I love writing. Like, love love writing. I love it so much I used to wake up at 4:30 AM so I had a few uninterrupted hours to write before I went to my day job. Now that writing is my day job, these are the books that keep me going. When my spirits need a boost or I need help with structure, these are the books that I return to again and again.
Writing Down the Bones
My copy is thirty years old, has yellowed, dog-eared pages, and has moved with me to four states. This book helped me treat writing as a life long practice instead of an end point.
Bird by Bird
I knew this book was for me when Anne Lamott mentioned Natalie Goldberg. Like meeting a friend of a friend is a shortcut to knowing you’ll get along, I knew I’d love this book. If Writing Down the Bones helped me treat writing as a practice, Bird by Bird taught me how to stay in the moment. Sometimes the hardest part is getting started and this book is a great place to begin.
Big Magic
After writing stories as a child, getting a BA in English and Creative Writing, and leaping out of bed in what was essentially the middle of the night for decades, I finally accepted writing was my calling. I wanted to give it more time and space which was tricky considering I had a successful career in finance. Big Magic gave me an offramp. While it took years to get there, this book had a profound impact on my confidence to make the leap to writing full time.
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
I’m what they call a “pantser” when I write which means I go in without an outline. I write my sh*tty first draft (thanks Anne Lamott!) and kind of wing it as the story reveals itself to me. It works for me, until it doesn’t. My biggest struggle with writing was figuring out pacing and Save the Cat! Writes a Novel was a huge help in getting me there.
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