Nowadays you can find a book on anything: cooking, relationships, self-love, the state of the world, music, the ocean, photography. But there’s also books on writing, some of which are helpful and some of which aren’t, that can help writers improve their craft and expand their knowledge of things like dialogue, plot structure, and character voices.

So for any of you who are writers or have an interest in writing, these are my top 3 books on writing that I’ve read so far. I also included links to them all in case anyone wants to buy them or read a sample on Amazon, but I don’t make any money off those links or get any benefit from you clicking on it.

(Also apologies that this post is two days late — I’ve been on vacation and didn’t get much of anything written on Wednesday😅)

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1. The Happy Writer by Marisa Meyer

This is the latest writing book I’ve read, and I absolutely loved it. I can’t even remember how I found out about it or who recommended it to me, but I’m so glad I ordered a copy once it came out.

I haven’t read much of Marissa’s fiction writing, but her tips and encouragement in The Happy Writer were so warm, insightful and clearly well-informed. The book has separate sections on different aspects of writing, like publishing and creating and writing challenges, so you can either read it from beginning to end or hop around different sections.

Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or both (or poetry), this book will benefit, motivate, and encourage you — wherever you find yourself in your writing journey. Plus Marissa has hundreds of podcast episodes on her old podcast The Happy Writer where she talks with authors about similar topics that she writes about here.

And since I brought the book on vacation with me, here’s a few of my favorite quotes:

“New ideas are never trite, silly, or cliche. They are never boring. They are never beyond your capability. They are merely new ideas. They are potential. They are maybes, and for now, they are worth recording.”

“Our modern society can be very focused on productivity, but too often this leads to a mentality in which we are always trying to achieve more, more, more, to the detriment of our health, relationships, and overall well-being… Ultimately, being productive isn’t so much about ‘doing more’, but rather doing more of what matters.”

2. On Writing Well by William Zinsser

I think this was the first writing craft book I ever read, after I saw it recommended by my writing workshop. I only borrowed it so I don’t own a copy, but I took SO many notes from this book because it was so good.

It’s not very long, but every chapter has so many good points and tips that apply not just to nonfiction, but even fiction too. Zinsser talks about writing voice, the importance of clarity in your writing, and how important it is to write what you feel is beautiful and needed — not what other people want to hear. Honestly his advice applies to things like public speaking and messaging in general, not just writing articles or books.

3. Wordsmithy by Douglas Wilson

If you know anything about Doug Wilson, you know that he (1) doesn’t mince words and (2) has really entertaining ways of imparting information. This book isn’t very long just like On Writing Well, but he makes wonderful points on the importance of reading, good writing being sourced from a full, well-rounded life, and “[being] at peace with being lousy for a little while.]

Filled with quotes from writers like Tolkien and Chesterton, and plenty of jokes and sayings from Doug Wilson himself, Wordsmithy is a great read for anyone who enjoys writing and reading (whether you want to pursue it professionally or not). And if you know someone who enjoys writing, any and all of these books would make a great gift for them!