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1,034 books
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434 voters
Writing Reference Books
Showing 1-50 of 3,473
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 80 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.34 — 321,141 ratings — published 2000
The Elements of Style (Hardcover)
by (shelved 58 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.18 — 87,447 ratings — published 1918
Bird by Bird (Paperback)
by (shelved 46 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.24 — 112,082 ratings — published 1994
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression, Second Edition (Writers Helping Writers Series Book 1)
by (shelved 30 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.53 — 6,382 ratings — published 2012
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel (Paperback)
by (shelved 27 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.49 — 13,957 ratings — published 2018
No Plot? No Problem! (Paperback)
by (shelved 26 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.84 — 7,303 ratings — published 2004
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print (Paperback)
by (shelved 25 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.25 — 7,142 ratings — published 1993
Characters & Viewpoint (Paperback)
by (shelved 24 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.04 — 4,725 ratings — published 1988
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (Paperback)
by (shelved 23 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.23 — 31,107 ratings — published 1976
20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them (Paperback)
by (shelved 22 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.79 — 2,554 ratings — published 1993
The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (Paperback)
by (shelved 22 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.10 — 10,440 ratings — published 1992
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction (Paperback)
by (shelved 21 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.32 — 4,254 ratings — published 2013
Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish (Paperback)
by (shelved 21 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.11 — 5,994 ratings — published 2004
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Paperback)
by (shelved 21 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.21 — 31,996 ratings — published 1986
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)
by (shelved 20 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.19 — 6,542 ratings — published 2016
Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need (Paperback)
by (shelved 19 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.01 — 22,163 ratings — published 2005
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Hardcover)
by (shelved 19 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.87 — 106,599 ratings — published 2003
Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting (Hardcover)
by (shelved 18 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.27 — 17,678 ratings — published 1997
Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 16 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.39 — 4,403 ratings — published 2016
Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence (Paperback)
by (shelved 16 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.20 — 5,606 ratings — published 2012
Story Engineering (Paperback)
by (shelved 16 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.10 — 3,313 ratings — published 2011
Beginnings, Middles & Ends (Elements of Fiction Writing)
by (shelved 16 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.00 — 2,515 ratings — published 1992
Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time (Paperback)
by (shelved 15 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.07 — 1,149 ratings — published 2007
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Hardcover)
by (shelved 15 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.20 — 5,916 ratings — published 2006
The Writer's Guide to Character Traits: Includes Profiles of Human Behaviors and Personality Types (Paperback)
by (shelved 15 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.91 — 1,245 ratings — published 1999
Outlining Your Novel (Helping Writers Become Authors, #1)
by (shelved 14 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.12 — 4,878 ratings — published 2011
45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters (Hardcover)
by (shelved 14 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.89 — 1,437 ratings — published 2001
The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller (Hardcover)
by (shelved 14 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.25 — 7,291 ratings — published 2007
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (Paperback)
by (shelved 14 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.77 — 11,927 ratings — published 2006
The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile (Paperback)
by (shelved 14 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.98 — 3,680 ratings — published 2000
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.59 — 1,916 ratings — published 2013
Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.10 — 3,992 ratings — published 1987
The War of Art (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.97 — 120,091 ratings — published 2002
The 3 A.M. Epiphany (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.09 — 1,087 ratings — published 2005
How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.91 — 4,894 ratings — published 1990
Scene & Structure (Elements of Fiction Writing)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.11 — 1,620 ratings — published 1993
Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.08 — 21,534 ratings — published 1973
Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.31 — 3,690 ratings — published 2016
The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.25 — 3,041 ratings — published 2016
2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.19 — 4,675 ratings — published 2012
The Complete Handbook Of Novel Writing: Everything You Need to Know About Creating & Selling Your Work (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.00 — 1,041 ratings — published 1992
Writing the Breakout Novel: Insider Advice for Taking Your Fiction to the Next Level (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.08 — 4,090 ratings — published 2001
Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.13 — 815 ratings — published 2014
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.96 — 121,286 ratings — published 2002
Description (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.06 — 611 ratings — published 1995
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.99 — 6,330 ratings — published 1984
The Hero With a Thousand Faces (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.12 — 45,462 ratings — published 1949
Conflict, Action and Suspense (Elements of Fiction Writing)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.83 — 560 ratings — published 1994
Plot (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.88 — 890 ratings — published 1988
The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma (Paperback)
by (shelved 11 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.69 — 1,278 ratings — published 2017
