I’ve been picky about what “how to” writing books I buy lately. Most of them are less about story structure, and more about the nitty gritty parts of writing.
Here are some of my favorite books on writing, but I’m in the market for more. Have any suggestions that improved your writing in any particular area?
1. The Emotion Thesaurus
Good for – writing character feelings through their body language.
Lacking in – For a thesaurus, it doesn’t list off as many emotions as I’d hope.
2. Writer’s Guide to Character Traits
Good for – Nailing down Character behavior regarding their mental status.
Lacking in – It’s one sided and stereotypical at times.
3. Writing from the Senses
Good for – Writing more expressive and meaningful scenes.
Lacking in – It’s a little “How To” and repeats what I’ve read in other books.
4. Plot Vs. Character
Good for – Helps see things from a plot/character writer’s perspective.
Lacking in – Not sure. I really enjoyed this one.
5. Bullies Bastards and Bitches
Good for – Creating fun, deep, well rounded villains.
Lacking in – Can read a little Creative Writing 101.
6. Word Painting
Good for – Explains writing descriptively better than Writing from the Senses.
Lacking in – Not a whole lot. I really don’t have any complaints about this book.
A.E. McAuley 
Stephen King’s On Writing is a good one. There’s a lot of the nitty gritty in the second half, but the first half has more of the development type stuff.
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I’m a big fan of that one as well. The View From the Cheap Seats is another great one that has writing tips/essays/life advice from an author.
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Cool. Haven’t heard of that one. I’ll check it out.
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