Writing Radar: Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft Great Stories Writing Radar: Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft Great Stories The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
This Year You Write Your Novel From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction Letters to a Writer of Color Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo (Novel and Creative Writing Book, National Novel Writing Month Nan Ready, Set, Novel!: A Workbook Aspects of the Novel
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You'll Ever Need A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing Wonderbook (Revised and Expanded): The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life Brave the Page
Letters to a Writer of Color No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 P Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story

Our Favorite Writing Books

By NaNoWriMo
By NaNoWriMo

Our Favorite Writing Books

NaNoWriMo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes in the transformational power of creativity. We provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people use their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page. Check out our website here: https://nanowrimo.org

 

This list contains some of NaNoWriMo's favorite writing books to help get you inspired for a month of writing!

Writing Radar: Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft Great Stories

Writing Radar: Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft...

Jack Gantos

$11.99
$11.15
A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing

A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in...

David Mura

$30.95
$28.78
Letters to a Writer of Color

Letters to a Writer of Color

$17.00
$15.81
Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories

Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by...

Charlie Jane Anders

$26.99
$25.10
How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill

How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill

Jericho Brown and Darlene Taylor

$18.99
$17.66
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a...

George Saunders

$20.00
$18.60
Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping

Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and...

Matthew Salesses

$16.95
$15.76
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Anne Lamott

$17.00
$15.81
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Elizabeth Gilbert

$29.00
$26.97
No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days

No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to...

Chris Baty

$14.95
$13.90
Ready, Set, Novel!: A Workbook

Ready, Set, Novel!: A Workbook

Chris Baty, Tavia Stewart-Streit, et al.

$18.95
$17.62
Brave the Page

Brave the Page

National Novel Writing Month

$15.99
$14.87
The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story

The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story

Grant Faulkner

$19.95
$18.55
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Natalie Goldberg

$16.95
$15.76
Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo (Novel and Creative Writing Book, National Novel Writing Month Nan

Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your...

Grant Faulkner

$16.95
$15.76
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You'll Ever Need

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing...

Jessica Brody

$16.99
$15.80
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 P

Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining...

Lisa Cron

$16.99
$15.80
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers

The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers

John Gardner

$17.00
$15.81
Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story

Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing...

Ursula K. Le Guin

$16.99
$15.80
Wonderbook (Revised and Expanded): The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction

Wonderbook (Revised and Expanded): The Illustrated Guide to...

Jeff VanderMeer

$27.50
$25.58
Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success

K. M. Weiland

$11.79
Aspects of the Novel

Aspects of the Novel

E. M. Forster

$14.99
$13.94
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of...

David Bayles and Ted Orland

$12.95
$12.04
From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction

From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction

Robert Olen Butler

$18.00
$16.74
This Year You Write Your Novel

This Year You Write Your Novel

Walter Mosley

$15.99
$14.87