Indulge yourself and your fiction skills with some books that will help hone your craft. Or email this page to your friends and family as a hint...

Some new book reviews will be loaded in the Fiction Writing shop before they are featured on the Fiction Writing site, so check in again for some sneak previews...

These books are in order of recommendation, with my favourites up first.

Writing a Book That Makes a Difference by Philip Gerard Many authors have an idea for an important book that they feel can't be written until they have more experience in writing, more world knowledge, and more research. Writing a Book That Makes a Difference is all about getting that idea out of your head and onto the page. Read a review of Writing a Book That Makes a Difference

The Tough Guide To Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones The Tough Guide To Fantasyland is a tongue-in-cheek dictionary of fantasy cliches and norms, and is one of those rare reference book that both entertains and educates. It´s well worth a spot on a fantasy writer´s bookshelf. Read a review of The Tough Guide To Fantasyland

The Plot Thickens : 8 Ways To Bring Fiction To Life by Noah Lukeman The Plot Thickens is a little gem of a book that both beginners and advanced writers will get much use from. It contains dozens of question prompts regarding your characters and useful exercises to help you consolidate your ideas. Read a review of The Plot Thickens

How to Beat Writer's Block and Have Fun Writing From Now On by Holly Lisle How to Beat Writer’s Block is Holly Lisle’s one hour audio course that talks you through a relatively quick process of recommitting and refocusing, generating new ideas, and finding enjoyment again in your story. After working through the course I’m writing easily again and excited about my story. Read a review of How to Beat Writer’s Block

On Writing by Stephen King The story of how Stevie King gradually became best-selling horror writer, Stephen King, is fascinating for anyone – whether a writer or reader. If you’ve ever asked, been asked, or wanted to ask a writer how they do it, where they get their ideas from, here’s your answer. Read a review of On Writing

Creativity Rules! A Writer's Workbook by John Vorhaus Creativity Rules! is packed with tips and tricks to help shake a writer out of a rut. Creative writing teacher and film consultant John Vorhaus is well-known for his creative approach to problems like writer´s block and idea block. Read a review of Creativity Rules!

Plotting And Writing Suspense Fiction by Patricia Highsmith Patricia Highsmith, the author of The Talented Mr Ripley, shares her writing life, letting us into her thought processes around many of her books and short stories. Read a review of Plotting And Writing Suspense Fiction

The Writing Book by Kate Grenville Kate Grenville is an award-winning Australian author and creative writing teacher. In The Writing Book she offers plenty of writing advice and exercises to improve your fiction. Read a review of The Writing Book

Writing Mysteries : A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America Some of America´s prominent mystery writers have contributed their advice on writing in the mystery genre, in the format of an essay on a specific topic on the craft of mystery writing. The names include Sara Paretsky, Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Michael Connelly, and Linda Fairstein. Read a review of Writing Mysteries

The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray and Bret Norris The concept behind The Weekend Novelist is very interesting - if you're working full time and only have the weekends free to write your novel, this is supposedly the plan to work from to produce a novel in 52 weekends. Unfortunately, The Weekend Novelist achieves something quite different. Read a review of The Weekend Novelist

So You Want To Be A Screenwriter : How to Face the Fears And Take The Risks by Sara Caldwell and Marie-Eve Kielson Screenwriter Sara Caldwell and script consultant Marie-Eve Kielson have created an "Artist’s Way" book for screenwriters in So You Want To Be A Screenwriter. This is a pep talk for both beginner screenwriters and those already into their careers. Read a review of So You Want To Be A Screenwriter

How Not to Write a Novel by David Armstrong How Not to Write a Novel is an acerbic look at the publishing industry by midlist author, David Armstrong. If you have a head-in-the-clouds would-be writer in your family, with no concept of the hard work part of the writing and publishing process, this is the book to get for them. Read a review of How Not to Write a Novel

Writing the Popular Novel : A comprehensive guide to crafting fiction that sells by Loren Estleman I picked up this book thinking it would be a specialist book for genre writers, with advice on beginning and sustaining a career in this type of writing. It has a few chapters relevant to genre writers, but unfortunately, Writing the Popular Novel is generally yet another beginners' guide on "how to write". Read a review of Writing the Popular Novel

You may also find the following book reviews relevant from the Creativity Site:

The Right to Write by Julia Cameron - the writer's version of The Artist's Way, filled with great writing exercises and advice.

Self by Yann Martel - a fictional autobiography written in the magical realism genre.

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