My Favorite Writing Craft Books

Here are my favorite writing craft books (so far). So if you’ve got a writer to gift, these make great gifts! I have another ten writing crafts books on my #tbr list so we’ll see if these change next year.

GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict

GMC by Debra Dixon is an essential writing craft handbook. When I first started taking writing courses, everyone recommended this. And even now, when I revise my first draft, I ask about every scene: what is the goal, motivation and conflict?

Scene and Structure

Another essential craft book. This was one of the first writing craft books I read. And it remains one of my favorites. His advice on ending scenes: “He must leave in worse shape than he was when he went in” was game-changing. If you’re having problems with pacing, check this out.

Romancing the Beat

Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes is an absolutely essential book for any romance writer. I consult it often. For such a slim, easy-to-read book, it has it all. She even provides a free printable template of the various beats you need to hit as you craft a romance.

Story Genius

I still use this book to craft the back story of my protagonist and thus her character arc. Lisa Cron talks about how important story is for people to make sense of the world so it’s also encouraging for writers to read. I trace the arc of my characters in a chart to make sure it is changing in each chapter.

Story

I just took Robert McKee’s three-day Story course and gained a further appreciation of all the knowledge in this book. McKee’s emphasis on turning each scene so that it starts on a negative and ends on a positive or vice versa is key. His scene analysis is also advice I return to over and over again.

Save the Cat

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder is a such an easy read but also has lots of wisdom. The title refers to the “Save the Cat” scene.

It’s the scene where we meet the hero and the hero does something — like saving a cat — that defines who he is and makes, us, the audience, like him.

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder at xv.

Save the Cat Writes a Novel

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody lays out the plot beats for each genre and is so helpful. It also provides examples using books from that genre.

The Anatomy of Story

The Anatomy of Story by John Truby is excellent too. With every book I write, I map out Truby’s Seven Key Steps of Story Structure and make sure that I have all those elements. I also find his advice on the 22 step story structure also super useful, especially the discussion about opponents and revelations.

The Emotional Craft of Fiction

Any writing craft book list would not be complete with a Donald Maass book on it. When I want to deepen the emotion in each scene, I pull out this book and do some of the exercises in it and apply them to my story. Highly recommend.

Writing the Romantic Comedy

Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit is so much fun. It’s a great gift for lovers of romantic comedies–not just writers who are looking for writing craft books. It’s like having a great conversation with a friend about your favorite romantic comedies. I especially love his analysis of Tootsie and how each of “the supporting characters are all in some way reflections of Michael and thus force him to confront his issues.” Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit at 145. He has in-depth case studies of various romantic comedies

Understanding Show, Don’t Tell

This book is so helpful for explaining show, don’t tell and has lots of great examples.

Let’s Talk

What are your favorite writing craft books? I hope you are having a great December.

Happy Holidays!