yourself, but it doesn’t mean you can’t learn from others.

I took the class out of curiosity and it fundamentally changed the way I viewed my novel. The shere economy of a script forced me to look at the importance of every word. But there is another more practical reaso to read this book. If you want really good dialouge you need to learn from those whose business is speech. There’s not much else in a screenplay, so you will learn the musts quite quickly.

Caveat: I have not read this edition of the book. The book I read is out of print. But it believe this is the new updated version so I’m backing it on the grounds that the author knew what he was taking about o so many years ago.

The Howdunit Series
Multiple Authors
Those of you who have skipped past my entry on Wikipedia you may want to give it another chance. Fact checking, and fact finding are essential parts of fiction.

Each book of the extensive series focuses on an aspect of crime and mystery writing. But I’ve found they have much greater application. And the informative, easy to read format makes it possible to really understand a bullet wound.

From missing persons to police procedure I recommend getting them all. Not to be overlooked is “The Book of Poisons”. Even chemistry students don’t have a reference as fun and cleverly organized.

Take a glance, they are truly fascinating reads. And Amazon offers some with the “Look Inside” feature. These references are fantastic.

How to Write Sceince Fiction and Fantasy
Orson Scott Card
Sometimes it may be tempting to pass on a book because it includes basics you have already become comfortable with. Do not make that mistake with this book. His well written, practical guide to the two genres isn't limited to how to choose a protagonist. He covers everything from sound advice as to which category your book falls into, through the creative process, to the life and business of writing.

If you plan to dabble in other worlds, with or without a space ship to get you there, this is a must read.