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5 Books I Think Would Impact Me As A Writer But I Haven’t Read Yet

August 15, 2017 By C.S. Elston


Alright, I’ll admit it. This is kind of a weird topic for a blog post. But, there are many books that consistently get recommended to me and I haven’t gotten around to reading them all yet. I’ve read a lot of them (some good, some not so much) but, for whatever reason, there are a few that I just haven’t tackled. Several are even sitting on my bookshelf just waiting to be read. So, this is a list of the books I know I should read, and intend to at some point, to get better at my craft.

  1. The Classic Guide To Better Writing by Rudolf Flesch


From what I understand, this is about getting back to basics and remembering that sometimes simple is better. The “back to basics” is probably one of the reasons I have put off taking the time to go through this book. However, even professional athletes need to return to the fundamentals from time to time. I’m told this is a must read for writers at all levels.

  1. On Becoming A Novelist by John Gardner

John Gardner has written several books on the craft of writing but, I’m told that this is the most important. It also contains a quote about the writer’s gift that I have loved ever since I read it on the wall of the tasting room at the Redhook Brewery while on a tour about fifteen years ago.

  1. The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Gide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker

This is, apparently, a contemporary approach to good writing that helps the reader understand the importance of writing clearly while teaching them how to know when to follow the “rules” and when to ignore them.

  1. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Of every book on this list, this is probably the one I can’t believe I haven’t read yet. It’s a masterclass by one of the most prolific and popular authors of all time. I must read this book! Almost everyone else has, it’s sold over a million copies for crying out loud!

  1. The Elements of Style by Jr. William Strunk

This is an absolute classic and it’s embarrassing (not quite as embarrassing as the Stephen King book though) that I haven’t read it. It’s short, too. So, there aren’t any good excuses. Almost every writer I know has this on their shelf.

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Home Tagged With: author, classic, craft, John Gardner, Jr. William Strunk, memoir, novel, novelist, Rudolf Flesch, Stephen King, Steven Pinker, style, writer, writing

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