Books on the Craft of Writing

[RedMage]

I've recently seen several posts here and on other forums I'm on, and participated in some in person discussions about books on the craft of writing. I checked and it doesn't seem we have a thread of our own, so I thought it was time we had a thread!

This is the thread to share the books on writing that you've read, or to ask for recommendations. If you've read a book, please let us know a bit about it and how it helped you.

 

[RedMage]

Here are a few to get us started, each of which is on my shelves at home. One rather famous book, and some others.

• Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
  First published in 2000, the book is part memoir, part writing advice gleaned from a decades-long career of one of the most famous SFFH horror authors ever.
  • Amazon currently has the paperback and kindle versions priced at ~$12 USD.
    
    
• Bill O'Hanlon's Write is a Verb
  I bought this book in the mid-2010s on advice I received here at SFFWorld. O'Hanlon is a psychotherapist and author of multiple books in a variety of fields. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he approaches writing--any type of writing--from a psychological perspective. I learned of him and this book for writers from another thread here at SFFWorld in the mid-2010s. At the time, I was struggling with the writer's block and burnout in other areas of my life. Reading just the first few chapters helped me move past that and start writing again.
  • Amazon's current price = ~$12 USD for the paperback. Note, the paperback's cover image currently shows a coat; however, the hardback edition's cover is accurate, though it's currently ~$30 USD. I've reported it.
    
    
• Some general resource books:
  • Ian Mortimer's The Time Traveller's Guides series (link is to the series' page)
    These books cover four time periods from Medieval to Regency England and Britain. I have the first two books, on Medieval and Elizabethan England. They cover such information as where to stay, how much things cost, health and disease, and much much more. If you're writing pre-modern fantasy or horror, they can be quite valuable for all those little things that come from lived experience and, thus, are incredibly difficult for the modern writer to know or be confident in a quick internet search, even in these days of AI.
    • Amazon's current paperback prices run from ~$10 to ~$16 USD, depending on the specific book in the series
      
      
  • Writer's Digest's Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference
    Also unsurprisingly, Writer's Digest has published lots and lots of books on various aspects of the craft of writing. This one is all about the fantasy genre! I've really enjoyed it and, sometimes, I've even taken it off the shelf just to peruse over breakfast or a quiet dinner alone. Like the Time Traveller's Guides, it's a great reference for fantasy writers.
    • Amazon's current paperback price = ~$17 USD