Like most writers, I read a lot. I’ve been a compulsive reader ever since I learned to read as a small boy. Fiction of a fantastical nature has always been a primary source of reading pleasure, although I’ve cast my net wider than the genres of science fiction and fantasy. An even wider cast characterizes my nonfiction reading habits. In that realm, I am quite omnivorous: history, in its many facets; the sciences, especially astronomy and things biological; natural history; the arts; philosophy. So, it should come as no surprise that I sometimes read books about writing.

This past year (2024) I read three works by fellow practitioners of the art of wordsmithing. Each of them caught my fancy for a different reason, and all of them are worthy of the attention of writers, both new and experienced. They are Righting Writing by Michael Bailey, Steering the Craft: A 21st Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. LeGuin, and Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott.

Righting Writing by Michael Bailey was the first I picked up, on the recommendation of a friend. Michael Bailey writes fiction in a genre – horror – that I’m not very familiar with. But the friend who recommended the book, who is best known for her poetry in that very same genre, is someone whose feelings about writing resonate strongly with my own. Hearing her heap glowing praise on this book regarding the nuts and bolts of storytelling was enough. I downloaded a copy and pretty much started reading it right away. The result of this read is my tendency to recommend the book to anyone starting out in “the madness of writing, editing, and publishing,” as the copy on the book cover spells it out. To steal another bit from the cover (and the word lined out is not an error): “A book for those who want need to write.” If there is a topic regarding the writing process that Michael Bailey does not cover in this book, safe to say it isn’t relevant to the goal. The author’s thoroughness is truly impressive. All the topics covered are delivered with a clean, concise prose style that is at the same time alive and anything but dull and technical. I’m not a beginner, but I found it very useful to be reminded of some of the basics. If you’re just getting started, get this book. Right now.

Steering the Craft: A 21st Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. LeGuin could serve as a good follow-up to the book briefly reviewed above. The author herself says this slim volume is not aimed at beginning writers, and an argument could be made. That said, I don’t think you’d need to be writing with serious intent for very long before this book would be of benefit. Covering some of the same topics as Michael Bailey’s book, LeGuin takes a closer – and often opinionated – look at such matters as complex syntax, points of view, narrative style, as well as when and how to use adjectives and adverbs. I especially liked the way she treats some of the Do and Don’t advice that clutters the social media, such as matters to do with sentence length and structure, show vs. tell, and passive voice, to name three bugaboos self-styled writing coaches often harp on. (And I was amused mightily when she made the point that many of those crying foul over passive voice clearly don’t know what it is.) And all of this done in LeGuin’s marvelous prose.

Righting Writing and Steering the Craft were good reads for this old hand at wordsmithing because they reminded me of aspects of writing that, these days, I do pretty much by instinct. For some of these, this book served as a source of validation; nice to know I’m doing it right. For others – well, let’s just say I sat up and took notice.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott stands apart from the previous books discussed above. Written in an informal, conversational style, I had the feeling as I read that I was just hanging out with a fellow member of my tribe. Sharing a cup of coffee and talking about this thing I do and can’t live without. Reading it I was reminded, clearly and beautifully, why I persisted as a writer for so many years, when the traditional publishing industry could find no use for me. (Okay, I’ll be fair and honest and admit that for a while, there was absolutely no reason traditional publishing should have spent money producing what I wrote.) Bird by Bird not only instructs, it motivates and inspires. That makes it worth reading, no matter how advanced or successful you happen to be.

So, is there one of these three I would consider a must read, apart from the others?

No.

Each of these books is worth reading for its own reasons. All of them can help you, each in its own way. So, give them all a try. Find them at a local bookstore, or track them down at the library. I don’t believe you’ll be disappointed.