National Novel Writing Month

Updated October 8, 2025
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Writing fiction step by step
Novakovich, Josip
Paper Book
Writing Fiction Step by Step gives you more than 200 exercises that will sharpen your writing skills while helping you develop complete short stories, even novels. In this sequel to his very popular Fiction Writer's Workshop, Whiting Award-winning author Josip...
Storycraft : the complete guide to writing narrative nonfiction
Hart, Jack
Paper Book
From the work of the New Journalists in the 1960s, to the New Yorker essays of John McPhee, Susan Orlean, Atul Gawande, and a host of others, to blockbuster book-length narratives such as Mary Roach's Stiff or Erik Larson's Devil in the White City, narrative nonfiction...
Writing children's books for dummies
Rojany-Buccieri, Lisa.
Paper Book
Everyone loves a children's book. And many dream about writing one. But is it actually possible for an unpublished writer-armed with a good story idea and a love of kids-to write, sell, publish, and promote a book? Yes, it is! Veteran children's book publishing executive and author Lisa Rojany...
The magic words : writing great books for children and young adults
Klein, Cheryl B.
Paper Book
The best children's and young adult novels take readers on wonderful outward adventures and stirring inward journeys. In The Magic Words, editor Cheryl B. Klein guides writers on an enjoyable and practical-minded voyage of their own, from developing a saleable premise for a novel to finding a...
The writing life
Dillard, Annie.
Paper Book
The bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of An American Childhood and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek provides a delightful and informative look into her experiences and struggles with her craft.
On writing
Bukowski, Charles
Paper Book
Sharp and moving reflections and ruminations on the artistry and craft of writing from one of our most iconoclastic, riveting, and celebrated masters. Charles Bukowski's stories, poems, and novels have left an enduring mark on our culture. In this collection of correspondence--letters to...
On writing : a memoir of the craft
King, Stephen
Paper Book
"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write."In 1999, Stephen King began to write about his craft -- and his life. By midyear, a widely reported accident jeopardized the survival of both. And in his months of recovery, the link between writing and living became...
Grammar girl's quick and dirty tips to clean up your writing
Fogarty, Mignon.
CD
Mignon Fogarty can't remember whether it was a misused semicolon, a chronic case of comma splicing, or an 'affect' when an 'effect' was called for, but at some point she had seen one mangled sentence too many. Determined to counter the slipping standards of good writing in daily discourse, Mignon...
Writing down the bones : freeing the writer within
Goldberg, Natalie.
Paper Book
For more than twenty years Natalie Goldberg has been challenging and cheering on writers with her books and workshops. In her groundbreaking first book, she brings together Zen meditation and writing in a new way. Writing practice, as she calls it, is no different from other forms of Zen practice --...
The memoir project : a thoroughly non-standardized text for writing & life
Roach Smith, Marion.
Paper Book
An extraordinary "practical resource for beginners" looking to write their own memoir--​now new and revised (Kirkus Reviews)!   The greatest story you could write is one you've experienced yourself. Knowing where to start is the...
Handling the truth : on the writing of memoir
Kephart, Beth.
Paper Book
In the tradition of Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, a critically acclaimed National Book Award finalist shares inspiration and practical advice for writing a memoir. Writing memoir is a deeply personal, and consequential, undertaking. As the acclaimed author of five memoirs...
On writing well : the classic guide to writing nonfiction
Zinsser, William Knowlton.
Paper Book
"On Writing Well is a bible for a generation of writers looking for clues to clean, compelling prose." -New York Times A beloved classic, this definitive volume on the art of writing nonfiction celebrates its thirtieth anniversary. On Writing Well, which grew out of a...
Craft in the real world : rethinking fiction writing and workshopping
Salesses, Matthew
Paper Book
The traditional writing workshop was established with white male writers in mind; what we call craft is informed by their cultural values. In this bold and original examination of elements of writing - including plot, character, conflict, structure, and believability - Matthew Salesses asks...
How to self publish your book : a complete guide to writing, editing, marketing & selling your own book
Yager, Jan
Paper Book
A new world has opened to writers who wish to have their words turned into finished books. With technological advances in typesetting, printing, distribution, and sales, self-publishing has become a reality. But while converting your writing into a commercially available title may sound relatively...
Drawing words & writing pictures : making comics : manga, graphic novels, and beyond
Abel, Jessica.
Paper Book
"A gold mine of essential information for every aspiring comics artist. Highly recommended." --Scott McCloud Drawing Words and Writing Pictures is a course on comic creation - for college classes or for independent study - that centers on storytelling and concludes with making...
Writing and illustrating the graphic novel : everything you need to know to create great graphic works
Chinn, Mike.
Paper Book
Dramatized sequential illustrations with dialogue--an art form once confined to production of comic strips and comic books--has recently graduated into the popular, fast-growing, and often financially rewarding genre of the graphic novel. Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel is an...

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