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  • Experts

How to Write

Most Recommended Books

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

“It is a surprise to a lot of people that this book is so widely read on university campuses and so widely recommended by teachers of writing. Students love it. It’s bracing: there’s no nonsense. He says somewhere in the foreword or preface that it is a short book because most books are filled with bullshit and he is determined not to offer bullshit but to tell it like it is.”

Andrew Cowan, Novelist

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Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

“This is probably my favourite book on the theme. It might seem slightly old fashioned but it is actually very quietly clever. For example, it describes things that many writers feel and it’s not until you actually read about them that you realise these are not feelings unique to yourself…..This book will help you work out what you can do with your own book.”

Sophie King, Novelist

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    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books, recommended by Mark Nichol

  • Read
    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - Garner's Modern English Usage by Bryan A. Garner

    1

    Garner's Modern English Usage
    by Bryan A. Garner

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    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary by Merriam-Webster

    2

    Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
    by Merriam-Webster

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    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style by Arthur Plotnik

    3

    Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style
    by Arthur Plotnik

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    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Straus

    4

    The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
    by Jane Straus

  • Read
    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Amy Einsohn

    5

    The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications
    by Amy Einsohn

The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books, recommended by Mark Nichol

In the age of the internet, we are all writers. Correct grammar and punctuation are key to making a good impression. Grammar geek Mark Nichol, a writer at Daily Writing Tips, picks five of the best grammar and punctuation books, and tells us why bad grammar leads to anarchy.

    The best books on Science Writing, recommended by Tim Radford

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    The best books on Science Writing - Possible Worlds by J.B.S. Haldane

    1

    Possible Worlds
    by J.B.S. Haldane

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    The best books on Science Writing - Of a Fire on the Moon (also called Moonfire) by Norman Mailer

    2

    Of a Fire on the Moon (also called Moonfire)
    by Norman Mailer

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    The best books on Science Writing - The Periodic Table by Primo Levi

    3

    The Periodic Table
    by Primo Levi

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    The best books on Science Writing - The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature by CS Lewis

    4

    The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature
    by CS Lewis

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    The best books on Science Writing - The First 3 Minutes by Steven Weinberg

    5

    The First 3 Minutes
    by Steven Weinberg

The best books on Science Writing, recommended by Tim Radford

What makes for good science writing? The longtime Guardian science editor, Tim Radford, chooses his five favourite science books.

    Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music

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    Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - The Infinite Variety of Music by Leonard Bernstein

    1

    The Infinite Variety of Music
    by Leonard Bernstein

  • Read
    Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - The Birth of Tragedy and The Case of Wagner by Friedrich Nietzsche

    2

    The Birth of Tragedy and The Case of Wagner
    by Friedrich Nietzsche

  • Read
    Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann

    3

    Doctor Faustus
    by Thomas Mann

  • Read
    Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - Silence by John Cage

    4

    Silence
    by John Cage

  • Read
    Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music - Music in a New Found Land by Wilfrid Mellers

    5

    Music in a New Found Land
    by Wilfrid Mellers

Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music

New Yorker music critic, Alex Ross, explains why writing about music is, really, nothing like “dancing about architecture.”

    The best books on Creative Writing, recommended by Sophie King

  • Read
    The best books on Creative Writing - Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

    1

    Becoming a Writer
    by Dorothea Brande

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    The best books on Creative Writing - The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club by Maeve Binchy

    2

    The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club
    by Maeve Binchy

  • Read
    The best books on Creative Writing - Wannabe a Writer? by Jane Wenham-Jones

    3

    Wannabe a Writer?
    by Jane Wenham-Jones

  • Read
    The best books on Creative Writing - How to Write for Children by Louise Jordan

    4

    How to Write for Children
    by Louise Jordan

  • Read
    The best books on Creative Writing - Rewriting by David Micheal Kaplan

    5

    Rewriting
    by David Micheal Kaplan

The best books on Creative Writing, recommended by Sophie King

The author and creative writing teacher tells us where to go for tips on finding your voice, grabbing the reader’s attention and getting published

    The best books on Creative Writing, recommended by Andrew Cowan

  • Read
    The best books on Creative Writing - Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

    1

    Becoming a Writer
    by Dorothea Brande

  • Read
    The best books on Creative Writing - On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner

    2

    On Becoming a Novelist
    by John Gardner

  • Read
    The best books on Creative Writing - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

    3

    On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
    by Stephen King

  • Read
    The best books on Creative Writing - The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner

    4

    The Forest for the Trees
    by Betsy Lerner

  • Read
    The best books on Creative Writing - Worstward Ho by Samuel Beckett

    5

    Worstward Ho
    by Samuel Beckett

The best books on Creative Writing, recommended by Andrew Cowan

The professor of creative writing at UEA says Joseph Conrad got it right when he said that the sitting down is all. He chooses five books to help aspiring writers.

