There are so many ways to tell a story and even more ways to craft one. Below is my attempt to catalog and index all of the writing craft books I’ve read so far… I hope you find this list useful. This is a work-in-progress and annotations are coming along slowly. (Thank you to Amazon for blurbs, links, and descriptions. All the editorial notes are my own)

Writing Craft Annotated Bibliography

GENERAL WRITING ADVICE:

  1. Cron, Lisa, Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere), Ten Speed Press, 2016.
  2. Cron, Lisa, Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence, Ten Speed Press, 2012.
  3. Egri, Lajos, The Art of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives, Touchstone, 1972 revised.
  4. King, Stephen, On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft, Scribner, 2000
  5. Suede, Damon, Verbalize: Bring Stories to Life & Life to Stories, Evil Mastermind, LLC, 2018
  6. Truby, John, The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008.
  7. Ueland, Barbara, If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit, Reissue by General Press, 2019.

DIALOG

  1. Bell, James Scott, How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript, Compendium Press, 2014
  2. Hough, John, The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Dialogue: A Fresh Look at an Essential Ingredient of the Craft, Allworth, 2015.
  3. Kempton, Gloria, Write Great Fiction – Dialogue, Writer’s Digest Books, 2004.

GRAMMAR (incl. Dictionaries, Thesauri, & Style Guides)

  1. Strunk Jr., William, & McGill, James, The Elements of Style: Annotated Edition, Auroch Press, 2020 (New Edition)
  2. Suede, Damon, Activate: A Thesaurus of Actions & Tactics for Dynamic Genre Fiction, Evil Mastermind, LLC, 2019.

REVISING

  1. Bell, James Scott, Write Great Fiction – Revision And Self-Editing, Writer’s Digest Books, 2008.

SETTING

  1. Rozelle, Ron, Write Great Fiction – Description & Setting, Writer’s Digest Books, 2005.
  2. Buckham, Mary & Love, Dianna, A Writer’s Guide to Active Setting: How to Enhance Your Fiction with More Descriptive, Dynamic Settings, Writer’s Digest Books, 2015.

STORY STRUCTURE

  1. Bell, James Scott, Write Your Novel from the Middle: A New Approach for Plotters, Pantsers and Everyone in Between, Compendium Press, 2014.
  2. Bell, James Scott, Write Great Fiction – Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting and Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish, Writer’s Digest Books, 2004.
  3. Bernhardt, William, Story Structure: The Key to Successful Fiction, Red Sneaker Press, 2014.
  4. Bork, Erik, The Idea: The Seven Elements of a Viable Story for Screen, Stage, or Fiction, 2018.
  5. Buckham, Mary & Love, Dianna, Break Into Fiction®: 11 Steps To Building A Powerful Story, Silver Hawk Press, LLC, 2015.
  6. D’Costa, H.R., Story Structure for the Win: How to Write Faster, How to Write Better—Whether You’re a Plotter or a Pantser, 2020.
  7. Hauge, Michael, Selling Your Story in Sixty SecondsThe Guaranteed Way to Get Your Story Read, Michael Wiese Productions, 2006.
  8. Grant, Vanessa, Writing Romance in the 21st Century: Plotting and Planning, Muse Creations Inc., 2019.
  9. Hauge, Michael, Storytelling Made Easy: Persuade and Transform Your Audiences, Buyers, and Clients — Simply, Quickly, and Profitably, Indie Books International, 2017
  10. Hayes, Gwen, Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels, Gwen Hayes, 2016
  11. Snyder, Blake, Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need, Michael Wiese Productions, 2005
  12. Weiland, K.M., Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story, PenForASword Publishing, 2013.

SYNOPSES

  1. Cohen, Bryan, How to Write a Sizzling Synopsis: A Step-by-Step System for Enticing New Readers, Selling More Fiction, and Making Your Books Sound Good, Bryan Cohen, 2016.

WRITING REFERENCE BOOKS

  1. Kenyon, Sherrilyn, The Character Naming Sourcebook, Sherrilyn Kenyon, 2014.