List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

100 Must-Read, Best Books on Writing and the Writer's Life

Read better. Write better. Your personal MFA in Creative Writing. These are must-read books for a writer.
Read More
203 users · 1,460 views
 
avg. score: 2 of 100 (2%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 
type to search

Are you ready to write better?

Page 1 of 3
A House of My Own (Sandra Cisneros)
A House of My Own
1
Sandra Cisneros
A Little Book on Form (Robert Hass)
A Little Book on Form
2
Robert Hass
A Personal Anthology
A Personal Anthology
3
A Room of One's Own (Virginia Woolf)
A Room of One's Own
4
Virginia Woolf
About Writing (Samuel R. Delany)
About Writing
5
Samuel R. Delany
The Anatomy of Story (John Truby)
The Anatomy of Story
6
John Truby
Art and Fear
Art and Fear
7
The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story (Edwidge Danticat)
The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story
8
Edwidge Danticat
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers (John Gardner)
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers
9
John Gardner
The Art of Memoir (Mary Karr)
The Art of Memoir
10
Mary Karr
The Artist's Way (Julia Cameron)
The Artist's Way
11
Julia Cameron
Big Magic (Elizabeth Gilbert)
Big Magic
12
Elizabeth Gilbert
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
13
Black Milk: On Writing, Motherhood, and the Harem Within (Elif Shafak)
Black Milk: On Writing, Motherhood, and the Harem Within
14
Elif Shafak
Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country (Louise Erdrich)
Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country
15
Louise Erdrich
Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer's Guide to Getting It Right (Bill Bryson)
Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer's Guide to Getting It Right
16
Bill Bryson
Bullies, Bastards and Bitches (Jessica Morrell)
Bullies, Bastards and Bitches
17
Jessica Morrell
Crazy Brave (Joy Harjo)
Crazy Brave
18
Joy Harjo
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Lynne Truss)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
19
Lynne Truss
The Elements of Style (William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White)
The Elements of Style
20
William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White
The Emotional Craft of Fiction (Donald Maass)
The Emotional Craft of Fiction
21
Donald Maass
Everybody Writes (Ann Handley)
Everybody Writes
22
Ann Handley
The First Five Pages (Noah Lukeman)
The First Five Pages
23
Noah Lukeman
The Forest for the Trees (Betsy Lerner)
The Forest for the Trees
24
Betsy Lerner
Free Within Ourselves (Jewell Parker Rhodes)
Free Within Ourselves
25
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Getting Into Character (Brandilyn Collins)
Getting Into Character
26
Brandilyn Collins
The Heart of a Woman (Maya Angelou - 1981)
The Heart of a Woman
27
Maya Angelou - 1981
If You Want to Write (Brenda Ueland)
If You Want to Write
28
Brenda Ueland
Immersion (Ted Conover)
Immersion
29
Ted Conover
In Other Words (Jhumpa Lahiri)
In Other Words
30
Jhumpa Lahiri
In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens (Alice Walker)
In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens
31
Alice Walker
It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences (June Casagrande)
It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences
32
June Casagrande
The Kick-Ass Writer (Chuck Wendig)
The Kick-Ass Writer
33
Chuck Wendig
The Language of Fiction (Brian Shawver)
The Language of Fiction
34
Brian Shawver
The Lie That Tells a Truth (John Dufresne)
The Lie That Tells a Truth
35
John Dufresne
The Magic Words (Cheryl Klein)
The Magic Words
36
Cheryl Klein
Making a Good Script Great (Linda Seger)
Making a Good Script Great
37
Linda Seger
Memoirs (Pablo Neruda)
Memoirs
38
Pablo Neruda
The Modern Library Writer's Workshop (Stephen Koch)
The Modern Library Writer's Workshop
39
Stephen Koch
Naked, Drunk and Writing (Adair Lara)
Naked, Drunk and Writing
40
Adair Lara
Page 1 of 3
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to '100 Must-Read, Best Books on Writing and the Writer's Life'
The 16 Best Writing Books Anyone Should Read
The 16 Best Writing Books Anyone Should Read
105
16
All the Books Read by an Aspiring Writer in 2022
All the Books Read by an Aspiring Writer in 2022
382
67
A Writer's Myriad of Books to Read
A Writer's Myriad of Books to Read
328
162
Books Every Writer Needs to Read
Books Every Writer Needs to Read
235
25
74 Books a Fantasy Writer Read in 2023
74 Books a Fantasy Writer Read in 2023
174
74
BOOKS a WRITER WANTS TO RE-READ
BOOKS a WRITER WANTS TO RE-READ
173
33
Writer Kaitlyn Greenidge on Books Every Black Woman Should Read
Writer Kaitlyn Greenidge on Books Every Black Woman Should Read
120
10
50 Must-Read Books With Gorgeous Writing
50 Must-Read Books With Gorgeous Writing
986
50
Enough Books by Women So You Never Have to Read a Man's Writing Again
Enough Books by Women So You Never Have to Read a Man's Writing Again
432
120
Mark Manson's Best Books to Read and Understand Life
Mark Manson's Best Books to Read and Understand Life
129
43
Making History: Superb Writing About Writing History
Making History: Superb Writing About Writing History
101
15
20 Must-Read Books to Live Your Best Life
20 Must-Read Books to Live Your Best Life
81
20
The 25 Best Fantasy Books & Novels of All Time (Pro Writing Aid)
The 25 Best Fantasy Books & Novels of All Time (Pro Writing Aid)
281
25
Best Books Using Constrained Writing
Best Books Using Constrained Writing
208
20
The 27 Best Books on Writing
The 27 Best Books on Writing
168
27
Best Books on Writing
Best Books on Writing
124
80
Books on a Theme From "100 Must-Read Life-Changing Books"
Books on a Theme From "100 Must-Read Life-Changing Books"
2,263
160
Read Like a Writer
Read Like a Writer
959
99
The 76 Authors You Need to Read to Become a Writer According to Dan Simmons
The 76 Authors You Need to Read to Become a Writer According to Dan Simmons
468
136
Classics a Writer Wants to Read
Classics a Writer Wants to Read
325
28
40 Writer's Writers Whomst Readers Should Read (+ Bonuses)
40 Writer's Writers Whomst Readers Should Read (+ Bonuses)
146
87
2024 Releases a Writer Wants to Read
2024 Releases a Writer Wants to Read
93
30
Have You Read More Short Stories Than a Creative Writing Student?
Have You Read More Short Stories Than a Creative Writing Student?
250
39
Travel Writing EJBC Has Read
Travel Writing EJBC Has Read
114
40
Nature Writing I've Read Recently
Nature Writing I've Read Recently
53
12
Have You Read This Poet (Mostly Writing in English)?
Have You Read This Poet (Mostly Writing in English)?
42
100
Fifty Plus One Best Novels Colette Has Read So Far in Her Life
Fifty Plus One Best Novels Colette Has Read So Far in Her Life
1,670
51
The Best Classics to Read in Your Life
The Best Classics to Read in Your Life
578
86
The 17 Best Tales by Horror Writer H. P. Lovecraft
The 17 Best Tales by Horror Writer H. P. Lovecraft
114
17
Dan Simmons - The Best Writer You've Probably Never Heard Of
Dan Simmons - The Best Writer You've Probably Never Heard Of
106
31
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN