What's In Store
The Best of Inspirational Writing Books
by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett

I wrote my book, Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman's Guide to Igniting the Writer Within (Harcourt, 2004), for four main reasons: My student Robin was only inspired when she came to class. At home, inspiration fell flat. She asked me to move in with her so she'd be continually inspired. I told her sadly I couldn't, but I would write a book for her.

I also loved writing books, loved reading them, and loved being inspired by them. And I wanted to fill a niche—people with little time to write. Yes, I wanted to add to the stacks of the writing books that are among my favorites, books that inspired me and pushed me. Here they are:

I've loved the Paris Review Interviews since I discovered them in the early '80s. Over the years, by reading the Review, I've learned from many of my favorite writers—Wallace Stegner, Joan Didion, Dorothy Parker—about their lives and their writing. I'm a fan of the Q&A format (big surprise), especially when it comes to writers. The review fills that need.

Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor. I admit: I like O'Connor's writing about writing more than I like her stories. This volume holds much wisdom and plain good advice about writing. One of my favorite quotes: "Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher."

Thunder and Lightning: Cracking Open the Writer's Craft by Natalie Goldberg. A lesser-known book of Goldberg's, but the one that says yes, you need to learn to let the words fly, but you also need structure.

Starting from Scratch by Rita Mae Brown. My favorite of Brown's books (though I did love Rubyfruit Jungle). But since reading this one, I have felt regret that I never learned Latin. According to Brown, any self-respecting writer will learn the language.

Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway I always use this book when I teach fiction writing. It comes at a hefty price, but an older edition is just as good as a newer edition (and you save some bucks).

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Although I'm tired of Bird by Bird at this point, I loved it when it first came out. Lamott's strength is her self-deprecating sense of humor and her honesty, which all of us can learn something from.

Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale, ASJA. Before Connie became an ASJA member, she wrote this book and came on my radio show, "Writers on Writing," to talk about it. I rarely feature authors of grammar books, but I loved that she not only covers every little aspect of grammar, but writes beautifully as well. I constantly push this book onto my students, and they love it too.

If You Want To Write by Brenda Ueland. For the longest time, I put off reading this book. Because it was published in 1938, I figured the book was dated and had nothing to teach me. Wrong. It's a lovely, eloquent book that talks about art and writing and can't help but inspire.

Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See. She is so charming and blunt, which makes for a hilarious combination. This book has something for beginners and for those have been writing for some time. Her section on revision is one of the best I've read for those revising novels.

This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley. He is known as a best selling mystery novelist, but his past as a poet comes through in this book. With a lovely tone and style, and nicely slim, this book is just the right length for someone who would rather write than read about writing.

Ron Carlson Writes a Story by Ron Carlson. Before Carlson garnered his current gig running the MFA program at UC-Irvine, he became known as a short story writer, with stories in Harper's, The New Yorker, and Esquire, among others. This is a wonderful little book that deconstructs one of his stories as well as teaches story structure.

There are so many more writing books that I appreciate: Catherine Wald's The Resilient Writer (ASJA award winner), Margaret Duras' Writing, Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, Dennis Palumbo's Writing from the Inside Out. But I'm out of room. What are your favorites?

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If you're a member and would like to write a "Best of" for What's in Store, write to me at newsletter@asja.org
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett is the editor of The ASJA Monthly