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1,037 books
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437 voters
Writing Reference Books
Showing 1-50 of 3,481
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 79 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.34 — 325,318 ratings — published 2002
The Elements of Style (Hardcover)
by (shelved 58 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.18 — 88,039 ratings — published 1918
Bird by Bird (Paperback)
by (shelved 46 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.24 — 113,737 ratings — published 1994
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Writers Helping Writers, #1)
by (shelved 30 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.53 — 6,432 ratings — published 2012
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel (Paperback)
by (shelved 29 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.49 — 14,406 ratings — published 2018
No Plot? No Problem! (Paperback)
by (shelved 26 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.83 — 7,310 ratings — published 2004
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print (Paperback)
by (shelved 24 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.25 — 7,213 ratings — published 1993
Characters & Viewpoint (Paperback)
by (shelved 24 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.04 — 4,736 ratings — published 1988
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (Paperback)
by (shelved 23 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.24 — 31,471 ratings — published 1976
20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them (Paperback)
by (shelved 22 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.79 — 2,559 ratings — published 1993
The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (Paperback)
by (shelved 22 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.10 — 10,509 ratings — published 1992
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction (Paperback)
by (shelved 21 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.32 — 4,301 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 — 6,002 ratings — published 2004
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Paperback)
by (shelved 21 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.21 — 32,293 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 19 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.19 — 6,720 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 — 22,585 ratings — published 2005
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Hardcover)
by (shelved 19 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.87 — 106,851 ratings — published 2003
Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting (Hardcover)
by (shelved 18 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.27 — 17,913 ratings — published 1997
Story Engineering (Paperback)
by (shelved 17 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.10 — 3,328 ratings — published 2011
Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 16 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.39 — 4,508 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 — 5,683 ratings — published 2012
Beginnings, Middles & Ends (Elements of Fiction Writing)
by (shelved 16 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.00 — 2,518 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 — 1,151 ratings — published 2007
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Hardcover)
by (shelved 15 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.20 — 5,964 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 — 1,246 ratings — published 1999
Outlining Your Novel (Helping Writers Become Authors, #1)
by (shelved 14 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.12 — 4,897 ratings — published 2011
45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters (Hardcover)
by (shelved 14 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.89 — 1,438 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 — 7,399 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 3.78 — 12,082 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 — 3,686 ratings — published 2000
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws (Writers Helping Writers, #2)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.59 — 1,928 ratings — published 2013
Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.10 — 4,036 ratings — published 1987
The War of Art (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.96 — 122,505 ratings — published 2002
The 3 A.M. Epiphany (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.08 — 1,089 ratings — published 2005
How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (Paperback)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.91 — 4,916 ratings — published 1990
Scene & Structure (Elements of Fiction Writing)
by (shelved 13 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.11 — 1,630 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 — 21,827 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 — 3,762 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 — 4,689 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 — 1,042 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 — 4,099 ratings — published 2001
Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.13 — 816 ratings — published 2014
Description (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.06 — 613 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 — 6,377 ratings — published 1984
The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.12 — 46,016 ratings — published 1949
Conflict, Action and Suspense (Elements of Fiction Writing)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.83 — 563 ratings — published 1994
Plot (Paperback)
by (shelved 12 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 3.88 — 893 ratings — published 1988
The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma (Writers Helping Writers, #6)
by (shelved 11 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.69 — 1,294 ratings — published 2017
The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface (Paperback)
by (shelved 11 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.25 — 3,130 ratings — published 2016
Take Off Your Pants! Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing (ebook)
by (shelved 11 times as writing-reference)
avg rating 4.25 — 3,302 ratings — published 2015
