Today’s post is all about ways to be able to say to others: I’m still writing and getting better too with each day. So it is a post with tips I picked up for myself by myself as well as those learned from the masters. Plus, of course, it is a post with books that will inspire and keep you still writing!!
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First up, inspiration from wonderful women writers in a book titled ‘I’m Still Writing’! This title inspired my post after all.
I’m Still Writing
Book Info
I’m Still Writing: Women Writers on Creativity, Courage, and Putting Words on the Page by Virginia Ann Byrd (Creativity Self-help | St. Martin’s Essentials | February 28, 2023)
Description
In I’m Still Writing, beloved female writers, both past and present, share their thoughts on the joy and struggle of writing. Their words will nurture and challenge your writing, inviting you to dive deeper into your creativity and find power on the page.
My Thoughts
I loved the layout of this book, the included women writers, and the various exercises to inspire us. Each short chapter starts off with a quote/excerpt from the featured author, followed by
Byrd invites readers to savor the book one chapter at a time and work on the exercises at our pace. You can choose to go linearly or keep the author/exercise of choice for each week/time you pick up this resourceful book.
Inspiring and a great book to gift to aspiring writers and established ones too!
Books to Help
This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday over at ThatArtsyReaderGirl is well, a topic of choice, a freebie. So here are a few books I enjoyed/am enjoying using to inspire you in various ways
- 52 Weeks of Writing: Author Journal and Planner by Mariëlle S. Smith. With prompts to take you over the course of a year (more or less if you choose), this book is proving to be valuable to me.
- Everyday is To-day: Essential Writings by Gertrude Stein and Francesca Wade. This one is not a ‘how-to’ book or guide, but just a collection of Stein’s essays. However, trust me when I say this: it is sure to open up your mind, broaden your creative cells, and have you coming up with something you never thought you will.
- How to Write a Short Story in Five Days by Jason Fink. The title is attention grabbing, right? And Fink provides many tools and useful tips with suggestions to take the short story from the very beginning to ‘The End.’ I am yet to write that short story but hopefully soon. And you will be the first ones to read it.
- How to Write Short: Word Craft for Fast Times by Roy Peter Clark. Given my tendency for wordiness, this book is a boon (for me, and I think all of you too!). I am hoping to use it more often going forward since Clark’s tips are effective, easy to implement, and so very useful. Each amazing chapter ends with a section titled Grace Notes which contains helpful exercises and activities that readers can use to write short!
- Pippa Park: My Journal About Life: Awesome Quizzes, Listicles & Writing Activities to Explore the Real You! by Erin Yun. This one is for younger readers, and inspires them to write by providing prompts that they want to write about. Great for fans of Pippa Park, and others too (9 – 12 years, and up)
- A Novel in a Year: A Novelist’s Guide to Being a Novelist by Louise Doughty. If you are thinking about being a novelist, then this book is for you!
- Rooms of Their Own: Where Great Writers Write by Alex Johnson with art by James Oses. A very cool look at writing by exploring the ‘where’ writers write along with the ‘hows’ and ‘whys!’ I am sure each of us has a favorite/favored spot for pursuing our hobbies/working, along with quirks and rituals we employ. This book provides such insights into the lives of writers we admire.
- Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing: A Practical Guide to Selling Your Pitches, Crafting Strong Articles, & Earning More Bylines by Kerrie Flanagan with a foreword from Angela Mackintosh. Not yet writing for magazines at this time. But I am working on making my posts more effective, and this book has tons of tips.
- Write for Life: Creative Tools for Every Writer (A 6-Week Artist’s Way Program) by Julie Cameron. With Cameron’s passion and talent for writing shining throughout, this one is a must-have.
- Writing While Parenting by Ben Berman. Not really a writing guide but a humorous look at the trials and travails and the wonders of writing while parenting. Read it!
For Tips and More Related Reads
- 3 Helpful Books on Writing
- 5 Nifty Ways You Can Easily Improve Your Writing
- What Your Writing Style Reveals About You
- Thirteen Reasons Why I Write
- The Art of Letter Writing: Dear Reader, With Love
And Now, the End of This Post
Dear reader, as always, do let me know if you have read any of the listed/featured books? If yes, do share your thoughts on them. If not, which of these books would you pick up first? And of course, please do let me know your recommendations for similar books.
Sounds like an interesting book.
What an interesting idea for a book! I would love to read that, in the hopes that my own writing can be nurtured and challenged!
This sounds like a book I might like to read. Thanks for featuring it.
These all sound so interesting.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
No, I can’t say I have read any of the mentioned. The only book on writing that I’ve found exciting is Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird.