A curated booklist created for the pop-up library for Write On!, Somerville Public Library's bimonthly writing group.
Write On!: Style/Grammar | Craft | Editing/Publishing | Genre
Style/Grammar
![]() |
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr, and E.B. White
The Elements of Style has become a classic inclusion in English writing resources. A manual intended to help strengthen your style and omit unnecessary writing habits. |
![]() |
Dreyer's English by Benjamin Dreyer
Dreyer's guide takes on everything under the umbrella of punctuation and grammar; from homophones and passive voice, to comma use and capitalization. |
![]() |
Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale
Presenting regular grammar and style ideas in a lens of creative and effective prose, Hale encourages writers to take on advanced syntax goals. |
![]() |
Story Genius by Lisa Cron
Story Genius gives you the tools to successfully structure your story, and create a plot blueprint that will drive your writing to completion. |
![]() |
The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker
This book reconsiders writing and usage guides in the ever-changing 21st century, while also encouraging you to break the rules when logical. |
![]() |
Woe is I by Patricia T O'Connor
Woe is I is a bestselling grammar guide written with a witty tone to encourage all levels of writers to understand grammar. |
![]() |
The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman
Understanding how to convey your characters' emotions is a huge struggle for writers, and this book lays out ways to do that; showing and not telling emotional response in all intensities. |
Craft
![]() |
On Writing by Stephen King
Part memoir, and part lesson, King's On Writing is a fantastically composed balance of advice and personal anecdote. |
![]() |
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
In this step-by-step guide to writing, Lamott teaches us what it takes to be a writer, and the art of taking the work "bird by bird." |
![]() |
Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman
Daemon Voices is made up of 30 or so essays Pullman has written about storytelling. Pullman is a masterful author, and his insight on writing is valuable and enriching. |
![]() |
Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing by Margaret Atwood
Atwood has penned six essays on the subject of writing for this book, covering profound analyses of what it means to write and be a writer. |
![]() |
Why We Write edited by Meredith Maran
Essays from twenty well-known authors on what keeps them going, even through the heartbreaks of writing. |
![]() |
Writing Hard Stories by Melanie Brooks
The guidance of many acclaimed memoirists on working through dark times in their lives to create honest and powerful works. |
Editing/Publishing
![]() |
Writer's Market 2020
Writer's Market has always been an essential tool to writers in the publishing process, with revised and updated editions coming out yearly. |
![]() |
The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner
Lerner leans on her years of editing experience to give her advice to writers looking to publish and address their publishing anxieties. |
![]() |
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers will teach you how to turn your manuscript into a publishable work with expert editing techniques. |
![]() |
The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself by Susan Bell
A look into editing as a way of enhancing your work, The Artful Edit will fundamentally change how tedious and scary editing can seem. |
Genre
![]() |
Poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Woolridge
Poemcrazy is a delightful guide to expressing yourself through poetry, for new poets and experienced poets alike. |
![]() |
Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison
Pattison's guide to writing lyrics will take you through the elements of what makes a great song, and teach you to write a hit. |
![]() |
Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart
What does it mean to write a memoir? How do you put the truth to paper successfully and efficiently? This book asks and answers essential questions for aspiring memoirists. |
![]() |
The Art of Comic Book Writing by Mark Kneece
The Art of Comic Book Writing encompasses the key steps to creating a comic, from the outlining process onward. |
![]() |
The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script by David Trottier
The Screenwriter's Bible will teach you the Do's and Dont's of writing and formatting a script, screenplay, or teleplay. |
Style/Grammar | Craft | Editing/Publishing | Genre | Return to Top