Vacation season is upon us, and besides packing a good beach read, how about re-charging your writing batteries?
There are many ways to improve your writing, and a little continuing education isn’t hard to come by. Here are some of my favorite books on writing, in no particular order:
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark:
I’ve learned a lot from Clark over the years, both through his books and by attending seminars at the Poynter Institute. Clark outlines each strategy in just a few pages, so you can easily read a few chapters over lunch.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White:
This classic is probably the most-read book on writing and it easily fits in your pocket or satchel. Who didn’t get their first copy in a high school English composition class? The “Approach to Style” chapter in particular resonates with me: “Write in a way that comes naturally. Write with nouns and verbs. Revise and rewrite. Do not over write.”
On Writing Well by William Zinsser:
I’ve had this book since college days and it’s the book I’ve recommended most often to high school and college students. I love what Zinsser says at the opening of Chapter 2, which is titled Simplicity. “Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.” Amen.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.
The subtitle of this book is “Freeing the Writer Within.” This book is full of inspiration. Goldberg points out that just like running, the more you write, the better you get at it. As for running, “You practice whether you want to or not. You don’t wait around for inspiration and a deep desire to run…That’s how writing is, too. Once you’re deep into it, you wonder what took you so long to finally settle down at the desk.”
So true for me.
So what are your favorite books about writing?