    The best books on How to Write, recommended by Eric Olsen

  • Read
    The best books on How to Write - Ron Carlson Writes a Story by Ron Carlson

    1

    Ron Carlson Writes a Story
    by Ron Carlson

  • Read
    The best books on How to Write - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

    2

    On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
    by Stephen King

  • Read
    The best books on How to Write - The Faith of a Writer by Joyce Carol Oates

    3

    The Faith of a Writer
    by Joyce Carol Oates

  • Read
    The best books on How to Write - The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes

    4

    The Courage to Write
    by Ralph Keyes

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    The best books on How to Write - The Eleventh Draft by Frank Conroy (editor)

    5

    The Eleventh Draft
    by Frank Conroy (editor)

The best books on How to Write, recommended by Eric Olsen

From their egos and anxieties to the way they work, writers have more in common than we might think. The journalist and editor takes us inside the writing process and reveals who gives the best advice for aspiring authors

    The best books on Comic Writing, recommended by Larry Doyle

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    The best books on Comic Writing - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

    1

    Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
    by Lewis Carroll

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    The best books on Comic Writing - Dating Your Mom by Ian Frazier

    2

    Dating Your Mom
    by Ian Frazier

  • Read
    The best books on Comic Writing - Amateurs by Donald Barthelme

    3

    Amateurs
    by Donald Barthelme

  • Read
    The best books on Comic Writing - The Dog of the South by Charles Portis

    4

    The Dog of the South
    by Charles Portis

  • Read
    The best books on Comic Writing - The Peculiar Life of Thomas Penman by Bruce Robinson

    5

    The Peculiar Life of Thomas Penman
    by Bruce Robinson

The best books on Comic Writing, recommended by Larry Doyle

What makes for great comic writing? Is it possible to say? The author and former Simpsons writer gives us his personal choice of five pitch-perfect examples

    The best books on Where Good Ideas Come From, recommended by Jane Root

  • Read
    The best books on Where Good Ideas Come From - Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson

    1

    Where Good Ideas Come From
    by Steven Johnson

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    The best books on Where Good Ideas Come From - The Genius of the System by Thomas Schatz

    2

    The Genius of the System
    by Thomas Schatz

  • Read
    The best books on Where Good Ideas Come From - Three Blind Mice by Ken Auletta

    3

    Three Blind Mice
    by Ken Auletta

  • Read
    The best books on Where Good Ideas Come From - The Office by Ben Walters

    4

    The Office
    by Ben Walters

  • Read
    The best books on Where Good Ideas Come From - Suspects by David Thomson

    5

    Suspects
    by David Thomson

The best books on Where Good Ideas Come From, recommended by Jane Root

The former head of BBC2 reveals the two important ideas that made The Office a worldwide success, and says that most good ideas are little ones nurtured over time. Here she chooses five books that hold the key to success

    The best books on How to Write Poetry, recommended by Kathleen J Graber

  • Read
    The best books on How to Write Poetry - Fire to Fire by Mark Doty

    1

    Fire to Fire
    by Mark Doty

  • Read
    The best books on How to Write Poetry - What Goes On by Stephen Dunn

    2

    What Goes On
    by Stephen Dunn

  • Read
    The best books on How to Write Poetry - Black Zodiac by Charles Wright

    3

    Black Zodiac
    by Charles Wright

  • Read
    The best books on How to Write Poetry - Winter Stars by Larry Levis

    4

    Winter Stars
    by Larry Levis

  • Read
    The best books on How to Write Poetry - This Time by Gerald Stern

    5

    This Time
    by Gerald Stern

The best books on How to Write Poetry, recommended by Kathleen J Graber

According to Graber, poetry demands that readers and thinkers slow down; just as a poem emerges through careful attention, it demands and recreates that kind of attention within the reader

    The best books on Screenwriting, recommended by Richard Walter

  • Read
    The best books on Screenwriting - Lew Hunter’s Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter

    1

    Lew Hunter’s Screenwriting 434
    by Lew Hunter

  • Read
    The best books on Screenwriting - Write Screenplays That Sell by Hal Ackerman

    2

    Write Screenplays That Sell
    by Hal Ackerman

  • Read
    The best books on Screenwriting - Poetics by Aristotle

    3

    Poetics
    by Aristotle

  • Read
    The best books on Screenwriting - Plots and Characters by Millard Kaufman

    4

    Plots and Characters
    by Millard Kaufman

  • Read
    The best books on Screenwriting - Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters by Michael Tierno

    5

    Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters
    by Michael Tierno

The best books on Screenwriting, recommended by Richard Walter

The Hollywood screenwriting guru picks the best five books on writing a blockbusting screenplay. Aristotle knew what he was doing. It’s all about the story. Less is more. One word is better than lots of words. Simple really.

    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller, recommended by James Twining

  • Read
    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

    1

    The Maltese Falcon
    by Dashiell Hammett

  • Read
    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

    2

    From Russia With Love
    by Ian Fleming

  • Read
    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

    3

    The Day of the Jackal
    by Frederick Forsyth

  • Read
    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

    4

    The Bourne Identity
    by Robert Ludlum

  • Read
    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

    5

    The Silence of the Lambs
    by Thomas Harris

The best books on Writing a Great Thriller, recommended by James Twining

Best-selling author says the elements you need to write a perfect thriller are a brilliant central character, some link to reality, and an inanimate object around which the human story revolves.

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We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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