25 best books on writing for authors that want to master their craft

When I decided I wanted to be a writer, I got my hands on everything I could about plotting, prose, story and character development and the art of creative writing.

Here’s what I learned: the majority of books from famous writers are self-reflecting memoirs with a handful of good life lessons. Inspirational, but not useful.

Although — I will add — sometimes inspiration is exactly the missing piece; because without a burning desire to succeed as a writer, few authors will take the time to master their craft.

What is “craft”? Craft is the skill of doing something well; of making something.

In my opinion,

Craft is the “how”. Art is the “why.”

Most writers and even many gurus (especially the famous writers) only focus on the art, the why, the passion. But writing a passionate book is not the same as writing a good book.

YOU do not get to define the quality, or the value of your work — that depends on its impact, which means ultimately, readers will decide for themselves (although you can get better at communicating the value).

I’ll also point out, when most people talk about the craft of writing, they’re actually talking about the art: the flowery, ornamental, sentence-by-sentence choice of words that few real readers will care about. While pretty writing can be an effective additional feature of a book, it is not the book.