BOOKS | ANTHOLOGIES | MAGAZINES | WEBSITES | PODCASTS | TALKS
Books on Writing: Craft, How-To & Inspiration
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner
Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction by Charles Baxter
Conversations on Writing Fiction: Interviews with 13 Distinguished Teacher of Fiction Writing by Alexander Neubauer
From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction by Robert Olen Butler
The Hidden Writer: Diaries and the Creative Life by Alexandra Johnson
Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft by Janet Burroway
Mystery and Manners by Flannery O’Connor
On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner
On Writing by Stephen King
One Continuous Mistake: Four Noble Truths for Writers by Gail Sher
One Writer’s Beginnings by Eudora Welty
A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
Practice of Poetry edited by Robin Behn & Chase Twitchell
The Rhetoric of Fiction by Wayne C. Booth
Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field
The Stuff of Fiction: Advice on Craft by Douglas Bauer
The Unstrung Heart, or Mr. Earbrass Writes a Novel by Edward Gorey
What It Is by Lynda Barry
Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft by Janet Burroway
Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular by L. Rust Hills
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
ANTHOLOGIES FOR INSPIRATION
The Art of the Personal Essay edited by Phillip Lopate
The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories edited by Daniel Halpern
Best American Essays of the Century, edited by Joyce Carol Oates
Best American Nonrequired Reading
Best American Poetry, series editor David Lehman
Best American Short Stories, series editor Heidi Pitlor
A Book of Luminous Things: An International Anthology of Poetry edited by Czeslaw Milosz
My Mistress’s Sparrow is Dead: Great Love Stories, from Chekhov to Munro, edited by Jeffrey Eugenides
MAGAZINES
Poets & Writers
Check out the excellent weekly prompts, exercises, contest information and author interviews offered by Poets & Writers Magazine.
Writer’s Digest
Excellent resource for articles, competitions, prompts, writing groups and market advice. Explore the website at Writer’s Digest.
WEBSITES
Duotrope
A subscription-based service for writers that offers a searchable database of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction markets.
PODCASTS
Writer’s Bone
Author Daniel Ford and screenwriter Sean Tuohy discuss the craft of writing with best-selling authors, well known screenwriters, and comedians with the help of the most badass up-and-coming writers on the Internet.
Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses is a fast-paced, educational podcast for writers, by writers. Episodes end with a writing prompt, and with an injunction: “You’re out of excuses. Now go write.”