Books for Writers

Inspiring and practical resources for writers of all stripes

Updated June 12, 2026
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Greater Victoria Public Library Greater Victoria Public Library
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Books for Writers

Inspiring and practical resources for writers of all stripes

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1000 words : a writer's guide to staying creative, focused, and productive all year round
Attenberg, Jami.
Paper Book
National Bestseller Inspired by Jami Attenberg's wildly popular literary movement #1000WordsofSummer, this "encouraging handbook" (Publishers Weekly) features essays on creativity, productivity, and writing from acclaimed authors including Roxane Gay, Lauren Groff,...
The art of memoir
Karr, Mary.
Paper Book
Bestselling author and renowned professor Mary Karr offers a master class in the essential elements of great memoir--delivered with her signature wit, insight, and candor. Credited with sparking the current memoir explosion, Mary Karr's The Liars' Club spent more than a year at the top of...
The Associated Press stylebook, 2024-2026
Froke, Paula
Paper Book
Master the style guidelines of newswriting, editing and common usage with this indispensable guide perfect for professional writers and students everywhere. The style of the Associated Press is the gold standard for news writing. With The Associated Press...
The book bible : how to sell your manuscript - no matter what genre - without going broke or insane
Shapiro, Susan
Paper Book
A Brilliant, Buoyant Guide to Publishing Your Book Hundreds of thousands of books come out every year worldwide. So why not yours? In The Book Bible, New York Times bestseller and wildly popular Manhattan writing professor Susan Shapiro reveals the best and fastest...
The book of alchemy : a creative practice for an inspired life
Jaouad, Suleika
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A guide to the art of journaling--and a meditation on the central questions of life--by the bestselling author of Between Two Kingdoms, with contributions from Hanif Abdurraqib, Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem, George Saunders, and many more<...
The business of being a writer
Friedman, Jane
Paper Book
A thoroughly revised edition of the comprehensive guide to building and maintaining a successful career in writing.   Writers talk about their work in many ways: as an art, as a calling, as a lifestyle. Too often missing from these conversations is the fact that...
The Chicago manual of style
Paper Book
The venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar--an indispensable reference informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Now in its 18th edition!  More than 1.75 million copies sold! Much has happened in the years since...
Dear writer : pep talks & practical advice for the creative life
Smith, Maggie
Paper Book
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER New York Times bestselling author and poet Maggie Smith distills creativity and the craft of writing with a practical guide perfect for fans of Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic and Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. Drawing from...
Dreyer's English : an utterly correct guide to clarity and style
Dreyer, Benjamin
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A sharp, funny grammar guide they'll actually want to read, from Random House's longtime copy chief and one of Twitter's leading language gurus   NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY O: The Oprah Magazine<...
Elements of fiction
Mosley, Walter
Paper Book
Following his essential writing guide, This Year You Write Your Novel, award-winning author Walter Mosley delivers an eloquent treatise on the craft of fiction writing--part writing guide, part study of the mechanics of the genre. In his essential writing guide, This Year...
The elements of style
Strunk, William
Paper Book
You know the authors' names. You recognize the title. You've probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was...
Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences
Allen, Neal
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 36 ways to improve your writing Two writers show you how to turn a worthy sentence into a memorable one. Starting where The Elements of Style leaves off, Good Writing can improve your book, your essay, your memo,...
The grammar of fantasy : an introduction to the art of inventing stories
Rodari, Gianni
Paper Book
"The ultimate synthesis of Rodari's exuberant knowledge, a book of both pedagogy and poetics, poetry for teachers and pedagogy for poets." -Italo Calvino A groundbreaking pedagogical work that is also a handbook for writers of all ages and kinds, The Grammar of...
Making comics
Barry, Lynda
Paper Book
The bestselling, idiosyncratic curriculum from a 2019 MacArthur Fellow will teach you how to draw and write your story "The self-help book of the year."--The New York Times Hello students, meet Professor Skeletor. Be on time, don't miss class, and...
Meander, spiral, explode : design and pattern in narrative
Alison, Jane
Paper Book
"How lovely to discover a book on the craft of writing that is also fun to read . . . Alison asserts that the best stories follow patterns in nature, and by defining these new styles she offers writers the freedom to explore but with enough guidance to thrive." ―Vulture
Novelist as a Vocation
Murakami, Haruki
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER * An insightful look into the mind of a master storyteller--and a unique look at the craft of writing from the beloved and best-selling author of 1Q84, Norwegian Wood, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running....
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...
A poetry handbook
Oliver, Mary
Ebook
"Mary Oliver would probably never admit to anything so grandiose as an effort to connect the conscious mind and the heart (that's what she says poetry can do), but that is exactly what she accomplishes in this stunning little handbook."--Los Angeles Times From the beloved...
Refuse to be done : how to write and rewrite a novel in three drafts
Bell, Matt
Paper Book
They say writing is rewriting. So why does the second part get such short shrift? Refuse To Be Done will guide you through every step of the novel writing process, from getting started on those first pages to the last tips for making your final draft even tighter and stronger. ...
Verb Your Enthusiasm: How to Master the Art of the Verb and Transform Your Writing
Kaufman, Sarah L
Paper Book
"Personable, smart, and, yes, enthusiastic... a masterclass you can take at your own pace." - Ron Charles "This verb-filled outing reads like a dream." - Publishers Weekly (starred) "An almost shockingly adroit guide to how to make every word count." --Benjamin...
Writing Creativity and Soul
Kidd, Sue Monk
Paper Book
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings: an intimate work on the mysteries, frustrations, and triumphs of being a writer, and an instructive guide to awakening the soul. When Sue Monk Kidd...
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