Best Books on the Craft of Writing and Editing Fiction
4. 
Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
by:
Lisa Cron
4.21 avg rating — 5,391 ratings 5. 
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
by:
William Zinsser
4.24 avg rating — 30,212 ratings 6. 
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression
by:
Angela Ackerman
4.53 avg rating — 6,247 ratings 7. 
Book Title Generator: A Proven System in Naming Your Book
by:
Scott Lorenz
4.08 avg rating — 247 ratings 8. 
11. 
Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You
by:
Ray Bradbury
4.08 avg rating — 20,955 ratings 12. 
Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish
by:
James Scott Bell
4.11 avg rating — 5,936 ratings 
14. 
Writing the Breakout Novel: Insider Advice for Taking Your Fiction to the Next Level
by:
Donald Maass
4.08 avg rating — 4,062 ratings 14. 
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need
by:
Jessica Brody
4.50 avg rating — 12,827 ratings 16. 
Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting
by:
Robert McKee
4.27 avg rating — 17,105 ratings 
18. 
Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story 4.23 avg rating — 5,767 ratings
20. 
Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings 4.27 avg rating — 1,319 ratings
21. 
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction
by:
Jeff VanderMeer
4.33 avg rating — 4,141 ratings 
25. 
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print
by:
Renni Browne
4.25 avg rating — 7,005 ratings 26. 
Outlining Your Novel Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises for Planning Your Best Book
by:
K.M. Weiland
4.39 avg rating — 853 ratings 
28. 
Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
by:
Blake Snyder
4.02 avg rating — 21,031 ratings 29. 
How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them—A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide 3.99 avg rating — 4,157 ratings
30. 
The Power of Point of View: Make Your Story Come to Life
by:
Alicia Rasley
4.15 avg rating — 240 ratings 
33. 
GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction
by:
Debra Dixon
4.44 avg rating — 1,258 ratings 34. 
The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of a Blockbuster Novel
by:
Jodie Archer
3.81 avg rating — 1,243 ratings 
36. 
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
by:
Julia Cameron
3.95 avg rating — 116,872 ratings 37. 
Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go
by:
Les Edgerton
4.02 avg rating — 1,945 ratings 37. 
Invisible Ink: A Practical Guide to Building Stories That Resonate
by:
Brian McDonald
4.38 avg rating — 1,503 ratings 39. 
How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript
by:
James Scott Bell
4.17 avg rating — 2,186 ratings 39. 
The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
by:
Martha Alderson
4.02 avg rating — 1,161 ratings 
42. 
Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story
by:
K.M. Weiland
4.32 avg rating — 3,424 ratings 
46. 
Revision & Self-Editing: Techniques for Transforming Your First Draft Into a Finished Novel
by:
James Scott Bell
4.19 avg rating — 1,724 ratings 47. 
The Art of Character: Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film, and TV
by:
David Corbett
4.25 avg rating — 657 ratings 48. 
Nail Your Novel: Why Writers Abandon Books and How You Can Draft, Fix and Finish With Confidence
by:
Roz Morris
4.05 avg rating — 469 ratings 49. 
Write Away: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life
by:
Elizabeth George
3.97 avg rating — 1,470 ratings 
52. 
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws
by:
Angela Ackerman
4.59 avg rating — 1,885 ratings 53. 
The Fiction Writer's Sexuality Guide: Sex—It's More Than a Scene
by:
Dr. J.
4.79 avg rating — 19 ratings 
54. 
Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules
by:
Steven James
4.38 avg rating — 731 ratings 
58. 
5,000 WRITING PROMPTS: A Master List of Plot Ideas, Creative Exercises, and More
by:
Bryn Donovan
4.34 avg rating — 200 ratings 60. 
The Complete Handbook Of Novel Writing: Everything You Need to Know About Creating & Selling Your Work really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,025 ratings
63. 
Spellbinding Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Achieving Excellence and Captivating Readers
by:
Barbara Baig
4.31 avg rating — 230 ratings 64. 
Dialogue: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Effective Dialogue
by:
Gloria Kempton
3.97 avg rating — 1,097 ratings 
66. 
45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters 3.90 avg rating — 1,430 ratings
69. 
Page After Page: Discover the Confidence & Passion You Need to Start Writing & Keep Writing (No Matter What!)
by:
Heather Sellers
4.10 avg rating — 644 ratings 69. 
Structuring Your Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Building Strong and Successful Stories
by:
K.M. Weiland
4.42 avg rating — 502 ratings 71. 
How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play
by:
Barbara Baig
3.76 avg rating — 359 ratings 71. 
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers
by:
John Gardner
3.99 avg rating — 6,231 ratings 73. 
Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes
by:
Tami D. Cowden
4.07 avg rating — 519 ratings 73. 
2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love
by:
Rachel Aaron
4.19 avg rating — 4,633 ratings 75. 
The Writer's Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters
by:
Marc McCutcheon
4.08 avg rating — 212 ratings 76. 
How to Grow a Novel: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make and How to Overcome Them
by:
Sol Stein
4.06 avg rating — 839 ratings 77. 
Write That Book Already!: The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now
by:
Sam Barry
3.48 avg rating — 329 ratings 
80. 
The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller
by:
John Truby
4.25 avg rating — 7,030 ratings 
82. 
Chapter After Chapter: Discover the Dedication and Focus You Need to Write the Book of Your Dreams
by:
Heather Sellers
4.17 avg rating — 432 ratings 82. 
The Writer's Guide to Character Traits: Includes Profiles of Human Behaviors and Personality Types 3.90 avg rating — 1,244 ratings
84. 
85. 
Developmental Editing: A Handbook for Freelancers, Authors, and Publishers
by:
Scott Norton
4.01 avg rating — 365 ratings 85. 
Evernote for Writers: Streamline Your Writing from Idea to Final Manuscript with Evernote
by:
Rhiana B. Seeley
liked it 3.00 avg rating — 4 ratings 85. 
Scrivener: Manual para escritores profesionales/ Manual for professional writers
by:
Ana Maria Trigo
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings 
85. 
EDITING The RedPen Way: 10 steps to successful self-editing
by:
Anne Rainbow
4.24 avg rating — 84 ratings 
85. 
Text Structure: A Window into Discourse, Context and Mind
by:
Nelly Tincheva
4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings 
85. 
Author for Life or for a Living?: How to Stay Sane & Alive when Everything & Everyone Brings you Down: Manifesto for Real Writers
by:
Cristina G.
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 7 ratings 85. 
Painting Dragons: What Storytellers Need to Know About Writing Eunuch Villains
by:
Tucker Lieberman
4.53 avg rating — 17 ratings 85. 
The Scream Writer's Handbook: How to Write a Terrifying Screenplay in 10 Bloody Steps
by:
Thomas Fenton
3.73 avg rating — 49 ratings 
85. 
The Storytellers: Straight Talk from the World's Most Acclaimed Suspense & Thriller Authors
by:
Mark Rubinstein
4.01 avg rating — 137 ratings 85. 
Story Like a Journalist: A Textbook / Workbook for Novelists
by:
Amber Royer
4.47 avg rating — 17 ratings