Reading for Writers...Inspired!

Read a wonderful article in Huffington Post this morning. I thought it was going to be the tired "here's what you should read if you want to be a writer" kind of story. And, it was, but just a little. What was different was this story touched on the writer's own journey and how the books listed would be helpful for the ART of writing, not the SCIENCE of publishing.

Seven Books for Writers- by Deanna Fei

Sure, we all want to be recognized as writers in print, on the web, whatever the distribution mechanism may be. But, writing - true writing - is not about publishing. It's about WRITING.

The list in the Huffington piece points out great choices. Some picks are found on my own list that I present at workshops, and like the Huffington piece, I believe these choices are true to the writing life, not the publishing life. Write first, rewrite second, and publishing will come.

Here's my list. Hope it helps.

1. Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice

Loraine Herring, Publisher: Shambhala

2. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Anne Lamott, Publisher: Anchor

3. The Writing Life

Annie Dillard, Publisher: Harper Perennial

4. Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writer’s Guide

Mark Kramer and Wendy Call, Publisher: Plume

5. Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir

Lisa Dale North, Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

6. Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir

Russell Baker, Publisher: Mariner Books

7. Ernest Hemingway on Writing

Editor: Larry W. Phillips, Publisher: Scribner

8. The Spooky Art: Thoughts on Writing

Norman Mailer, Publisher: Random House