University of Chicago Press Staff: The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition
Standard style book if you're writing books.
Michael Seidman: Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published
Written by editor with 40 years experience with top publishing houses.
William Strunk Jr. - A MUST HAVE!: The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
Reading this should be an annual ritual.
Lucile Vaughan Payne: Lively Art of Writing
Best definition of passive voice and why it is not appropraite to use, as well as those rare times when it is. Great section on writing effective sentences and on their variety of pattern and style.
Jon Franklin: Writing for Story: Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction by a Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Winner
Classic work for both nonfiction and fiction writers. Best definition of the flash back technique and why it is difficult to use in a narrative structure. Highly recommend!
Phillip Lopate: The Art of the Personal Essay : An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present
Worth buying for the introduction alone! Excellent explanation of the personal essay, its history, and the many voices and styles.
Ray Bradbury: Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity: Expanded
Needed for the sheer jolt of joy expressed!
Vikk Simmons is a writer, blogger and--she lives with 4 canine buddies--a primo dog walker. She's always had a traveler’s soul and an explorer’s spirit. An avid reader, reviewer, and photographer, she is passionate about writing and traveling and loves to combine the two. She currently lives in Houston and spends with her dogs, her elderly mom, and her ever-present laptop.
Writing, blogging, photography, reading, travel, journal writing, art, Byzantine iconography, spirituality, crime fiction, creative nonfiction and essays